Based on the real-life exploits of the so-called Lonely Hearts Club killers Martha Beck and Raymond Fernandez in post war America. Set in Mexico 1949, Deep Crimson is a reworking of The Honeymoon Killers (1970). An examination of greed, violence and vanity, Deep Crimson, differs from the earlier film by offering a far more cartoonish style. The troubled characters often gaze into mirrors, as if searching for their lost souls.
Coral Fabre (Regina Orozco), a nurse and part time embalmer, is overweight and desperate to find her soulmate. When she meets balding gigolo Nicolas Estrella (Daniel Giménez Cacho), through a lonely hearts ad, their first meeting is built on lies. Coral hides her weight and the fact that she has two children. Nicolas hides his baldness with a toupee and fakes a Spanish accent. Together, they embrace each other’s flaws. Nicolas later steals from Coral after seducing her. Nonetheless, it’s these deceptions that draw them to each other. coral declares that Nicholas is the man she’s always wanted and will do anything for him. Even after she discovers Nicholas to be an extortionist and a killer, Coral’s commitment doesn’t waver. She even dumps her kids in an orphanage, saying she would rather have him than them.
This is a match made in hell. The egocentric Nicolas sees himself as helping lonely women and Coral sees the violence as a means through which she can keep Nicolas for herself. The two team up, presenting themselves as brother and sister as they commit a string of crimes. Placing a lonely hearts ad, the target a string of widows to steal their money. When Coral murders a widow by poisoning her drink, their crime spree isn’t just about greed, but jealousy too.
When Coral becomes jealous of Nicolas’s kindness to their final victim and her young child, Coral blames him for forcing her to run off with him. Meanwhile, Nicholas berates her anytime Coral is the least bit critical of him. The pitiful nature of their relationship leaves little doubt about how this story will end. Even so, Director Arturo Ripstein offers no sympathy for these lovers, painting them as utterly depraved individuals. Watching Coral put the widow’s young child in a bath and coldly kill her, while at the same time appearing to mother her, is as cold as it gets.
Deep Crimson is presented in the 1.85:1 aspect ratio. While the lack of Dolby Vision or HDR is disappointing, Criterion’s new 4K restoration of Deep Crimson’s extended director’s cut looks excellent colors are vivid. Reds (seen in almost every shot), stand out with a welcome vibrancy. Other colors in the earthy palette are nicely rendered throughout. Blacks are inky. The image is sharp with strong details. There are no scratches or other anomalies.
The DTS-HD Master soundtrack is presented in Spanish with optional English SDH subtitles. Immersive and well mixed, ambient effects and music are used effectively throughout, Dialogue is clean, crisp and concise, creating a pleasing listening experience.
The following extras are included:
- New interview with director Arturo Ripstein (22:26)
- New interview with screenwriter Paz Alicia Garciadiego (22:28)
- New introduction by filmmaker Ari Aster (12:31)
- Panel discussion from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences featuring Ripstein and Garciadiego, hosted by film scholar Cristina Venegas (34:21)
- Trailer (1:24)
- A foldout poster with an essay by film scholar Haden Guest