Mesrine: Killer Instinct Film Review
Vincent Cassel Plays France's Notorious Criminal Jacques Mesrine
Sep 20, 2009
As a quote at the beginning of Mesrine: Killer Instinct conveniently tells us; ‘no film can truly capture the essence of a single man or the complexity of the human condition’. Perhaps this was an attempt by Director Jean-François Richet (Assault on Precinct 13) to justify his decision to split the story of France’s infamous gangster into two parts.
There really wasn’t much of an explanation necessary. Jacques Mesrine lived a life so colourful that it could easily equate to a trilogy rather than just the double bill. Based on Mesrine’s own autobiography - penned during his incarceration in a Paris jail in 1973 and later smuggled out for publication - Mesrine: Killer Instinct aims to profile a criminal so cocksure and brazen in his villainy that Mesrine wouldn’t be out of place as the nemesis to any comic book superhero.
Whereas a previous biopic - released in 1984 and simply titled Mesrine - tackled the outlaw’s life after his escape from La Santé prison in Paris on May 8th 1978, Richet’s version delves deeper into the mindset of Mesrine and discovers what made the man the addict of crime that spawned some 39 murders.
Mesrine: Killer Instinct – An Unbelievable True Story
The film begins with a preface showing Jacques Mesrine’s final few moments, constructed stylishly by Richet in a split-screen format with Mesrine (played by Vincent Cassel) captured from various angles. It’s a disorientating opening, and feels almost as though we’re watching the criminal through a voyeur’s eyes, stalking Mesrine’s every move. Each split-screen viewpoint is filmed slightly out of sequence with the next. Like jumbled jigsaw pieces, the viewer’s eyes dart from image to image, trying to make sense of the order, a technique perhaps serving as a metaphor for the complex structure of Mesrine’s life story and the constant feeling that he has eyes everywhere, like some omnipresent being, always one step ahead of his rivals.
Following the opening credits, Richet regresses back to Mesrine’s early adult life as a member of the French army during the Algerian War. It’s Mesrine’s first exposure to violence and one which - on his return to his parents home in France - he finds hard to come to terms with. Starting a new life in the real world seems something of a come down following the brutality he's been subjected to. That is, however, until Paul - an old friend of Mesrine’s - shows up with a flash car and a new business opportunity. Local gangster Guido (played menacingly by Gerard Depardieu) is recruiting for the mob and Mesrine’s fiery personality, charm with the ladies and early demonstration of a cool criminal nous ensures that he becomes one of Guido’s prized assets.
France’s Finest, Vincent Cassel, Cuts a Menacing Figure as Jacques Mesrine
Vincent Cassel is certainly a lither version of the heavy-set brut that was Jacques Mesrine, although he certainly brings an intensity to his performance that breeds menace and charm in equal portion, perfect for contrasting the changing nature of Mesrine’s personality. He’s the sort of guy you’re just as scared of as admirable of. Cassel has that twinkle in his eye, yet a highly strung approach that made his characters in both Irreversible (2002) and La Haine (1995) so compelling to watch.
Mesrine’s progression from malleable foot soldier under Guido to ruthless killer, however, is a swift affair and one which could have benefitted from deeper exposition in the opening act of this movie. Indeed, Mesrine’s first stint in jail for an attempted robbery is dealt with in the blink of an eye. It’s obvious that prison changed the man deeply, but following his marriage to Spanish sweetheart Sophia (Elena Anaya) and his dismissal from his first legitimate job on the outside, Mesrine’s spiral out of control is disposed of rather quickly by Richet, instead hurriedly moving the story forward to explore Mesrine’s meatier crimes.
Summary of Mesrine: Killer Instinct
After a bar room brawl involving two fellow gangsters, Mesrine is forced to flee to Canada where he forms a Bonnie & Clyde partnership with his mistress Jeanne Schneider (Cecile De France) and the two soon become fugitives after a bungled kidnap attempt. The list of offences Mesrine then embarks on would, under most circumstances, appear ludicrous (if they weren’t true of course). Another jail break, numerous bank robberies and cold-blooded murder follow, this time with accomplice Jean-Paul Mercier (Roy Dupuis) in tow.
Richet cleverly opts to close the first chapter of his Mesrine project at the height of the gangster’s infamy with the point of no return about to be breached. He’s a wanted man and it’s clear Mesrine’s intention isn’t to go down quietly - as the last line in the film states clearly - leaving the audience tantalizingly poised for the second helping.
Audiences can be thankful that although Mesrine: Killer Instinct never shies away from the brutality of Jacques Mesrine's crimes, it doesn't go for the easy 'shock-value' option and overwhelms the audience with violence. In Cassel, Jean-Francois Richet has a leading man that can rightly claim his place among the best actors of his generation, proving that great leading roles, and more to the point, gangster films in general, should not just be a Hollywood forte.
It's probably the best idea not to overload too heavily on the details of Mesrine's life before seeing either film (sorry if this has given away too much!) but instead just sit back and watch as the film takes you on a journey through an incredible life, one that you never quite know which way it'll turn next. Hopefully Richet can maintain the same smooth tempo and sense of excitement in Mesrine part 2,. It's going to be a tough ask, but so far so good.
Verdict: 4/5
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
