The Crimson Rivers

The novel by Jean-Cristophe Grangè on which this film is based is simply one of the best thrillers ever written,in the same league as The Silence of the Lambs and Misery,and with the help of writer/director Mathieu Kassovitz(who was also supposed to be one of the actors)the author has successfully brought his masterpiece to the screen.

From the very beginning,thanks to the location and Bruno Coulais'unsettling score,we realize French people can make good horror thrillers: Pierre Niemans(Jean Reno) is in Grenoble to solve a couple of weird and brutal murders,while Max Kerkerian(Vincent Cassel)investigates a damaged tomb somewhere else. Soon they discover the two cases are connected,and the two men have to run against the clock in order to uncover the awful truth about what's been going on in the local university for years.

The book has been simplified(the first chapter is entirely missing,as well as some of the details about Cassel's case),but the movie manages to be very interesting,and the chemistry between Reno and Cassel is great.

Special praise for Dominique Sanda,her creepy cameo being the film's best sequence(Sissy Spacek appears in a similar scene in The Ring 2).

Only defect:why did they make the sequel?

Suspense and action movie with a series killer committing grisly murders . It is entertaining enough and fast pace but lacking coherence at times . This thriller from France with considerable blood and guts centers on Inspector Niemans (Jean Reno) , a prestigious French detective assigned to investigate a brutal murder at a prestigious college located high in the Alps . The victim was first disfigured and dismembered , then strangled to death . Niemans soon realizes the murder was not an isolated incident when several similarly mangled corpses are discovered. Meanwhile , in a town 150 miles away, a young police investigator, Max Kerkerian (Vincent Cassel), is called in to investigate when the grave of a ten-year-old girl is dug up and ransacked . Before long there's more than a victim , all of whom have ties to university . As Niemans meets the young Kerkerian , agressive partner in provincial policeman , creating a peculiar couple , in buddy movie style . So two tough police inspectors join forces and find a terrible common link in the murders . Evil rises to new heights !. An unholy crime... An unstoppable killer... Caught in a deadly tide!.

Audacious and gruesome thriller set in French Alps in which a librarian from the local private university is found horribly mutilated on a mountain slope and Parisian investigator is called in , meantime another cop carrying out parallel discoveries , both of them nvestigating a series of creepy murders . In the picture there is thrills, chills , frenetic action , emotion , mystery , plot twists , spooky sets and a little bit of gore. This film has some good moments, such as the dark atmosphere and some thrilling pursuits and red herrings . The movie is a crossover between the intrigue of the ordinarily sinister American thrillers as ¨Seven¨ and the ¨French Polar¨. From the beginning of the film until the end , action-packed is nonstop , it's fast moving and that's why the picture results to be quite entertaining . The final confrontation between the starring and the contenders in the snowy mountains is spellbinding . Stars Jean Reno and Vincent Cassel who make a terrific screen team , an attractive buddy couple with just the right amount of humanism and humor to allow some tension relief for the story. These two awesome French actors are nicely accomanied by a fine support cast , such as : Nadia Farès, Dominique Sanda, Jean-Pierre Cassel , Philippe Nahon and Didier Flamand . The special effects are adequate as is the cinematography by Thierry Arbogast and excellent musical score by composer Bruno Coulais .The flick will appeal to thriller buffs and dark atmosphere enthusiasts . Rating : 6.5/10 , well worth watching .

The picture was well directed Mathieu Kassovitz . He is an actor and director , known for Amelie (2001) , The Fifth element (1997) and has directed a few films , such as : The hate (1995 ) , Assassin (1997) , Gothika (2003) , but he disowned the theatrical cut of ¨Babylon A. D.¨ (2008) suggesting that the studio behind it 20th Century Fox, had turned it into a dumb action movie and removed the complex issues and themes he had originally wanted the film to feature. This movie ¨Les rivières pourpres¨ (2000) obtained a lot of success , as the sequel "Rivières Pourpres II ", using the same character of Niemans . Les rivières pourpres 2 - Les anges de l'apocalypse (2004) was directed by Olivier Dahan featured by Jean Reno , Benoit Maginel, Christopher Lee , Camille Natta , Johnny Hallyday . Here Niemans/Reno , the police of the first part has to investigate weird murder series in isolated monasteries of Lorena (north of France) helped by Benoit Maginel , Vincent Cassel's similar role , they will take on Apocalypse angels , some monks with supernatural power and a villain and his evil henchmen . It is an acceptable sequel , but the plot is totally confused and quite silly, wasting what could be a good movie.

Mathieu Kassovitz's film featuring the incomparable Jean Reno (The Professional) and Vincent Cassel (Ocean's Twelve, Ocean's Thirteen) is a thrill ride that never stops.

The French countryside with the spooky houses is a feast for the eyes. Thierry Arbogast's (The Messenger: The Story of Joan of Arc) camera made this entire film a joy to watch. The scenery was complimented by the music of Bruno Coulais (The Chorus).

But, it was Jean Reno that brought me to this film. His Commissioner Niemans was just what I expected from him. He has a way that makes the perfect cop. That is not to dismiss Callel's Lieutenant Kerkerian, who was a perfect partner.

The story was definitely creepy with some graphic scenes of tortured bodies, but it was not off putting. It was essential to the story, which really had some extremely interesting twists and turns.

Niemans and Kerkerian prevail, of course, but it was the journey that was so satisfying.

"The Crimson Rivers" tells of two French detectives on converging investigative paths leading to the "who" in whodunit as they leapfrog from one tense moment to the next in this good but not great macabre and sometimes gruesome serial killer mystery. What this flick lacks in story it more than makes up for in artistry and verve as it carves itself out of hauntingly beautiful vistas, superb cinematography, great sound and score, and, perhaps best of all for English speakers, excellent dubbed translations. Well worth the time for those with an eye for artistry in film and a taste for dark thrillers.

The isolated University of Guernon specializes in the study of eugenics through which the researchers hope to produce academics of the highest calibre. Chief Inspector Niemans (Jean Reno) is called from Paris to investigate an horrific murder involving torture of the University's research librarian(close your eyes if mutilated bodies offend you)...At the same time a local police officer is looking into the desecration of a grave in the local cemetery. Some intriguing clues ( a bit far-fetched though)bring the two investigations together.

The two policeman have a strange relationship. The Chief from Paris is rather a loner who has his own ideas while the energetic local officer is kept at arm's length until he producers a clue of his own. The dialogue between these two keeps the film alive. The rest of the characters behave in suspicious ways of course but on the whole play minor roles.

Dissection of bodies and opening of grave sites are always gruesome and not every one's idea of entertainment. In this film they are important parts of the plot and certainly add to the atmosphere. It's strange when you come to think of it that police have to do so much of their work by torch light. But then the shadows are greatly enhanced and who knows what may jump out at them!

The police get very little help from the suspicious-looking University staff, a fact which surprises me considering their lives are possibly in danger.

For me the final scene when all is revealed is quite a let-down after a reasonably interesting investigation. The solving of the crime in this way seems just a little too convenient. The final avalanche was more exciting than the solving of the crime.