French 'The Crimson Rivers' an intriguing ride

By Joko E.H. Anwar ___________________________________________________________________________

The Crimson Rivers *** (Out of ****) Thriller/Crime/Mystery, 105 minutes Starring Jean Reno, Vincent Cassel, Nadia Fares, Dominique Sanda, Didier Flamand Directed by Mathieu Kassovitz A Gaumont/Columbia TriStar Films Presentation ____________________________________________________________________________

JAKARTA (JP): After several boring weeks at local movie theaters, here comes an entry which is guaranteed to glue audiences to their seats.

This French import has already been compared by many with David Fincher's modern classic Seven.

However, even though the film is often as thrilling as the latter, they are still quite different: while Seven is a suspenseful ride from start to finish, The Crimson Rivers is a suspenseful ride from start to, well, the second third of its running time.

It's too bad because, except for its muddled finale, this is an excellent film.

You will not be able to take your eyes off the screen when the film opens with a close-up of an object which becomes increasingly disturbing as the camera pans out.

At first, the object is only identifiable as something with curves and rough red lines. It turns out to be a dead body -- the red lines are the wounds that cover the torso.

Both eyes have been pulled from their sockets and both hands have been amputated.

It does not take long before the guys from forensics discover another fact about the grisly murder: the victim was kept alive while being tortured beyond imagination for five hours.

Despite the gore, this beautifully photographed film continues with an extended aerial shot of breathtaking scenery, including the French Alps, that will challenge any of the films currently playing at Keong Mas Imax theater in East Jakarta.

Enter veteran investigator Pierre Niemans (Reno), sent from Paris because there has never been a crime this horrible in the area before.

Niemans' investigation starts at the university in the college town of Guernon, where the victim had been a student. The isolated school turns out to be the home of above average students, in both intelligence and physicality.

The dean's son, who is also a student there, tells Niemans that they have held the title of number one university in Europe for the last three years.

Niemans enlists the help of a female student named Fanny Ferreira (Fares) since she is a skilled climber who also studies glaciology. This will be helpful since the victim was found somewhere in the Alps.

It is not long before she takes him on a rock climbing adventure in the Alps, challenging him to match her skill in dealing with uncompromising nature.

At the same time in the town of Sarzac, a younger but equally keen cop named Max Kerkerian (Cassel) is assigned to investigate the desecration of the tomb of a girl who died at the age of 10.

The tomb is found splattered with swastikas. This brings Kerkerian to a club run by some local skinheads.

The desecration case leads Kerkerian to another case of a mysterious school break-in.

After a series of discoveries, Kerkerian's investigation intersect with the one being conducted by Niemans.

Kerkerian unashamedly displays his admiration for the legendary investigator from Paris, while Niemans is at first reluctant to work with Kerkerian, though he soon develops a respect for the young officer.

Soon, the two are joining forces to solve the connected cases, while more grotesque murders are committed in the creepy university town which holds a dark secret that is about to be revealed.

There are many incredible action scenes in the film; one of these involves Kerkerian's fight with two skinheads with audio from a video game playing in the background.

While the sequence forced Kerkerian to take several days off from the set due to a broken nose, the result is truly rewarding.

A nighttime car chase is also very exciting. Director Mathieu Kassovitz succeeds in mixing all the elements needed to make a great action/mystery film in almost perfect proportions.

The script, which was written by the director based on a novel by Jean Christophe Grange, never gives the audiences time to take a breath.

Other virtues include the two prominent French actors Cassels and Reno, who lend their commanding presence to the movie, which was originally titled Le Rivieres Pourpres.

The two really click in the film and succeed in departing from the cliches of the usual buddy-cop flick.

While Cassels is more well-known in Europe, particularly in his home country, Reno has had his share of parts in several Hollywood films, including playing a baddie opposite Tom Cruise in Brian De Palma's Mission: Impossible.

He also was internationally recognized after his role as a kindhearted hitman in Leon a.k.a. The Professional from the great director Luc Besson.

The various locations in France, as well as in Albertville, Canada, establish a creepy and atmospheric environment which adds to the movie's element of mystery.

The locations are even creepier than the Silence of the Lambs' West Virginia setting. And the audience is spoiled by the incredible photography of Thierry Arbosgast, even for the interior scenes.

The first-class thriller is also filled with witty humor which sets it apart from Seven.

Some light touches, including Niemans' fear of dogs and the goofiness of two local cops who accompany Kerkerian, give the film more dimension rather than becoming irritating elements.

Word of an American remake has been already heard, with the Rocky mountains replacing the Alps.

Since the dubbing from French into English is well done, such a remake is unnecessary. Let's just hope they don't make the same mistakes they made in remaking La Femme Nikita.

Yes, there are still some contrivances and coincidences which weaken the story, which is based on a densely plotted and complex book, but they remain minor flaws.