The Crimson Rivers

"Evil rises to new heights."

2000 1h 46m FR

👍

6.9

SOLID

★6.9TMDB · 1,818

CrimeMysteryThriller

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

Two French policemen, one investigating a grisly murder at a remote mountain college, the other working on the desecration of a young girl's grave by skinheads, are brought together by the clues from their respective cases. Soon after they start working together, more murders are committed, and the pair begin to discover just what dark secrets are behind the killings.

“Evil rises to new heights.”

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Cast

Jean Reno
Pierre Niemans
Vincent Cassel
Max Kerkerian
Nadia Farès
Fanny Ferreira
Dominique Sanda
Sister Andrée
Karim Belkhadra
Captain Dahmane
Jean-Pierre Cassel
Dr. Bernard Chernezé
Didier Flamand
The Dean
Philippe Nahon
Homme à la station service

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Mathieu Kassovitz
Writers: Mathieu Kassovitz, Jean-Christophe Grangé
Languages: French
Countries: France

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Shot for just $2.4M — micro-budget by Hollywood standards.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

26 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

CINEMA

Did you know

Part of the "The Crimson Rivers Collection" — so the characters or world continue elsewhere.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Mathieu Kassovitz, shot by Thierry Arbogast. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Bruno Coulais. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Maryline Monthieux shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Jean Reno and Vincent Cassel and Nadia Farès carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "Evil rises to new heights.".

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Mathieu Kassovitz directs. Thierry Arbogast behind the camera. Bruno Coulais scores. Maryline Monthieux cuts. Produced in France. Dialogue in French.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Shot for just $2.4M — micro-budget by Hollywood standards.
226 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.
3Part of the "The Crimson Rivers Collection" — so the characters or world continue elsewhere.
4Directed by Mathieu Kassovitz, shot by Thierry Arbogast. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
5Original score by Bruno Coulais. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
6Editor Maryline Monthieux shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
7Jean Reno and Vincent Cassel and Nadia Farès carry the top of the cast.
8Marketing tagline: "Evil rises to new heights.".
9IMDB entry: tt0228786 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
10Classified under 15 themes, including "skinhead", "based on novel or book", "nun", "ritual".

The technical file

Cinematography: Thierry Arbogast
Original score: Bruno Coulais
Editing: Maryline Monthieux
Production design: Thierry Flamand
Costume design: Julie Mauduech
Makeup / hair: Aurora Bergere
Sound: Vincent Tulli
Stunt coordinator: Patrick Cauderlier
Runtime: 106 min · 1h 46m
Status: Released
Budget: $2,365,000
Original language: FR
Certification (US): R
IMDB: The Crimson Rivers (2000)

Part of

The Crimson Rivers Collection

The first collection, dated around 2000, follows two French police officers who uncover dark secrets and confront a gruesome murderer and sinister skinheads, exposing corruption and sparking more mysteries. The second collection, dated around 2004, involves an inspector and a young detective investigating killings mimicking the deaths of the 12 Apostles. With an attractive religion expert, they aim to halt the terror and prevent the apocalypse. Both collections blend mystery, police procedurals, and thrillers, with themes of religious and societal twists on murder mysteries. They critically explore contemporary French society, delving into themes of religion, identity, and secrecy.