Mesrine Part 1: Killer Instinct (2008)

The story of french gangster Jacques Mesrine, before he was called Public Enemy N°1.

Director:

Jean-François Richet

Writers:

Jacques Mesrine (book), Abdel Raouf Dafri (scenario)

Stars:

Vincent Cassel, Cécile de France, Gérard Depardieu

8 wins & 12 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Vincent Cassel	...	Jacques Mesrine
Cécile de France	...	Jeanne Schneider (as Cécile De France)
Gérard Depardieu	...	Guido
Gilles Lellouche	...	Paul
Roy Dupuis	...	Jean-Paul Mercier
Elena Anaya	...	Sofia
Florence Thomassin	...	Sarah
Michel Duchaussoy	...	Pierre André Mesrine - le père de Jacques Mesrine
Myriam Boyer	...	La mère de Jacques Mesrine
Abdelhafid Metalsi	...	Ahmed - le proxénète
Gilbert Sicotte	...	Le milliardaire
Deano Clavet	...	Roger André
Ludivine Sagnier	...	Sylvie Jeanjacquot
Mustapha Abourachid	...	Le harki
Sofiane Benrazzak	...	Le Fellagah #1 (as Sophiane Benrezzak)

Storyline

Mesrine: Killer Instinct -- the first of two parts -- charts the outlaw odyssey of Jacques Mesrine (Vincent Cassel), the legendary French gangster of the 1960s and 1970s who came to be known as French Public Enemy No. 1 and The Man of a Thousand Faces. Infamous for his bravado and outrageously daring prison escapes, Mesrine carried out numerous robberies, kidnappings and murders in a criminal career that spanned continents until he was shot dead in 1979 by France's notorious anti-gang unit. Thirty years after his death, his infamy lives on. Mesrine was helped along the way by beautiful and equally reckless Jeanne Schneider (Cécile de France), a Bonnie to match his Clyde. Mesrine made up his own epic, between romanticism and cruelty, flamboyance and tragedy.

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Plot Keywords:

arizona desert | red wine | scotch whiskey | bagman | casino | 

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Genres:

Action | Biography | Crime | Drama | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for strong brutal violence, some sexual content and language

Details

Official Sites:

Music Box Films Site [United States] Official site [Germany]

Country:

France Canada Italy

Language:

French English Arabic Spanish

Release Date:

22 October 2008 (France)

Also Known As:

Mesrine: Killer Instinct

Filming Locations:

Clichy, Hauts-de-Seine, France

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$152,873, 29 August 2010, Limited Release

Gross USA:

$551,660, 25 February 2011

Company Credits

Production Co:

La Petite Reine, Remstar Productions, Novo RPI

Technical Specs

Runtime:

113 min

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The filming of this and Mesrine Part 2: Public Enemy #1 (2008), which lasted nine straight months, was done in reverse chronological order so that Vincent Cassel could progressively lose the weight he gained in preparation of the role, as Cassel knew he couldn't gain weight while filming.

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Goofs

The ballistic vests are clearly not the ones are used in the 70s.

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Connections

Featured in Maltin on Movies: Flipped (2010)

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Soundtracks

La dance de Zorba
(Zorba's Dance)
Written by Mikis Theodorakis (as Theodorakis)
Performed by Dalida

User Reviews

Class gangster movie

Every country has it's legendary Gangsters . In The UK it is the Kray Twins , In Italy it's anyone in The Sicilian Mafia , In America there is a list as long as your arm but not many people outside of France have heard of Jacques Mesrine ...... Now you have.

Based on the true story of gangster Jacques Mesrine - Mesrine presents the rise and fall of France's most notorious criminal through a two-part showcase; wherein a series of hold-ups, prison breaks and kidnappings, give us an insight into 'The Man with 1000 Faces'. Episode one creates the foundation of Jacques Mesrine's character; from his youth as a dedicated soldier serving in the Algerian war to his seduction by the neon glamour of Sixties Paris and the easy money it presents. Mentored by Guido , the handsome and charming Mesrine soon works his way up the criminal ladder, and flees to Canada with his lover Jeanne having pulled off an audacious heist. However, he cannot resist the temptation of one big payout, and is lured out of hiding and propelled towards international notoriety...

I'm a sucker for a gangster movie. Without a doubt it's my favourite Movie Genre and Mesrine : Killer instinct ticks all the boxes i require in a movie like this. The action is fantastic , the acting is totally believable and the personality that was Jacques Mesrine , makes this highly watchable . I have to confess i had never heard of Mesrine but thanks to a fantastic performance by Vincent Cassel , I'm unlikely ever to forget him.

If you like your Gangster movies then i can recommend this one to you. You might have to hunt for it thanks to people's ridiculous squeamishness for films with subtitles but as usual the foreign language film rarely disappoints and the best this about this film is that it's just the first part. There is a second film called Mesrine : Public enemy number one , and i cant wait to put it in the DVD player!