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.

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.

This Movie Reviews

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!