MESRINE: parts 1 & 2 - Killer Instinct / Public Enemy #1
October 26th 2010 00:11
Mesrine: KILLER INSTINCT
One has to wonder what makes humans so intrigued by gangster films - the lure of power, the rise and fall and the violent instincts that cause a man to command the kind of respect that discounts the value of other peoples lives. No matter how many psychopathic characters are portrayed on screens, when they are gangsters we feel the distinct lure every time - from Cagney to Pesci to Pacino, we are constantly aware of how seductive they are despite the moral conflict to cheer them on versus standing in judgement of them. Mesrine Parts I and II, indeed leave us torn in this way. Portraying a character that is despicable yet fascinating. This fascination is indeed thanks to actor and leading man Vincent Cassel who leaves us mesmerised with one of his most astonishing performances to date.
Mesrine: PUBLIC ENEMY #1
Mesrine - absolutely huge in scope, as well as running time, was released in two parts and covers the true story of Jacques Mesrine's 20 year spanning criminal career. Part 1: The Killer Instinct, the more fascinating and perhaps more accomplished half and then Part 2: Public Enemy #1. Mesrine tells of a ruthless, real life gangster Jacques Mesrine, who played the law like a throw away toy, between his countless bank robberies and multiple prison escapes between the 60's and 70's, including an escape from a maximum security prison. Indeed this latter act earned Mesrine a sort of cult hero worship as he was dubbed Public Enemy #1.
This epic 3 & 1/2 hour film orbits between the romanticism of the Mesrine legend and the ruthless terror he brought upon so many lives. Mesrine at times seems conflicted, but it's in the second half that we see him create an image of self promotional righteousness and nobility. Perhaps Mesrine actually believed that he was a rebel with a cause, but it seems even more clear when watching this that he was a flat out sociopath.
Mesrine is cinematic dynamite. Dazzlingly stylish and virtuosic, it's actually Vincent Cassel's electric performance that knocks this one out the park. Mesrine does have some noticeable issues, but the accumulative effect is so very impressive. Mesrine doesn't drill too deep into it's man in question, but rather explores his external behaviour, leaving the audience to make of this what they will.
Cassel is used to astonishing affect here, effortlessly creating tension through his acting. Jacques Mesrine, like all interesting people worth studying is a massive contradiction, and it's this very unpredictable behaviour of his that puts you so on edge as an audience. The 2 part film builds in a way that you, at first, feel like it will be justifying or even empathising with Mesrine's actions - and that's when the film pulls the rug out from under us. Mesrine begins to committ acts of pure ugliness. These rotten deeds alienate us from him, but Cassel keeps us intrigued. Mesrine is never demonised, merely puzzled over instead as director Jean-François Richet can never quite make up his mind about what exactly made Jacques Mesrine tick.
When Jacques Mesrine does hold back and does the complete opposite of what we expected, it's thoroughly unnerving and these unpredictable bouts which tip back and forth between glimpses of self-awareness and ugliness challenge it's audience. What remains so bold with this film however, is it's style, which is breath taking. Shot with as much extroverted bravado as Mesrine's acts of criminal showmanship, this is also a film that wows us, particuarly with it's it's searing primary colours, which are exagerated and gelled over walls and windows, heightening it's modern Noir roots.
Part 1: Killer Instinct is indeed the slicker of the two halves, the unfolding and evolution of this character is fascinating, as much as we are repelled by several acts of mistreating his wife, abandoning children, there's a kind of irresponsible hero worship we become aware of in ourselves, but Mesrine is no Robin Hood, even if he thinks he is. We are initially disgusted by his behaviour, he's a bully for sure, and it's not untill he gets back some of his own before we are are able to be dazzled by his famous escape attempts, secretly rooting for him as the film makes us one of his partners in crime.
Mesrine, the film and the character, both love to show off and it's not to Jean-François Richet's discredit that he executes these scenes with magnificent flair, using inventive cinematography, split screens accessing multiple takes, which tap into a feeling of his paranoia from a fresh persepective and simply fantastic story telling. The only previous film I was aware of by Jean-François Richet was the remake of Assault On Precinct 13, but there was nothing to indicate that he would have the ability to make a film of such epic richness.
