As the title of this review suggests, this is going to be a two part review to cover the two parts of the French gangster film Mesrine which is about the gangster Jacques Mesrine.
Everyone loves a gangster film. I think it's the appeal of watching something that many of us would never even dream of doing. Even more appealing is when these films are based on real criminals. Such is the case of Jacques Mesrine, a French gangster who committed many robberies, murders and kidnappings across France and Canada in the 1960s and 70s. His life was violent and brutal and ripe for a movie to be made about him.
This first film chronicles his life from 1959 to 1972 and his beginnings in the criminal underworld of France. After returning from military service in Algeria, Jacques Mesrine (Vincent Cassel) is forced to look for work. Despite his father getting him a legitimate job in a factory, he is drawn to work for Guido (Gérard Depardieu), a gangster to whom he is introduced by his childhood friend Paul (Gilles Lellouche). Mesrine starts to show a great aptitude for successfully carrying out robberies and begins to make large amounts of money. On a holiday to the Canary Islands, he meets Sofia (Elena Anaya) and he soon marries her after she becomes pregnant. After a stint in prison in 1960, Mesrine promises Sofia that he has left the criminal world, but is soon dragged back in.
Mesrine soon is divorced from Sofia after physically abusing her and begins committing robberies with Jeanne Schneider (Cécile De France). The pair eventually have to leave France because of the attention that they are getting from rival gangsters. They settle in Montreal and Mesrine meets John-Paul Mercier (Roy Dupuis), who becomes his new partner in crime.
This film portrays Mesrine as a likeable guy, despite being a murderer and thief. There is a moment during his first robbery where he has to think quickly to avoid being caught and this results in a lighthearted moment, but most of the film tends to head toward darker and more tense moments, including times when he has to murder rival gangsters or break out of a rather harsh prison. The movie uses glamorous shots and clever editing techniques such as split screen to show the lavish lifestyle that Mesrine leads.
Vincent Cassel is amazing in the lead role. I had only previously known him for roles in Oceans Twelve and Black Swan, but he can do so much with a major character like this. Gérard Depardieu plays the role that is perfectly suited for him in Guido, he carries off the menace with the threat of violence so well. Both Cécile De France and Roy Dupuis support Cassel superbly in the latter part of the film as their characters change so much.
Mesrine: Killer Instinct is a great beginning to this saga. The filmmaking is suave and portrays the 60s in the cool light that they were. Cassel is such an absorbing leading man.
Tune in next week for the review of Mesrine: Public Enemy No. 1.
Everyone loves a gangster film. I think it's the appeal of watching something that many of us would never even dream of doing. Even more appealing is when these films are based on real criminals. Such is the case of Jacques Mesrine, a French gangster who committed many robberies, murders and kidnappings across France and Canada in the 1960s and 70s. His life was violent and brutal and ripe for a movie to be made about him.
This first film chronicles his life from 1959 to 1972 and his beginnings in the criminal underworld of France. After returning from military service in Algeria, Jacques Mesrine (Vincent Cassel) is forced to look for work. Despite his father getting him a legitimate job in a factory, he is drawn to work for Guido (Gérard Depardieu), a gangster to whom he is introduced by his childhood friend Paul (Gilles Lellouche). Mesrine starts to show a great aptitude for successfully carrying out robberies and begins to make large amounts of money. On a holiday to the Canary Islands, he meets Sofia (Elena Anaya) and he soon marries her after she becomes pregnant. After a stint in prison in 1960, Mesrine promises Sofia that he has left the criminal world, but is soon dragged back in.
Mesrine soon is divorced from Sofia after physically abusing her and begins committing robberies with Jeanne Schneider (Cécile De France). The pair eventually have to leave France because of the attention that they are getting from rival gangsters. They settle in Montreal and Mesrine meets John-Paul Mercier (Roy Dupuis), who becomes his new partner in crime.
This film portrays Mesrine as a likeable guy, despite being a murderer and thief. There is a moment during his first robbery where he has to think quickly to avoid being caught and this results in a lighthearted moment, but most of the film tends to head toward darker and more tense moments, including times when he has to murder rival gangsters or break out of a rather harsh prison. The movie uses glamorous shots and clever editing techniques such as split screen to show the lavish lifestyle that Mesrine leads.
Vincent Cassel is amazing in the lead role. I had only previously known him for roles in Oceans Twelve and Black Swan, but he can do so much with a major character like this. Gérard Depardieu plays the role that is perfectly suited for him in Guido, he carries off the menace with the threat of violence so well. Both Cécile De France and Roy Dupuis support Cassel superbly in the latter part of the film as their characters change so much.
Mesrine: Killer Instinct is a great beginning to this saga. The filmmaking is suave and portrays the 60s in the cool light that they were. Cassel is such an absorbing leading man.
Tune in next week for the review of Mesrine: Public Enemy No. 1.
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