1 October 2000
The Crimson Rivers is directed by Mathieu Kassovitz, he brought us "La Haine" in 1995. A polarising, striking and thoughtful picture about the struggles of living in a crippled society. His new movie is definitely a step-down in quality.
This movie features the unparalleled duo of Jean Reno and Vincent Cassel. They have great on-screen chemistry and share a turbulent bond throughout their exchanges. The story is very confusing and goes in different directions without making sure if it would match the information the viewer has already received which makes it hard to follow the plot when they add additional layers of storytelling to an already puzzled tale. The narrative is not very interesting, it didn't catch my full interest. If it was told in a more linear way I would have appreciated it more or maybe they should've just simply changed the entire plot because it really is not that compelling to delve into. These top class french actors save this movie from being made for TV material.
The cinematography is haunting, dark, sinister and murky, the landscape differs constantly, a sombre and uneasy setting can quickly cut to bright and blazing ice-covered mountains. Gory and violent sequences are present throughout and make the film dig deeper into the dreary and bleak tone it tries to convey. I endorse this dirty and savage style of film making.
The ending is very bizarre, different side-stories are presented and very badly explained to the audience which makes the story even more incoherent and perplex than it already was. During the finale, which takes place in the icy mountains, our two heroes survive a shootout and a couple seconds later an avalanche builds up and goes on a destructive rampage. What are the odds? The entire idea of an avalanche taking place at the exact moment our characters arrive on the mountain is unbelievably stupid and ridiculous, it ultimately ruins the entire ending and climax of the film which is a shame. This is a startling and surprising decision made by the director which I personally do not understand the meaning of.
The Crimson Rivers has many faults when it comes to storytelling and direction. However, the cinematography is enticing and the characters are well-established and those two reasons alone make this a movie I would recommend but it's definitely far from being a masterpiece.
The Crimson Rivers is directed by Mathieu Kassovitz, he brought us "La Haine" in 1995. A polarising, striking and thoughtful picture about the struggles of living in a crippled society. His new movie is definitely a step-down in quality.
This movie features the unparalleled duo of Jean Reno and Vincent Cassel. They have great on-screen chemistry and share a turbulent bond throughout their exchanges. The story is very confusing and goes in different directions without making sure if it would match the information the viewer has already received which makes it hard to follow the plot when they add additional layers of storytelling to an already puzzled tale. The narrative is not very interesting, it didn't catch my full interest. If it was told in a more linear way I would have appreciated it more or maybe they should've just simply changed the entire plot because it really is not that compelling to delve into. These top class french actors save this movie from being made for TV material.
The cinematography is haunting, dark, sinister and murky, the landscape differs constantly, a sombre and uneasy setting can quickly cut to bright and blazing ice-covered mountains. Gory and violent sequences are present throughout and make the film dig deeper into the dreary and bleak tone it tries to convey. I endorse this dirty and savage style of film making.
The ending is very bizarre, different side-stories are presented and very badly explained to the audience which makes the story even more incoherent and perplex than it already was. During the finale, which takes place in the icy mountains, our two heroes survive a shootout and a couple seconds later an avalanche builds up and goes on a destructive rampage. What are the odds? The entire idea of an avalanche taking place at the exact moment our characters arrive on the mountain is unbelievably stupid and ridiculous, it ultimately ruins the entire ending and climax of the film which is a shame. This is a startling and surprising decision made by the director which I personally do not understand the meaning of.
The Crimson Rivers has many faults when it comes to storytelling and direction. However, the cinematography is enticing and the characters are well-established and those two reasons alone make this a movie I would recommend but it's definitely far from being a masterpiece.
