Ennemi Public n°1 - Mesrine part 2

This second part of the life of Jacques Mesrine is even better than the first part. We finally see that the happy-go-lucky Mesrine is no more than a common criminal, who has delusions of grandeur and is obsessed with power. In the first part you still have some sympathy for him, but all that goes down the drain has he becomes more violent and uncontrollable. A great portrait by Vincent Cassel, who really looks the part.

The story of Jacques Mesrine, France's public enemy No. 1 during the
1970s. After nearly two decades of legendary criminal feats -- from multiple bank robberies and to prison breaks -- Mesrine was gunned down by the French police in Paris.

Mesrine - L'Instinct de mort - Part 1

The Death Instinct or Part 1 of Mesrine is a new movie starring Vincent Cassel and Gerard Depardieu about the French Public Enemy nr. 1 Jacques Mesrine. I had never heard about him, but after seeing the first part of this movie I felt I got a good overview of some aspects of his life. As a biopic this movie works well, showing how he went from fighting in Algeria to making it big in Canada. The action is fast-paced, the story interesting and although superficial it gives you a good explanation why Mesrine became the man France feared the most. The settings are also great, you really feel transported back to 1967.

A piece of advice: this movie is quite violent and stops abruptly, only to show a sign that the story will be continued in Part 2. The transition to Part 2 is not as good as it is in other movies like Kill Bill or The Lord of The Rings.


More info on Mesrine can be found on Wikipedia