Few would dispute the fact that Jacques Mesrine lived an
eventful life. Last of the great French gangsters, police officers gunned down
Mesrine in broad daylight in 1979. Jean-Francois Richet’s (Assault on Precinct
13) enthralling four-hour biopic is split into two parts: Killer Instinct and
Public Enemy Number One. Vincent Cassel (La haine, Dobermann) takes lead
duties, joined by the likes of Gerard Depardieu and Cecile De France in
supporting roles.
I say supporting roles, Jean-Francois Richet’s exhilarating
journey squeezes in so many bank robberies, prison escapes, kidnappings and
murder, I’m surprised there was room for any support at all. Both films are
available together on Blu-ray, which means you wont even have to get off your
sofa, and believe me when I say it, you won't want to miss a thing.
Richet’s movie opens at the end of Mesrine’s journey, a
brutal yet fitting finale to a life of violent crime. A truckload of armed policemen
shot 19 rounds through his car windscreen, killing him instantly. We flash back
twenty years to when Mesrine served in the French army; he’s already a
conflicted soul and a gruelling torture sequence sets the scene for the rest of
the movie. Over the next twenty years we are witness to daring heists, failed
romances, arms smuggling and troubled family relations.
Mesrine was well known for his disguises, earning him the
nickname of “The Man of a Hundred Faces”. Later in life he would earn himself a
new nickname, the dubious honour of “French Public Enemy Number One”. But Jacques
public image was important to him, especially in last few years of his life.
Many regarded him as a romantic rogue, but the truth behind the legend will
prove to be less kind. The facts speak for themselves, and in his own book, Mesrine claims to have killed 39 people. But don’t worry, they were all bad.
Well, mostly…
Vincent Cassel owns this movie, and it’s a good job too
because he’s rarely off screen. Killer Instinct introduces us to Mesrine at the
start of his career. We spend some time with his family, just enough to realise
that Jacques despised his weakling father and had little to do with his
controlling mother. Mesrine falls in with kingpin Guido (Gerard Depardieu), and
the life of violent crime comes naturally to him.
Of all the supporting players, Depardieu’s hefty presence is
the most memorable. There is so much ground to cover, however, that even the
important minor players are given little to work with; Killer Instinct brings
together an assortment of set pieces and precious little else. There are
moments of calm, in which the likes of Cassel and Cecile De France truly shine,
but Richet barely pauses for breath. That’s not a criticism by the way, the
first part of this double bill is all killer and no filler, with so much ground
to cover, so it’s surprising how coherent Richet’s opening gambit is.
If part one wasn’t proof enough that this is Cassel’s movie,
Public Enemy Number One seals the deal in dramatic fashion. Vincent’s portrayal
of Mesrine is given room to breath in the second instalment, as he flirts with
the media and a legend is born. In one startling scene he kidnaps and tortures
a French journalist, just because he doesn’t like the articles being written
about him. The film opens with shoot outs and bank heists galore. It’s a longer
movie this time out. One that benefits greatly from the extra running time.
Public Enemy Number One really finds its feet, however, when Cassel teams up
with Mathieu Amalric’s fellow bank robber.
By this point, Mesrine’s self belief is at an all time high,
and his delusions of grandeur become a focal point for the rest of the movie.
That’s not to say there isn’t time for a little more criminal activity. In part
two, Mesrine successfully kidnaps a millionaire and escapes with the ransom.
There’s even time for romance. Ludivine Sagnier stands out from the crowd as
new girlfriend Sylvia, the last loving relationship as it turns out. She’ll be
forever known as the lone survivor of Mesrine’s execution on the outskirts of
Paris. Unfortunately her dog wasn’t quite so lucky.
Mesrine’s eventual fate is one of the many highlights of
Richet’s movie. We already know the final outcome of the film, but this time
the prolonged finale is shown from the perspective of the so-called ‘good
guys’. It’s a neat twist, and Mesrine’s final moments are captured with raw
energy and a rare sense of cinematic satisfaction. It’s interesting to note
that, after the shooting, complaints
were made that Mesrine was not given any warning, that the police did not act
in self-defence, and that Mesrine was actually assassinated by the French
police force.
You can make up
your own mind when you watch this extraordinary movie. And you will watch it, because Mesrine
is one hell of a ride. In fact, if the romantic rogue was alive today, I’m
pretty sure he’d be loving it too. AW
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