Les rivières pourpres (2000)

User Rating:

6.7/10   

Director:

Mathieu Kassovitz

Writers:

Jean-Christophe Grangé (novel)
Jean-Christophe Grangé (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

27 September 2000 (France)

Genre:

Crime | Mystery | Thriller

Tagline:

Evil rises to new heights.

Plot:

Parisian murder detective commissioner Pierre Niemans is called to Gueron, a self-sufficient, prestigious university in a mountain valley...

Plot Keywords:

Murder | Mountain | Desecration | School | University

Awards:

9 nominations

Cast

Jean Reno	...	Pierre Niemans
Vincent Cassel	...	Max Kerkerian
Nadia Farès	...	Fanny Ferreira (as Nadia Fares)
Dominique Sanda	...	Sister Andrée
Karim Belkhadra	...	Captain Dahmane
Jean-Pierre Cassel	...	Dr. Bernard Chernezé
Didier Flamand	...	The Dean
François Levantal	...	Pathologist
Francine Bergé	...	Headmistress
Philippe Nahon	...	Man at Petrol Station
Laurent Lafitte	...	Hubert, the Dean's Son
Robert Gendreu	...	Cemetery Warden
Christophe Bernard	...	Skinhead #1
Nicky Naude	...	Skinhead #2
Tonio Descanvelle	...	Sarzac Policeman #1

Also Known As:

The Crimson Rivers (UK) (USA)

MPAA:

Rated R for violence/grisly images and language.

Runtime:

106 min

Country:

France

Language:

French

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital

Certification:

Iceland:16 | Malaysia:18PL | Singapore:NC-16 | South Korea:15 | Philippines:PG-13 | Argentina:13 | Australia:MA | Chile:18 | Finland:K-15 | France:-12 | Germany:16 (bw) | Hong Kong:IIB | Hungary:16 | Netherlands:16 | New Zealand:R16 | Norway:18 | Portugal:M/16 | Singapore:PG (censored version) | Spain:13 | Sweden:15 | Switzerland:16 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:16 (canton of Vaud) | UK:15 | USA:R

Filming Locations:

Albertville, Savoie, France

Company:

Gaumont

Trivia:

The dead body in the morgue - made out of latex - is formed after Nadia Farès' fitness trainer.

Goofs:

Crew or equipment visible: Reflected in Max's glasses as he talks to the female alpinist before the descent.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Captain Dahmane: We'll touch base in two hours.
Policeman: Wich way do we go?
Captain Dahmane: There. Okay? See you later, guys.
[looks at Niemans]
Captain Dahmane: Can I help you?
Pierre Niemans: Got a light?
Captain Dahmane: Who let you through?
Pierre Niemans: Your men. Commissioner Pierre Niemans.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Smala Sussie (2003)

Soundtrack:

F.U.A.

Brilliant French thriller

I don't know why but I don't usually bother to go all the way to a movie theater to check out a French movie. This time I made an exception and I'm really glad I did. "Les Rivières pourpres" was an extremely nice surprise - truly a magnificent piece of first-rate acting (Jean Reno - man who touched us in Luc Besson's "Léon" and made us laugh in "Les Visiteurs" - is in one of his top roles and Vincent Cassel plays his clever sidekick) combined with a fabulous and dizzyingly surprising plot, maybe a bit complex but still so brilliantly built that story holds perfectly together and by getting wilder and wilder makes sure that the audience will not be bored at anytime.

Film begins with an abhorrent close-ups of a slashed corpse that's being eaten by worms. If you consider yourself to be a a sensitive person I have to warn that it will definitely not be the only grotesque image "Les Rivières pourpres" offers, it's just the beginning. Sometimes movie looks almost like a horror flick but these tiny little shocks with gore here and there are still one of the key elements of the movie. It's partly what keeps the excitement alive.

If I would have to compare "Les Rivières pourpres" to something even slightly similar, "Seven" is just about the only flick that pops into my head. Of course it's a completely different movie but it's the only one that I can recall that has captured exactly the same pressuring ambience as in here. "Les Rivières pourpres" is a very dark and dreary film that can easily make you feel anxious or even sick - just like "Seven". Both of 'em are still movies definitely worth watching in spite of anything. At the end of "Les Rivières pourpres" you'll be pleased you indulged yourself with a perfect thriller experience. Excellent movie, don't miss it!