Killer Instinct begins with the downfall of Jacques Mesrine. Now I have a personal pet peeve with begining films in a way that fails to establish drama in the present tense. As a result, the final showdown at the end of Public Enemy #1 feels redundant, unless you've some how forgotten the entire opening of Killer Instinct then it definitely dimineshes the intended ammount of tension. Killer Instinct is by far the more stylish and impressive of the two films, with the Public Enemy #1 being shot more formally than it's first half. It's sets up the mythology of Mesrine, which culminates in a revolutionary act of defiance from him (Jacques Mesrine considers it revolutionary, but in fact it's simply nihilistic and destructive). I'm of course talking about Mesrine escaping from a maximum security prison and then driving right back and having an extraodinary shoot out with the guards in attempt to free other inmates. It's one of the most thrilling and bodacious action scenes in recent memory, with a real excess of masterful adrenaline in place. This is where Jacques Mesrine would be heralded in the media as 'Public Enemy #1', and Part 2 will now pick up where Killer Instinct left off.
Mesrine gloats about his high position of criminal power, this snow balls into him believing himself to be a revolutionary. He claims that no prison can hold him - and he's right, it can't. Mesrine is also a strong attack on the supposed slackness of the French police and prison system at the time, who just could not seem to nail him or hold him down. It's really quite mesmerising how this is all captured, a most focused effort on the part of the director and his leading man, but I also suspect that the effect may not have been so incredible without the presence of Vincent Cassel.
The main problem with Part 2: Public Enemy #1, is similar to the key flaw in Steven Soderbergh's two part film, Che. As in Che (both based on historical figures), Mesrine suffers from a structural redundance, we feel at a certain point that the events in Part 2 are being used more to stretch out the presentation of two films instead of serving one single film that has clearly suffered from it having been split in two. There's very often a case of the film repeating it's dramatic points, we get a sensation around the middle of Part 2 that nothing new is being served up, but instead we are just going through the historical book marks.
Mesrine has a chaptered structure which focuses on certain weeks or months in his life, skipping over chunks of time in between. It's clear that a compromise had been made in this production, the deep holes in the stories chronology of events are neccessary to paint an entire picture of the man's rise and fall in a reasonable ammount of time.
Mesrine had many female admirers who were at once lovers and partners in crime, this highlights his magnetism and commanding presence but what is also highlighted through out the course of the film is the director's fascination for the man, which feels questionably closer to admiration than anything else. Mesrine is indeed a challenging, moral predicament and a figure of this size, so notorious at the time is bound to split public opinion. Cassel plays a monster, but one that is so magnetic that you momentarily forget he bites.
Killer instinct is complimented by a co-starring role played by Gerard Depardieu (Cyrano De Bergerac, 1900) in a most bad ass and silently dangerous performance from him, while Public Enemy #1 is graced by the frightening presence of the cold and steely eyed Mathieu Amalric (The Diving Bell & The Butterfly, Munich). Mesrine carries a hefty power. Vincent Cassel proves once and for all where he will stand in the grand scheme of memorable actors and their greatest performances, with his portrayal of contradiction, madness and a hunger for glory so ferocious that even his belly barracades through his fine silk shirts.
Each of these films are rock solid, but put together, they are large contenders for this generation's great tale of gangster megalomania. Impossible to resist and even more difficult to forget, Killer Instinct and Public Enemy #1 are one punishingly good thrill ride. An instant classic.
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Comment by Matt Shea
20/20 Filmsight
Comment by ShaunK
Screen Adventure
all I mean is that like both films, in part two, it feels like they are repeating certain points previously made, but Mesrine doesn't do this nearly as much as Che.
This is a must see my friend
By the way - while I didn't mind Che - I certainly didn't love it either - what about Che did you dislike so much?
Comment by David O'Connell
Screen Fanatic
Comment by Michaelie
Flick Wit
It took me a while to get into him, but I think Irreversible did the trick in the end. Plus he has excellent taste in women - Monica Bellucci is amazing.
Nice review.
Comment by JohnDoe
Film & TV on DVD
I found the first half of this a little sloppy in its narrative and contradictory on a character level...however part 2 balanced it out.
Been meaning to do my own critique on JDM. Will wait a few weeks now so we don't double dip.
Comment by ShaunK
Screen Adventure
I do indeed Michaelia - I also did a review for La Haine which maybe of some interest to you. It was Cassel's first leading role and perhaps his best ever. Irreversable was alright, but I think my favourite Cassel film was The Appartment, it starred Belluci and Cassel, and as for his wife, what hasn't been said about her already.
Hey JD, I think I enjoyed this more - it was so grand that I just couldn't resist it, I was aware of it's inconsistencies, but I was so seduced by it's style which was mainly asbsent in the second half. It's absolutely fantastic film making, despite it's structural problems.
Thanks for reading, all!
Comment by Bryn
Horrorphile
Great review.
I reviewed it for Cult Projections here.
Comment by Andy Tope
Bagman's Gazette