Oui, a French gangster film...Mesrine Part 1 – Killer Instinct and Mesrine Part 2 – Public Enemy Number 1

I’ve decided to review parts 1 and 2 together. Although the films were released separately, the two films are clearly one whole film divided in two, as apposed to two separate stories.

Mesrine parts 1 and 2, are based on the autobiographical books by Jacque Mesrine (cool name), who was a gangster in France between the 1940’s and 1980’s, and according to the trailer, “To some he was a gangster, to others he was a hero. But to everyone, he was a legend!” During his criminal life he achieved a total of 32 Bank Heists, was jailed in top security prisons 4 times, and managed to escape every single time. Clearly a man with a fascinating story, but can they get it right on the big screen?

Yes they can. I’m not going to dibble dabble with describing the film before revealing my opinion this time, there’s simply no way I can express myself in a seemingly neutral way when describing these films, they’re brilliant. Vincent Cassel, who you might recognise from the disaster film Oceans 12, (he was the baddy), portrays the gangster who’s lust for crime and women can only be compared to his lust for fame and the love he has for himself.

We follow the life of Mesrine shortly after WWII, where he gets involved in small time robbery to avoid a dull life after the excitement of war. He soon works his way up and becomes the head gangster’s, played by the brilliant Cécile De France, right hand man, who almost adopts him as his son, and it’s around this time he meets the beautiful Sofia, (Elena Anaya) who he marries and has a family with. This inevitably leads to her wanting him to go straight for the sake of the family, which hesitantly he does.

Up to this point all we’ve seen of this Frenchman is how suave, sophisticated and cool headed he can be. However, this soon changes when he forces a gun into his wife’s mouth in front of his children and we see what a monster he can really be. It’s this tension which separates this gangster film from most others. Mesrine’s charming nature inevitably draws you in, and despite his monstrous outbursts you always find yourself on his side, which can only be put down to Cassel’s magnificent performance.

As the film(s) carry on, Mesrine’s need for fame grows along with the monster inside him, he craves attention taking every opportunity to talk to journalists and make himself front page news. No doubt Mesrine himself would love the idea of a film being made about him – especially being as good as this.

The cinematography is what you’d expect – no stunning scenes of a sunset or the sea glistening in the moonlight, but gritty and realistic with a hint of sophistication when Mesrine’s at his most smooth.

The score lends itself perfectly to the film, some tracks being well known hits incorporated in appropriate scenes, whereas in the darker scenes an orchestral harmony adds to the tension.

All the supporting actors and actresses are brilliant, especially the various women he has in his life, portraying a strength one would need to be with such a man and a softness which lures you in too.

The overall pace of the films is phenomenal, I found myself enthralled by almost every moment, my only criticism really comes with the length of Part 2, there’s about twenty minutes just after the half way point, where I felt the story wasn’t moving as quickly as it had been previous, but this soon changed; maybe if they had cut the film down a bit, the pace would have continued throughout and I would have given this 10 out of 10.

On the whole a classic gangster film with a certain je ne sais quoi, (what a cliche, I couldn't resist) one of the best gangster films, in fact one of the best films I’ve seen in a long time 9.5 out of 10. Epic.