This French film had me on edge from the opening scene of a dead body being feasted on by insects. It kept me there for the entire film as the tension gnawed on my ankle like a rat. Where it leads to has a touch of Hollywood about it in its confusing conspiratorial discoveries and action set-pieces but it never slows down. Not even enough really to explain what is going on. You just have to grab on to the fast-moving narrative and figure it out. It has two of the more charismatic actors as well who just project menace and dread. And they were the good guys. This sort of French/Hollywood hybrid worked and was released worldwide and did quite well. There is a sequel as well as a French TV series. It is based on the novel Blood Red Rivers from author Jean-Christophe Grangé who among his books also wrote The Empire of the Wolves.
In the small secluded town of Guernon a body has been found. Hanging from a mountain cliff with its body first being mutilated before dying. Its hands cut off, its eyes pulled out and acidic rainwater poured in. He belonged to the staff of an elite university that has passed admissions and professorships from father to son or daughter for generations. A cop from Paris is called in - eventually you realize he is legendary for solving cases but also for breaking all the rules. Commissioner Niemans is portrayed by Jean Reno who is like a determined pulsating non-stop machine. Reno needless to say is perfect for this.
In another small town 60 miles away, a smaller crime is discovered. A tomb of a young girl, dead for 20 years has been desecrated with swastikas. A new cop to the force is assigned the case. Max, played by Vincent Cassel. Cassel turns around as we first meet him - full of jittery energy and spunk - kind of a young James Cagney unable to be still. It is a small crime for sure but in this town there isn't much else and it intrigues him. Why did they also try and break into the casket. He discovers that a school was broken into - her records and picture were taken. She died in a hit and run all those years ago.
None of it makes sense and so he goes to visit the dead girl's mother (Dominique Sanda) who is now in a convent and has taken the Vow of Shadows - meaning she lives in the darkness. She tells him demons killed her daughter. Another clue leads him to - where else - Guernon - where his suspect is Nieman's latest victim. The film refuses to pause - a good action set piece of Max taking on some skinheads, a truck trying to kill them - but most of it is just them turning up secrets and putting them together.
Crimson Rivers II: Angels of the Apocalypse (2004) - 7.0
Commissionaire Niemans (Jean Reno) returns four years after Crimson Rivers in this similarly structured film. I wish Vincent Cassel as Max had returned with him but Nieman's gets another young tough cop to work with. He is fine and does great in the action sequences but doesn't have Cassel's fevered intensity. Like the first one it is tense from take-off, never takes a pause, feels influenced by Hollywood (in particular Indiana Jones), has two different investigations merge and it leads into a strange very confusing conspiracy and plot. I still am not sure what it was all about. But it almost doesn't matter because you have no time to think about it. But best it has Christopher Lee as the bad guy's leader. He may not show up till late and may not be in it much, but it is Christopher Lee as an obsessed maniac and that is worth something.
One thing that always creeps me out is ancient Christian religious idolatry, artifacts and art work and this film has plenty of it. Those old-time Christians must have liked scaring people. The film begins in an old shadowy abbey where silence and darkness are virtues. A new monk to the order goes into the wrong room and nails up a crucifix with Jesus on the cross and then freaks out when it begins to bleed. Niemans is called in - which later makes no sense - and there is a body within the wall. The monks plead ignorance. Someone just walked in with a dead body and plastered it into a wall and nobody noticed?
In the other thread in the film Captain Reda (Benoît Magimel) hits Jesus in his police car. Or so the man looks. When a monk tries to kill him in the hospital, Reda gives chase and it is one of the better on foot chases you will see as this monk turns out to be a Parkour Monk flying across buildings. In fact, there are a few Parkour Monks. They are killers as well. Advanced religious class I expect. Niemans and Reda come together with a female expert on religion (Camille Natta) and begin to realize something strange is going on. A group of religious zealots are being knocked off by the dozen. Literally. Jesus's disciples - killed in gruesome ways. The film gets a bit over its head when it involves the Maginot Line, prophecy of the Apocalypse and hidden treasure. Hollywood calling. Still, I found it quite fun though perhaps it tries to stuff too much into the film that must have muddled most people watching unless you had a theology degree.
