Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		4.0
Audio		5.0
Extras		5.0
Overall		4.0

The Crimson Rivers Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov January 27, 2023

Mathieu Kassovitz's "The Crimson Rivers" (2002) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Via Vision Entertainment. 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; archival promotional materials; and more. In French, with optional English subtitles for the main feature. Region-Free.

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.

The Crimson Rivers Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in an aspect ratio of 2.35:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, The Crimson Rivers arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Via Vision Entertainment.

In 2009, we reviewed this French release of The Crimson Rivers that was produced by Gaumont. Via Vision Entertainment's release is sourced from the same master that was used to prepare the French release.

Even though the age of the master is starting to show, I think that The Crimson Rivers still looks quite good in high-definition. For example, delineation and clarity range from good to very good, while depth is almost always very pleasing. There are some nuances in brightly lit and darker footage that could be more convincing, especially if you view your films on a larger screen, but the overall quality of the visuals is still very good. (I took screencapture # 22 so that you can see exactly what type of nuances could be more convincing). Color saturation and color balance are very good. I think that an improved dynamic range with an expanded color palette would make many visuals look better, but a new 4K master and native 4K presentation would be needed. Image stability is excellent. I did not encounter any serious encoding anomalies to report in our review. (Note: This is a Region-Free Blu-ray release. Therefore, you will be able to play it on your player regardless of your geographical location).

The Crimson Rivers Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray release: French DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1. Optional English subtitles are provided for the main feature. When turned on, they split the image frame and the black bar below it.

Revisiting The Crimson Rivers brought back some great memories. Nearly fifteen years ago, Gaumont's release of The Crimson Rivers was one of my most impressive 'imports'. I used to play this release to different friends to demonstrate how great the DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track was and virtually all agreed that it was a prime example of 'reference quality'. I have a different system now, but the other night I revisited the film and again thought that the lossless track was sensational. Admittedly, the film's sound design is outstanding too, but some of the effects on the lossless track are just phenomenal. If you pick up this release for your collection, crank up the volume of your system.

The Crimson Rivers Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Commentary - this archival audio commentary was recorded by director Mathieu Kassovitz, Jean Reno, and Vincent Cassel. The three commentators discuss in great detail their collaboration on The Crimson Rivers, the shooting of particular sequences, and the tone and atmosphere of the film. The commentary is in French and was previously made available on Gaumont's release, but it is presented with optional English subtitles here.

• Isolated Music Score/Commentary - this isolated music score, presented as Dolby Digital 5.1, features an optional audio commentary by composer Bruno Coulais.

• "The Investigation" - this archival documentary focuses on the conception and production history of The Crimson Rivers. Included in it are clips from interviews with Mathieu Kassovitz, Jean Reno, Vincent Cassel, screenwriter Jean-Christophe Grange, and producer Alain Goldman, amongst others. In French, with English subtitles. (55 min).

• Featurettes - presented here are seven archival featurettes that focus on the special effect and particular techniques that were used during the filming of select sequences from The Crimson Rivers. Raw footage from the shooting of the film, storyboards, and clips from interviews with various cast and crew members are included. In French, with English subtitles.
  
  1. The Scalpel Scene (28 min).
  
  2. The Making of a Corpse - this featurette can be seen with a commentary by Jean-Christophe Spadaccini and Denis Gastouet. (10 min).
  
  3. The Flight: Challenging Filming - this featurette can be seen with a commentary by Vincent Cassel and Nicky Naude. (8 min)
  
  4. Night Time Filming (10 min).
  
  5. Filming in Altitude (12 min).
  
  6. White Rivers (17 min).
  
  7. The Avalanche (2 min).

• "The Chase" - presented here is a selection of storyboards comparisons with optional commentary by storyboard artist Farid Kermici. In French, with English subtitles. (4 min).

• The Complete Storyboards -
  
  1. The Avalanche
  2. The Morque
  3. Unfilmed Opening Sequence
  4. Car Chase

• Archives From Production Designer Thierry Flamand - in this archival program, production designer recalls his work on The Crimson Rivers and some specific choices that were made that shaped the film's visual style. In French, with English subtitles. (14 min).

• Theatrical Trailer - presented here is an original French theatrical trailer for The Crimson Rivers. In French, with English subtitles. (2 min).

• Teaser Trailers - presented here are a couple of original French teaser trailers for The Crimson Rivers. In French, with English subtitles. (3 min).

The Crimson Rivers Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Nearly fifteen years ago, The Crimson Rivers was one of my most impressive 'imports' because I thought that it had an incredible lossless 5.1 track. I just revisited the film and must say that the lossless 5.1 track still sounds quite incredible. Also, I had forgotten how spooky the film is, and to be honest, I think that I like it quite a bit more now. Via Vision Entertainment's release has all of the great bonus features from the French release but with English subtitles. This is great because some of them, like the archival audio commentary and the featurettes, are excellent. The release is included in After Dark: Neo Noir Cinema Collection Two, a seven-disc box set. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.