Crimson Rivers Duology

Directed by Mathieu Kassovitz. Written by Jean-Christophe Grange and Mathieu Kassovitz.  Stars Jean Reno, Vincent Cassel and Nadia Farès

A French movie done in the style of a "big American action film", so we have a glossy look, continuous graphic violence and limited character depth. It is very watchable, has many great set pieces, and Jean Reno always helps a movie, but it was a tad more preposterous than it needed to be.  It's a serial killer type of thing (sort of).  Anyway, I liked it.

CRIMSON RIVERS 2: ANGELS OF THE APOCALYPSE

Directed by Olivier Dahan.  Written by Luc Besson.  Stars Jean Reno, Benoît Magimel and Christopher Lee.
2004, 97 minutes, Color, Rated R.

This is quite a bit dumber than the original and plays up the US Action film style even more, but it's not boring.  It must be said, however, that the film's climax is extremely unsatisfying.