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THE CRIMSON RIVERS Send This Review to a Friend
The trappings of this strange French mystery thriller make it far more absorbing than the twisted plot merits, but trappings can often be a reason for wanting to see a film and for enjoying it on that level. What's intriguing first of all is the two-tier set-up that leads two dissimilar investigators into the same line of inquiry. Then there is the physical climax in wintry Chamonix ski country. Add the sturdy acting and the pervasive air of mystery.
"The Crimson Rivers" is directed by Mathieu Kassovitz, who co-wrote it with Jean-Christophe Grange, based on Grange's novel. Seasoned actor Jean Reno Plays Pierre Niemans, a tough, cool, veteran detective who is investigating a nasty murder near a famous private school in the Alps. He gets little help from the stonewalling school administration and obviously something strange is afoot. Meanwhile the grave of a child who died 20 years earlier has been desecrated many miles away. Vincent Cassel as eager young cop Max Kerkerian, a former car thief, is looking into that problem, but all roads lead to Max and Pierre having to work together, a prickly combination that adds amusement. Attractive Nadia Fares is cast as Fanny Ferreira, a very physical role key to the story.
It wouldn't be cricket to give more than this basic setup away. "The Crimson Rivers" will keep audiences immersed in the details and the overall charisma achieved under Kassovitz's canny direction. The problem, as with most mystery thrillers, is that when the explanation finally surfaces, there is an almost inevitable letdown. Here the resolution, although politically and scientifically frightening, is stretched to the limit of credibility.
An interesting tidbit for fans of French film is that Vincent Cassel is the son of renowned actor Jean-Pierre Cassel, who is also in the film in the important role of Doctor Bernard Cherneze. A Tristar release.
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