Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		4.0
Audio		5.0
Extras		4.5
Overall		4.0

Les Rivières Pourpres Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov April 11, 2009

Mathieu Kassovitz's "The Crimson Rivers" (2002) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Gaumont. The supplemental features on the release include audio commentary recorded by Mathieu Kassovitz, Vincent Cassel, and Jean Reno; multiple featurettes focusing on the production of the film; storyboards comparisons; and more. In French, with optional English and French SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-Free.

Detective Pierre Niemans

Paris-based Detective Pierre Niemans (Jean Reno, Leon: The Professional) is sent to Gueron, a prestigious university nestled high in the French Alps, where a man is killed in an unusually brutal fashion. Niemans immediately begins asking questions and, while annoying plenty of people, warns the Dean that he is not going back until the killer is captured.

A second cop, Max Kerkerian (Vincent Cassel, Brotherhood of the Wolf), who has been investigating the desecration of a grave belonging to a girl that disappeared many years ago as well as a school break-in, meets Niemans after it becomes obvious that there is some sort of a connection between the cases they are working on. Kerkerian, a former car thief, is much younger than Niemans.

The two cops team up but get lost in a sea of leads. Kerkerian goes after a group of local Nazis that do not appear intimidated by the police. Niemans visits the university where the victim worked as a librarian. However, as the two attempt to gather more information, a second murder occurs.

French director Mathieu Kassovitz first captured the attention of film critics and fellow directors when his gritty urban drama La Haine premiered at the Cannes Film Festival in 1995. The jury members were so impressed that they handed him the prestigious Best Director Award.

The Crimson Rivers was completed five years after La Haine. It was inspired by Jean-Christophe Grangé’s novel of the same name, which had become a major bestseller in France. It was the success of David Fincher’s tense thriller Seven, however, that convinced Kassowitz to give The Crimson Rivers a chance.

There are a couple of things that stand out about The Crimson Rivers. First, it is a dark and very moody film that uses misdirection to perfection. Indeed, it takes a very long time to put all of the scattered pieces from its mystery puzzle together and, with a few minor exceptions, there are no annoying clichés that detract from its moody aura.

All of the graphic scenes are expertly shot as well. It appears that Kassovitz had studied Seven very closely as the emphasis on detail is very impressive. For example, even during close-ups, one would be hard-pressed not to recognize how chillingly authentic the corpses look.

Reno and Cassel are not perfect -- occasionally Reno overplays the jadedness of his character while Cassel wants to be wilder than the script requires -- but together strengthen the suspense very well. For example, the incredible sequence where the killer first appears undoubtedly would have looked very different without Reno. The beautiful Nadia Fares (The Nest) has a key role during the second half as well.

The Crimson Rivers benefits from an outstanding score -- a lush blend of ambient, downtempo, and orchestral music -- courtesy of Bruno Coulais (MR 73), whose efforts were recognized by the French Film Industry with a César nomination for Best Music written for a film (Meilleure musique) in 2001.

Les Rivières Pourpres Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in its original aspect ratio of 2.35:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Mathieu Kassovitz's The Crimson Rivers arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of French distributors Gaumont.

The film looks good in high-definition. Delineation and clarity are very pleasing and the color scheme is rich but not artificially boosted. (A lot of the indoor scenes looked quite lifeless on the French two-disc DVD release, so the upgrade in quality is quite easy to appreciate). Edge enhancement and macroblocking are not present. I did not detect any disturbing debris, specks, or stains to report in this review. To sum it all up, the French distributors have produced yet another solid package that is worth importing. (Note: This Blu-ray disc is Region-Free. Therefore, you will be able to play it on your player regardless of your geographical location).

Les Rivières Pourpres Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There are two audio tracks on this Blu-ray disc: French DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 and Music/commentary DTS-HD HR 5.1. Optional English and French SDH subtitles are provided for the main feature.

When The Crimson Rivers was first released on DVD in France, its DTS 5.1 track was amongst the best audio tracks the format boasted. Well, Gaumont are once again set to impress a lot of people with the DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track that is included on this Blu-ray disc. This is an extremely aggressive track with powerful and very effective bass and plenty of activity in the rear channels that enhance the viewing experience tremendously well. Indeed, there are several sequences -- the chase scene at the stadium where one could feel Vincent Cassel collapsing as well as the avalanche scene at the end of the film -- that will impress you. Furthermore, Bruno Coulais's atmospheric soundtrack is a pleasure to listen to. The dialog is crisp and exceptionally easy to follow. Finally, I did not detect any disturbing pops, cracks, or hiss to report here.

Les Rivières Pourpres Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Gaumont have loaded up this Blu-ray disc with some interesting extras. First, there is an audio commentary courtesy of Mathieu Kassovitz, Vincent Cassel, and Jean Reno. Most unfortunately, however, the commentary is not subtitled in English; though, if you are fluent in French, I strongly recommend that you listen to it (Jean Reno is absolutely hilarious). Next is a nice featurette titled L'enquete (Le sense cache des Rivieres Pourpres (52 min) where cast and crew members discuss their work on The Crimson Rivers. Autopsie contains a number of smaller featurettes – La Scene au scalpel (a visual deconstruction of the autopsy scene addressed by Mathieu Kassovitz, 28 min); Naissance d'un cadaver (Jean Christophe Spadaccini and Denis Gastou address the technical construction of the film and specifically the "corpses", 9 min); Tournage muscle (addresses the fighting scene between the Nazis and Vincent Cassel's character; with an optional commentary by Vincent Cassel and Nicky Naude, 7 min); Tournage de nuit (focuses on the chase scene during the second half of the film. 9 min); Turnage en altitude (focuses on the locations used for some of the more challenging scenes in the film – the glacier, avalanche, etc. 10 min); Les Rivieres Blanches (a standard Making-Of featurette showing comparisons between the storyboards and the final cut of the film, 15 min). In Memoriam contains a gallery with storyboard stills, another featurette addressing the tech team's contribution, and the original theatrical trailer for the film. (Note: with the exception of the theatrical trailer, all of the extras are in standard-def PAL and without optional English subtitles).

Les Rivières Pourpres Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Those of you who enjoy atmospheric thrillers with plenty of suspense should take a look at The Crimson Rivers. The Blu-ray disc herein reviewed, courtesy of French distributors Gaumont, is Region-Free, English-friendly, and boasts a top-notch audio track. RECOMMENDED.