Mesrine: Killer Instinct Review

"The mind does not die. The proof is you're thinking of me." - Jacques Mesrine

Mesrine: Killer Instinct is the first of two films that chart the life and legend of Jacques Mesrine (Vincent Cassel), the real-life French gangster of the 1960s and 70s who was known as French Public Enemy No. 1 and The Man of a Thousand Faces. Prison escapes, robberies, kidnappings, murders - he did it all. Killer Instinct takes us from his service in the Algerian War in 1956 to his escape and subsequent attack on the Saint-Vincent-de-Paul penitentiary in Canada in 1972. It's a bumpy ride.

Origin stories are usually tricky for simple reasons. The main character is not yet well defined. The story lacks a sizable antagonist and thus compelling conflict. Both of these problems are apparent in Killer Instinct, as well as others. We don't understand what drives Mesrine, an intelligent man from a loving and responsible middle class family, into crime to begin with. Boredom? Rebellion? Desperation? It isn't clear.

Despite having the luxury of two films in which to tell Mesrine's story, it still feels rushed. Swaths of time are tossed by, including a seemingly important prison sentence. There is no pacing. Worst of all, Mesrine doesn't seem worthy of our attention, at least not yet. He's a common crook, a tough guy. He beats his wife. He steals. He beats his wife. He steals.

I'll tell you here and now that Part Two of the Mesrine saga is much better and much more interesting. It might be worth skipping Part One altogether. It's not especially bad, but as far as gangster pictures go, you've seen it all before.

Sum...ology: The story of France's most infamous criminal gets off to a slow start.