There's a serial killer loose in a small mountain town located in rural France, and who better to track them down than the country's two most prolific film actors (or the ones with better physiques than Gerard Depardieu anyway), Jean Reno and Vincent Cassel. Reno is the seasoned, slightly eccentric Parisian detective, called in to assist and step on the toes of local investigator Cassel, who is too hot headed to realize he could use the help. A body has washed up in a nearby river, mutilated to an unspeakable degree in gruesomely specific ways (think Sev7n on ice). The town just happens to be solely inhabited by the creepy residents of a nearby university that is notorious for incestuous classism and rumours of ties to the occult. You can imagine where this is heading, and it's fun watching Reno and Cassel follow the bloodstained breadcrumb trail towards increasingly grisly secrets that would test even David Fincher's gag reflex. Genetic research, mysterious twins (both played by Nadia Fares), and multiple corpses are a few of the hurdles our two heroes encounter. It's delightfully convoluted, in the best way possible. Some people say that less is more, but I find that makes way for laziness and complacency, two attributes you don't want to find in the horror/thriller genre. I'd rather a film throw every little brainstorm and margin doodle into the mix, even if it doesn't all add up, than present a barely filled in canvas that begs for more. The real stunner with this one is a near Bond- esque climax set on a giant glacier overlooking the valley below, full of desperate violence and giddy exposition. You'll need a strong stomach for the dark places this one ventures to, but it will reward you with crisp cinematography and lurid, blood soaked intrigue. Brutal stuff though.

Over the top thriller with a detective duo on the heels of a serial killer, one a legendary sleuth and the other, a hot blooded rule breaker. Bizarre and gruesome murders high in a glacial mountain community uncover a eugenics conspiracy with a late twist reveal that doesn't feel earned, but typical for the genre. Understated performances by Reno and a handsome Vincent Cassel. Mention must be made of the out of left field fight scene between Cassel and some skinheads, which plays out like a video game complete with ridiculous sound effects. Stakes never feel as high as they should be, but otherwise it's an enjoyable way to pass the time.

This film that starts out grabbing you ends out leaving you feel dazed and confused. The dead body found of a young men, horribly tortured and left to die slowly, is the reason d'entrance of Jean Reno. Answering a local investigators question "where the unit to investigate" is with a stoic "I am the unit", you feel you're in for something good. And that's pretty much what you get. A hunt for a killer, slowly paced giving Reno all the chance to shine, which he does, leading you from clue to clue. Not a groundbreaking concept but the beautiful and meticulously filmed scenery quite makes up for that. Then a typical book-like twist is made introducing what appears to be another main character: Vincent Cassel. His investigation into the desecration of a tomb seems to lead him to Reno's dead bodies. So far so good until, out of the blue, the writers feel the need to make Cassel go Chuck Norris on some wannabe Nazis's in a fight scene so absurdly bad, including 1980's sound effects, it makes you question what kind of movie you're actually watching. Or what movie the makers want you to watch. Unfortunately, it's all downhill from here. As if the over the top action scene with the Goring 2.0's wasn't enough, a whole lot more of Action Jackson is released upon the viewer as the more and more unlikely plot is revealed quite fast in contrast to the beginning of the movie. After the interesting fight the movie goes for two awards in the weird category with an even so interesting foot-chase ending up in the middle of anti-climax land leading right to a totally uncalled for Mexican stand- off between Jean "The Unit" Reno and his local constabularies. From here, the credit build up from the start of the movie has declined pretty much completely and the final revelation are met with a sincere "Huh. So that was what that was all about. Huh." Still, Jean Reno delivers which makes this film watchable.

Mathieu Kassovitz's "The Crimson Rivers" is one of the more watchable "Se7en" knock offs. A deliberately lurid and ridiculously fast moving serial killer/detective movie, the film finds a pair of mismatched detectives braving incessant rain, snow, thunder storms and dark shadows to catch various gruesome villains.The film lays the style, atmosphere and mood on thick, features actors Vincent Cassel and Jean Reno as super-cool scenery chewing cops, knows how to milk suspense, silence, anticipation and horror, features a very good foot chase, some very good camera work, and is stylish without being too tacky. The character Reno plays channels Morgan Freeman's character in "Se7en", whilst Cassel channels Brad Pitt's. The film also cribs the better bits from "Silence of the Lambs", "Jennifer 8" and "Manhunter" - all good genre films - but because this whole "gothic police detective" (which originated with Edgar Alen Poe, father of the detective story) genre spins around archetypes, familiarity, mood and the cosy embrace of convention, you don't care. For more radical fare within this genre, seek out Bruno Dumont's "L'humanité", or perhaps "The Wire".The film's plot – some business about Nazi super soldiers - recalls both "The Boys From Brazil" and "Name of the Rose", only faster, harder and with more rain. The film climaxes with a dumb car chase, a dumb showdown, and then an even dumber CGI avalanche. Some of its camera work is inspired by both De Palma and Kubrick. Unlike "Se7en" copycats like "Kiss The Girls" and "The Bone Collector", "The Crimson Rivers" goes for a more operatic, more voluptuous, more shamelessly lurid, more deliberately macabre tone. It's what "Scorsese" recently tried and failed to do with "Shutter Island" (and earlier, "Cape Fear").If this review plays like a string of references, its because "The Crimson Rivers", a postmodern collage, is itself all about references and ticked boxes. 7.9/10 – Good popcorn. See "Jeniffer 8", "Silence of the Lambs", "Memories of Murder", "Mother", "Manhunter" and "Se7en".