I feel the need to mention Crimson Rivers, because it is a crime thriller that stars Vincent Cassel alongside Jean Reno (The Professional, ya’ll), and that is about as awesome as you get in terms of French crossover success. Both amazing actors who both deserve a lot more credit than they get, and both whom have cult followings here, but have MASSIVE followings and have gotten many awards and accolades in their native land.
Crimson Rivers is honestly barely worth bringing up, yet I am doing so because you get to see these two imports acting alongside one another, which makes it well worth the price of admission. Outside of that, it’s a relatively simple thriller, and not unlike anything you have seen before. The setting of the French Alps adds an element of natural beauty to the film that is undeniable. Check it out for yourself and see what you think.
Now this is the part where I might get some shit from you guys. I am going to recommend a Vincent Cassel movie that may alienate some people. It is a rather polarizing film called Sheitan. Sheitan is very much a sort of French Texas Chainsaw movie. Kids go to weird place with weird people and the weird people sort of terrorize them. But really, it is not that simple at all. I won’t spoil anything here, but this is a movie reliant SOLELY on the performance of Cassel, as well as the ending to the film.
I think when they made it they knew people would either love or hate the ending, but I think the ending was creepy as hell and really over-the-top, and I was one of the people who loved it. Shietan is worth seeing just to see the absolutely bat shit insane performance that Vincent Cassel delivers as the insane patriarch of the film, Joseph. He also plays Joseph’s wife, and makes the ugliest, scariest female you will ever see, as the above picture clearly displays. It is the kind of movie you need to consume drugs before watching, and one of those films that I am sure Vincent Cassel himself wouldn’t bring up if he was doing a career retrospective, but when someone plays “batshit insane,” and plays it so well that it is believable, even in its insanity, that is when I need to give some props.
Speaking of bat shit insane, I, myself, still need to see Vincent Cassel in Doberman, but from what I hear, it redefines batshit insane and as you can tell from how many times I used the term in this article, that is something I am a BIG fan of. Also, a quick shout out for his performance in Eastern Promises. I don’t think he got enough screen time, to be honest, but a few of the back-and-forth scenes with Viggo Mortensen were utterly captivating.