The Crimson Rivers
| The Crimson Rivers | |
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French film poster
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| Directed by | Mathieu Kassovitz |
| Produced by | Alain Goldman |
| Written by |
Jean-Christophe Grangé Mathieu Kassovitz |
| Starring |
Jean Reno Vincent Cassel |
| Music by | Bruno Coulais |
| Cinematography | Thierry Arbogast |
| Edited by | Maryline Monthieux |
| Distributed by |
TriStar Pictures (USA) Gaumont Film Company (France) |
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Release date
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Running time
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106 minutes |
| Country | France |
| Language | French |
| Budget | $14 million |
| Box office | $60 million (worldwide) |
The Crimson Rivers (French: Les Rivières Pourpres) is a 2000 French psychological horror film starring Jean Reno and Vincent Cassel. The film, which was directed by Mathieu Kassovitz, is based on the best-selling novel Les Rivières Pourpres. Its screenplay was co-written by the book's author, Jean-Christophe Grangé.
The film is about two detectives who investigate a series of grisly murders in and around an isolated university campus in the French Alps. With a $14 million budget, the movie went on to gross $60 million from a worldwide theatrical release. Despite its box office success, one of its stars, Vincent Cassel admitted, "I can't help explain the film because I didn't understand it! We cut out everything in the film that was explanatory, therefore 'boring' [according to the director]. You end up with a film that's not boring but you don't understand it [at] all."
A sequel, Crimson Rivers II: Angels of the Apocalypse (Les Rivières Pourpres II: Les Anges de l'Apocalypse), was released in 2004.
Detective Superintendent (Commissaire Principal) Pierre Niemans (Jean Reno), an investigator well known in Paris, is sent to the small rural university town of Guernon in the French Alps to investigate a brutal murder. The victim's body is found bound in the fetal position and suspended high on a cliff face, his eyes removed and his hands cut off. Niemans learns that the victim was a professor and the University's librarian, Remy Callois, and he seeks out a local ophthalmologist for an explanation to the removal of the eyes. Dr. Cherneze, once on the University staff, explains that the school's isolation led to in-breeding amongst the professors, with increasingly serious genetic disorders. Recently the trend has reversed, with the local village children becoming ill and the college babies remaining healthy. Cherneze hints that the killer is leaving Niemans clues to their motive by removing the body parts that are unique to each individual - the eyes and hands. Niemans questions the Dean and examines the librarian's apartment, where he finds images of athletic "supermen" juxtaposed with texts on genetic deformities. The Dean's assistant (and son) Hubert translates the title of Callois' Ph.D. thesis as, "We are the masters. We are the slaves. We are everywhere. We are nowhere. We control the crimson rivers."
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Wikipedia