Mesrine: Not Public Enemies

After the absolute rubbish that was Public Enemies, I took myself once again to the Duke of York’s to see Mesrine: Killer Instinct, the first of a two-part biopic about the life of France’s most notorious gangster, Jacques Mesrine. I already had high expectations of Vincent Cassel’s performance playing the criminal after loving him in La Haine and Irreversible, but then again, Johnny Depp of Public Enemies had quite a good track record of films himself, and look at the shambles of a film he ended up in! (Actually, you know what, don’t look… The thing that’s so frustrating about Public Enemies is that the cinematography and set design is breathtaking, so to then find an empty, soulless screenplay coupled with a badly designed narrative, you’re just going to be left bashing you’re head against the wall!)

Anyway, unlike Public Enemies, Mesrine: Killer Instinct and Mesrine: Public Enemy No. 1 (2^nd part which soon came out after Killer Instinct) were amazing. The screenplays and narratives were well designed and constantly had the viewers on the edge of their seats, always interested and eager to know what happens next. The romances were believable and realistic (Ol’ Jacques was a right stud by the looks of things, but then I suppose all gangsters are.) The prison escapes were so exciting, well thought out, and always having the perfect balance of humour, violence and tension. And Vincent Cassel’s performance is incredible. He seems to have really absorbed himself in the character and it comes so naturally to the screen. By the looks of things, Jacques Mesrine was a charismatic, funny guy. It always helps making a film about someone who is actually interesting; perhaps what went wrong with Public Enemies is that American criminal John Dillinger was just a boring man. Oh Johnny, it ain’t your fault you brought nothing to the screen! It’s not like you can make up Dillinger’s character yourself, it’s a Biopic for Christ’s sake!

I fancied Cassel in Mesrine. I’ve had this theory that if I can find an actor really attractive in one film and really unattractive in another, they must be good, cause they can actually mess with your hormones when they’re not even there! For example, in Fight Club I don’t fancy Edward Norton. But in ‘Down in the Valley’, it’s another story. And Marlon Brando; he reeks of sex in A Streetcar Named Desire, but then in Apocalypse Now, Oh No… To be fair, he’s fat and old in Apocalypse Now but you catch my drift.

The two-part biopic film that is Mesrine was bloody amazing and all of you out there that are lucky enough to have not seen it yet and have the whole adventure ahead of you, the double billing of it is being shown this Sunday, the 27^th September at the Duke of York’s at 1.30pm. Get your arses down there!

Words: Flaaars

Tags: cinema, duke of yorks, film, french cinema, french movie, johnny depp, mesrine killer instinct, mesrine: public enemy no. 1, movie, public enemies, public enemy no 1, vincent cassel