THE CRIMSON RIVERS

2001

Have you ever gone to a movie, enjoyed it immensely, and didn't have a clue as to what was going on in the story? That's what happened to SIX of us who went to see the French film, "The Crimson Rivers." I had a similar experience when I saw this year's film "Memento." Getting back to "The Crimson Rivers." This sub-titled French film-noir takes place high in the French Alps in a picturesque town that turns into a Stephen King-like nightmare as the film progresses. A series of seemingly unrelated killings/mutilations has taken place, and the Lieutenant (played by a very somber Jean Reno,) is brought in to help the local gendarmes solve the cases. What follows is a series of bizarre incidents, linking these killings to each other, and to a more outrageous "larger scheme. "The cinematography is extraordinary, and the acting is first-rate. That leaves us with the curiously unsettling feeling that perhaps we WEREN'T meant to understand everything that was going on. How French! In any case, we talked about the film for about 15 minutes outside the theater, and then carried our discussion over into dinner. How many films can stimulate THAT kind of reaction in six different viewers?

4 Stars

NJB