The Crimson Rivers film review

certificate_15

THE CRIMSON RIVERS

I wouldn't recommend a visit to the concessions stand before watching Mathieu Kassovitz's murder mystery. From the onset, the screen swims with gore, compounded later with graphic scenes of mutilation and dismemberment.

The isolated French university town of Guernon is plunged into the centre of a police probe with the discovery of a grisly murder scene. A member of staff from the elite academy lies strangled on the mountainside - his hands removed and eyes gouged from their sockets. An autopsy reveals the injuries were inflicted while the victim was still alive.

Unable to cope with the case on their own, the local police call in veteran detective Pierre Niemans (Reno) from Paris to lend his expertise. Niemans is a legendary criminologist with vast experience and a nose for the truth. He will need all his guile to solve this particular case.

Meanwhile, some 150 miles away in Sarzac, lieutenant Max Kerkerian (Cassel) investigates the night-time desecration of a grave belonging to a 10-year-old girl who disappeared in 1982. Kerkerian is a former car thief who gets off on the thrill of danger. He is sharp and ambitious, but tends to work well alone.

The two officers are thrown together when evidence emerges linking their investigations. As the body count rises, so Niemans and Kerkerian must join forces to delve into the sick and twisted mind of a psychopath.

The Crimson Rivers bears superficial similarities to David Fincher's grimy thriller Se7en, with the same oppressive and pervading air of doom and the central pairing of a wizened veteran and a hot-headed rookie.

But this picture is seriously hampered by erratic pacing - laborious detection punctuated with kinetic action sequences - and sketchy character development. Reno and Cassel work hard to establish a rapport and bring subtle touches to their mismatched cops, but both characters ultimately feel flat.

Kassovitz directs with flair, sustaining tension until the mountain-top climax, which may have half the audience scratching their heads in disbelief.