This crime thriller follows two police investigators as they look into the disappearance of a teenage girl. As the pair uncover more and more bodies it becomes apparent that they are dealing with a deranged serial killer, one that subsequently tests the limits of their expertise by dismembering his victims, making it harder for them to identify the bodies.
Crime Scenes is the remarkable debut film from Frédéric Schoendoerffer, director of Secret Agents, and son of director Pierre Schoendoerffer.
In the well-explored territory of the crime thriller, Crime Scenes manages to break fresh ground, injecting new life into all the conventions and clichés that usually come with the genre, and at the same suggesting a mood that may well be best described as noirish. Along with the minority of intelligent serial killer movies, the film explores the psychological consequences for the two men on the case; here, the director has undoubtedly taken influence from some American films (The Silence of The Lambs comes to mind). Crime Scenes, however, brings originality to the theme, in the way in which it depicts its protagonists.
Intense performances, not least from Charles Berling, combined with the director's intelligent approach to the subject matter, makes for an unforgettable film that is at once compelling and original. Above all, the film is an unassuming serial killer movie, and a reminder of the potential of the genre, given the right film-maker.
Crime Scenes is a Film programme that first aired in 2000 and has been classified a 15 certificate.
