Crimson Rivers 2: a very Dan Brown sequel

Let’s be clear: Crimson Rivers 2: Angels of the Apocalypse is clearly and objectively worse than the first. I don’t think there is much point in overthinking that.

The original had a much stronger atmosphere, an investigation with somewhat more logic and, above all, a lead duo with far more charisma. 

This second part keeps Jean Reno as Pierre Niemans, but changes everything else enough for the film to drop several levels.

Here the plot dives straight into religious thriller, conspiracies, symbols, ninja monks, apocalypse and ancient secrets. Basically, a very Dan Brown film, but with less narrative elegance and much more over-the-top action.

The best thing you can say is that it is not boring, helped by its tight running time. It has pace and can be watched without much effort. 

The problem is that it feels far less ambitious than the first, with that air of a functional sequel made for the video store, designed to ride the wave without worrying too much about measuring up.

Because The Crimson Rivers was not a masterpiece, but it did have personality. This second part, by contrast, seems more interested in piling up flashy elements than in building a story that holds together even minimally.

A very Dan Brown plot

The plot of Crimson Rivers 2 revolves around a double investigation —which, as in its predecessor, ends up becoming one— with murders, religious symbolism and a threat that, of course, keeps getting bigger as the film goes on. 

I’m not going into details, because there is no need to spoil anything, but the tone is very recognizable: churches, secrets, ancient texts, conspiracies and a solemnity in the direction and staging that tries to show us that everything is very, very deep.

Spoiler: it doesn’t manage it.

The problem is that here, unlike in Brown’s works, everything feels shoehorned in. As if someone had taken a set of eye-catching genre pieces and placed them one after another on screen without asking too much whether they fit together.

Here everything is exaggerated and logic is nowhere to be found.

Ninja monks doing parkour

The strangest thing about the film, and probably the hardest thing to take seriously, is everything surrounding those monks dressed like ninjas and with similar skills, moving around with an agility that seems taken from another kind of plot.

The idea is funny, I won’t deny it: seeing monks doing parkour, chasing and killing people is a bit comic. Although I doubt that was the work’s intention.

It does not withstand serious analysis. And the film does not seem aware of how absurd that part is. Because if it embraced that nonsense more, perhaps it would be more fun. But it presents it with a seriousness and grandiloquence that ends up working against it.

It could have been a fun action thriller. Instead, it is something that tries to be transcendent and dark, and with these ingredients it is impossible for it to pull that off.

The best of Crimson Rivers 2

The best thing about the film is Jean Reno.

Reno still has presence as Pierre Niemans. He does not need to do much to fill the screen. He has that same look from the first part: tired, dry, the kind of cop who has seen too many weird things to be entirely surprised anymore.

It is not that the film gives him wonderful material, but he holds his ground. In fact, much of the little that works comes from his presence, because when he is on screen, the film seems a little better than it is.

It also helps that his character already comes from the first installment. You know him, you know what he is like, there is familiarity. 

The other good thing is what I mentioned before: it is entertaining and, at times, fun.

It has chases, fights, mysteries, dark settings and a plot so exaggerated that at times it borders on unintentionally funny.

And that, depending on the day, can be reason enough to press play.

The worst of Crimson Rivers 2

One of the problems is the change of Jean Reno’s partner.

In the first film, Vincent Cassel played Max Kerkerian. Here that character does not return, and instead Reda appears, played by Benoît Magimel.

And yes, Magimel may be more handsome. He has presence, he physically fits that role of a younger, more impulsive cop, but he has far less charisma than Cassel. And it shows a lot.

The problem is not only that the actor has less presence, but that the duo loses electricity. Reno and Cassel had a more interesting tension, a difference in energy that made the film breathe better. In this second part, the relationship between Niemans and Reda feels flatter.

On the other hand, it is less ambitious than the original.

The first had more atmosphere, more personality. This second one is more absurd and simpler. Everything is less carefully handled.

It has moments that can entertain, but it lacks the ambition of the original. And when the plot tries to seem important, the cardboard scenery is all too obvious.

There is one last point that cannot be blamed on the work itself, but it affected my viewing experience.

The copy I watched on Amazon Prime had very poor image quality. I don’t know if it was 720p or straight-up 480p, but it looked surprisingly bad.

And in a film of this kind, with dark scenes and a lot of action, that is quite noticeable. 

If it already felt like a video-store movie because of the above, the image quality increased that feeling.

I don’t know if it is the same on all devices or versions, but my experience was pretty bad.

Verdict

Crimson Rivers 2 is watchable if you are curious, if you like Jean Reno or if you want to complete the two films. But as a sequel to the original, it clearly lowers the level.

It has a very Dan Brown religious plot, interesting action scenes and, above all, ninja monks doing parkour. That is reason enough to watch it one day with low expectations. Seriously.

Jean Reno is good, but not enough to lift a film that is not an absolute disaster, since it is watchable, but also quite quickly forgotten.

And the thing is, when I revisited the first part of The Crimson Rivers for the review, I remembered almost everything. This one, which I had also seen back in the day, I did not even remember whether Jean Reno was in it. That should give you a very clear idea of what awaits you.

Crimson Rivers 2 fact sheet

Field	Data
Title	Crimson Rivers 2: Angels of the Apocalypse
Original title	Les Rivières pourpres 2 : Les Anges de l'apocalypse
Year	2004
Running time	Approximately 100 minutes
Director	Olivier Dahan
Screenplay	Luc Besson
Main cast	Jean Reno, Benoît Magimel, Christopher Lee, Camille Natta, Johnny Hallyday
Genre	Thriller, action, mystery
Country	France / European co-production
Available on	Amazon Prime Video, depending on availability
Rating	2/5