7 | / 10 |
Users | 4.0 | |
Reviewer | 4.0 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
Veteran cop Pierre Niemans is sent to Guernon to investigate a bizarre murder near a legendary private school isolated in the Alps. And it's no ordinary murder; the killer has been very methodical, leaving twisted inexplicable clues to his motive. Complicating matters are the university administrators who are uncooperative and somewhat defiant to Niemans' questioning. Meanwhile Max Kerkerian, an impetuous young cop and former car thief, arrives at a desecrated grave yard 180 miles away. Someone has disturbed the grave of a child who died twenty years before. These two seemingly random events are about to collide as the separate investigations lead the detectives right to one another. The more experienced Niemans begrudgingly joins forces with the brash Max to track down the killer. Despite his ribbing and constant sarcastic banter, Max respects the older cop.
Starring: Jean Reno, Vincent Cassel, Nadia Farès, Dominique Sanda, Jean-Pierre CasselForeign | 100% |
Crime | 16% |
Thriller | Insignificant |
Mystery | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 2.35:1
Original aspect ratio: 2.39:1
French: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 (48kHz, 24-bit)
Music: DTS-HD HR 5.1
Confirmed from disc on the player.
French SDH, English
50GB Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region free
Movie | 3.5 | |
Video | 4.0 | |
Audio | 5.0 | |
Extras | 4.5 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
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
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).
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.
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).
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.
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