The Crimson Rivers (2000)

A solid thriller up to the far-fetched ending

A Parisian police officer (Jean Reno) is called to a small university in the mountains to solve the grisly murder of the university's librarian. Meanwhile, a second police officer (Vincent Cassel), investigating a theft at a school and the desecration of a graveyard finds his investigations also lead him to this same university.

Having just finished watching "The Crimson Rivers" and "Empire of the Wolves", both of which are based on novels by French author Jean-Christophe Grange, both my father and I are in agreement that "Empire of the Wolves" is the better film. There are many similarities between the two films: both are police procedurals with a twist (and a pretty far-fetched one, in each case); both star Jean Reno (in very similar parts); and both feature two seemingly unrelated storylines that you just know are bound to intersect around the mid-point of the film. However, "Empire of the Wolves" pulls it off better and makes the plot seem less far-fetched than it actually is.

Nevertheless, that doesn't mean that you shouldn't watch "The Crimson Rivers". In spite of its short comings, including the fact that it doesn't quite manage to pull off the final denouement, it is still a solid thriller that I enjoyed watching, even the second time around. Having also read the book upon which it is based, I can also say that it is a reasonably faithful adaptation that shouldn't disappoint fans of the book too much, but those who haven't read the book shouldn't find it difficult to follow either.

A sequel to this film, "Crimson Rivers: Angels of the Apocalypse", also exists, with a script by Luc Besson, but this is an "original" screenplay that bears little resemblance to "The Crimson Rivers" (beyond the fact that Reno plays the same characters in both). It is not based on a book by Jean-Christophe Grange.
August 18, 2008

LUC BESSON!!

Just one name for a good movie with a touch of humor: Luc Besson!
And see it in org. language!! If not ,You loose the feeling! May 17, 2008

Suspense, twist, Alpine scenery and much more

A good suspense movie with a good cast for those who are familiar with French actors. It has everything needed for an entertaining thriller, where clues are slowly dropped along the way as the mystery unravels. Whether the events are plausible is another matter, but then again, sometimes one has to suspend belief, when watching a movie.

There is a sequel with the same name, which is also a mystery, but not as good as this one. December 6, 2007

COLD GUTS .....

Bone chilling!

A Nasty little thriller about an exclusive University somewhere in the Alps. Reno defines "cool" as the very non-Clouseau Inspector, as does Cassel as the Young-eager-beaver sidekick. There's lots of action and mystery in this one - along the lines of a really good Agatha Christie, with a tiny touch of Hitchcock, but watch out for avalanches, very sharp objects, a rabid canine or two and wolly winter wear. [It somehow cries out for Black Edwards and the late Peter Sellers - irreverent thought, but would be fun too!]

Dominique Sanda provides a great cameo [somewhere in the dusky shades].

Brooding, atmospheric and deadly, quite a frozen little sorbet - no minty aftertaste though! August 6, 2007

Over the top religious action mishmash

You need to love Jean Reno to be able to get through this over complicated French action thriller which deals with our man for all seasons Reno saving us from a German SS man's quest for a re-forming of religious structures hidden in clues deep in the fortified tunnels built along the borders of Germany and France before the Second World War. Early on the killing of people by hooded zealots using planted religious metaphors to link the crimes indicated something that may have proved ultimately more rewarding - but this was not to be.
Great digital sound though! July 17, 2007

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