- For a famous master criminal whose life apparently merits a two-film series, Jacques Mesrine (Vincent Cassel) isn't terribly good at what he does. For one thing, he pulls out his gun with very little provocation, contrary to the advice of his friend and fellow hoodlum Paul (Gilles Lellouche). In fact, the only way to get Mesrine to do what you want is to confiscate his weapon, which is precisely how he ends up in the employ of a mobster named Guido (Gerard Depardieu). Unfortunately, Mesrine also has the bad habit of robbing and/or assaulting people who recognize him, like the pimp Ahmed (Abdelhafid Metalsi). And then there's that whole matter of Mesrine teaming up with his lover Jeanne (Cécile De France) and kidnapping a handicapped man (Gilbert Sicotte) only to have him escape their custody. And what about the time he escaped prison with his friend Jean-Paul (Roy Dupuis), but then returned to free the other inmates? That was around the time they robbed two banks across from one another and just before they killed those two park rangers who were attracted to Mesrine's target shooting. If this guy is the brains of the operation, the operation is in trouble.
- But lest I give the wrong impression, there is more to Mesrine than just guns. He also likes women. In the opening scene, he refuses to kill a captive Algerian female, preferring instead to shoot the man who loves her. He also rescues a prostitute named Sarah (Florence Thomassin) from Ahmed, and even kills the pimp as a retaliatory measure for beating Sarah up. While vacationing with Paul in Spain, Mesrine seduces his future wife (Elena Anaya) who doesn't realize that he's the sort of guy who may one day put a gun in her mouth in front of the children. There's also Jeanne, of course, who eventually serves as Bonnie to Mesrine's Clyde. Finally, there's that anonymous woman (Ludivine Sagnier) whom we spot at the film's beginning -- I'm guessing she'll have a larger role in the sequel.
- If it feels like this review is jumping around a lot, that's pretty much how the film feels, too. Some parts of the story are obviously crucial and carefully ordered. Others feel like they were more or less randomly selected from Mesrine's life. That said, the film is fairly well-directed and features a surprisingly striking color palette. As much as I love black and white crime noir or the washed-out tones of Jean-Pierre Melville, I'll admit that the occasional bouquet of colors can do unexpected wonders for a crime film. Cassel's smirking confidence and Depardieu's elan are the highlights of the acting. The story is just compelling enough to convince me to catch the second installment.
- Apparently, this was based in part on Mesrine's biography.
