| Mesrine: Public Enemy Number 1 | |
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Cassel proved in part 1 he is not only having the time of his life playing the man but putting in a performance that is one of the best he’s ever given. This second story does differ though in directorial style from the first with it taking more of a dramatic turn with the thriller elements now aligned with the Police trying to catch and keep Mesrine prisoner. Like part 1 it feels in places like the French’s answers to Michael Mann’s Heat and in one stand out scene we see Broussard and his men trap Mesrine inside his apartment and talk through the door in a way very reminiscent of De Niro and Pacino facing off in that film. Like the first part also characters come and go with surprising speed but new addition Mathieu Amalric as fellow convict and prison escapee extraordinaire Francois Besse is someone who can actually out act Cassel and holds his own in every scene with him as they plan to escape from prison together and do in 1978. In fact Amalric provides the film with a boost to draw the attention away from the arrogant and over confident Mesrine who in this film seems to often fail at crimes like kidnapping and robbery and only become a shadow of his former self. The soundtrack is as ice cool as ever as composers Marco Beltrami and Marcus Trumpp seem to be channeling the spirit Lalo Schifrin and adding a suitable funky 70’s vibe to proceedings. The script works well again and the supporting cast do well in their roles with Ludivine Sagnier Mesrine’s girlfriend Sylvie proving she is one of France’s hottest new actors to watch. The direction from Richet is as self assured as ever with some amazing set pieces like the prison break and robberies this time tinged with a hint of sadness as we already know what will happen to Mesrine in the end. He is someone to watch for in the future and could prove to be a modern auteur in the making. Overall this is just as good as the first film but is darker in tone and content and shows the path of a man on self destruct stupidly believing his own press and arguably contributing to his own remarkable downfall. Astounding stuff. Rating: **** Starring: Vincent Cassel, Ludivine Sagnier, Mathieu Amalric & Samuel Le Bihan Review by Mark Cappuccio |
If you have already seen the amazing first part of the life story of one of France’s most notorious criminals Jacques Mesrine (Vincent Cassel) then you have to see how it all ended in this final installment where he becomes Public Enemy Number One. This part focuses on his life in the early to late seventies and using the opening sequence from 1979 from the first film where he is gunned down in a hail of bullets! But now see the Le commissaire Broussard (Olivier Gourmet) talking with his men in the aftermath of this ambush about how he wants the body handled in front of the press after his exhaustive manhunt for Mesrine has seemingly failed.
