'Mesrine: Killer Instinct' (2008) and 'Mesrine: Public Enemy No. 1' (2008) are two great films filmed back-to-back telling the life and crimes of legendary French criminal Jacques Mesrine. I'd never heard of him before these films came out but it seems he was a bit of a cult figure during the 60's and 70's, mainly due to his outrageous bank robberies and prison breaks.
'Mesrine: Killer Instinct' (2008) The first film shows his rise (descent?) into the criminal world and is the better of the two. Vincent Cassel is brilliant in the title role and Gérard Depardieu was also surprisingly good as a gangster boss. It all looks and feels authentic. The only criticism is that it occasionally feels a bit rushed as it jumps from location to location and exploit to exploit. Although this made sections a bit episodic it means the film is fast paced and always exciting/entertaining.
'Mesrine: Public Enemy No. 1' (2008) The second film follows on from the first but as with any crime biopic (Blow, Goodfellas etc) the second half of the story is slower and not as much fun, as Mesrine suffers the consequences of his actions including estranged family members, more prison and ultimately his death. However the second film is still good, especially the final scenes which tie in brilliantly with the opening scenes of the first film.
Overall a great double bill – especially when you consider I watched them both back-to-back and was never bored or restless (even at a total time of over 3hrs 40mins).
'Mesrine: Killer Instinct' (2008) The first film shows his rise (descent?) into the criminal world and is the better of the two. Vincent Cassel is brilliant in the title role and Gérard Depardieu was also surprisingly good as a gangster boss. It all looks and feels authentic. The only criticism is that it occasionally feels a bit rushed as it jumps from location to location and exploit to exploit. Although this made sections a bit episodic it means the film is fast paced and always exciting/entertaining.
'Mesrine: Public Enemy No. 1' (2008) The second film follows on from the first but as with any crime biopic (Blow, Goodfellas etc) the second half of the story is slower and not as much fun, as Mesrine suffers the consequences of his actions including estranged family members, more prison and ultimately his death. However the second film is still good, especially the final scenes which tie in brilliantly with the opening scenes of the first film.
Overall a great double bill – especially when you consider I watched them both back-to-back and was never bored or restless (even at a total time of over 3hrs 40mins).