Best movie of this year hands down!

Who payed the critics

Very disappointed :(

I gave it a 7.5 out of 10

The story of french gangster Jacques Mesrine, before he was called Public Enemy N°1. Mesrine Part 1: Killer Instinct succeeds thanks to a great and haunting performance by Vincent Cassel who is easily the best part of the movie both as a character and as an actor. The rest of the cast does a pretty good job too such as Gérard Depardieu as Guido and Elena Anaya as Sofia. The action is really good and if you're into Gangster movies such as myself you won't be disappointed of course the film is not perfect it has some pacing issues and some moments feel kinda unrealistic if you ask me but as a French picture it's pretty damn good and Cassel gives his best performance in his entire career. (7/10)

When I saw the movie, I noticed a lot of similarities with the gang Haemers (Bende van Haemers) in Belgium. Patrick Haemers was a Belgian criminal. He was head of the gang which kidnapped former Belgian prime minister Paul Vanden Boeynants from 14 January 1989 to 13 February 1989. Also planned to kidnap Mr Heineken. When you would make a blueprint of the story of Mesrine and Haemers, it really looks like the public enemy nr 1 of France and the public enemy number 1 of Belgium are a carbon copy in many aspects. Robberies, prison escapes and moving up the ladder to kidnapping. I did not know the story of Mesrine but the performance of Vincent Cassel adds flavor to the movie. The prelude tries to explain how the connections in his brain shifted to a ruthless and brutal killer. A must see.

Ah, the French. Known for their intense thrillers that leave you jumping on the edge of your seats. The crash zooms, the guns, the artsy fartsy... anyway, back to Mesrine: Killer Instinct Pt. 1. I was impressed, it fulfilled my expectations of a crime thriller. It shocked me in some parts, it left me wanting more in others. I felt the characters (especially Mesrine's) were a bit dull, and didn't leave me feeling sympathetic or apathetic. I felt like I was a blank canvas being forced to watch a guy spilling his life out on screen. The story I felt was a little rushed; everything about this man's life was crammed together in 2 hours. It just wasn't enough time. I forgot about characters, I wondered about characters, I wondered why we were introduced to some at all, it didn't feel right. Yes, some aspects of the story were great and truly mesmerizing, but the film as a whole just didn't add to that. In terms of the production; cinematography was beautiful, abstract and a little more inviting. I felt like I was in a psychedelic world in some scenes. I don't want say this, but the film turned into a 'Taken' towards the end. It forgot about the story and spiraled out into this over the top, unnecessary ending. This is an entertaining film, but it's ego- tistical story isn't it's greatest point.

The two Mesrine movies are easily the best gangster movies of the last years and can without a doubt be described as the French Godfathers even though the two films have not exactly the same class as the legendary masterpieces.The thing that is really interesting about this movie is that it is told after true events and partially based on the autobiography of the French gangster and public enemy number one Jacques Mesrine. The movie makes very clear that one can't develop much sympathy for the character but his radical way of life, his brutal honesty and his strong and dangerous emotions surely create a very addicting, explosive and unique character.The first movie tells his life from his actions during the Algerian War up to his escape from a prison in Quebec.The character is introduced in a very interesting way. One witnesses his first theft, his first murder as well as his first escapes from prison but also how he gets into the crime scene, how he gets to know his second wife and how he gets along as his role as a father of three children with her. Mesrine always chooses the craziest, most radical and often most selfish way to escape from his problems. This movie is not just a gangster saga filled with action and tension but has also an emotional touch of the drama genre and some dark and sarcastic humour.Mesrine is perfectly portrayed by one of the best contemporary actors coming from France which is Vincent Cassel. Roy Dupuis plays the very charismatic Canadian terrorist and Mesrine's âme soeur Jean-Paul Mercier. The French acting crème de la crème appears in this first part of the legacy. Cécile de France plays Mesrine's future girlfriend and partner in crime that finally decides to chose the path of freedom and justice. Gérard Depardieu plays the intelligent gangster boss Guido. Ludivine Sagnier portrays Mesrine's latest girlfriend and excels in her role as a superficial blonde with fixations on a bourgeoisie lifestyle. The acting of this movie is really stunning and every actor plays his or her role close to perfection.The movie also discusses topics such as love, friendship, treason, loyalty, respect and more in a very intense way and how Mesrine feels about it. He is a very extreme personality and some of his actions contradict what he has already done or will do in the future and this shows how fragile this gangster really is.The greatness of this movie does not stop there. The part of the movie when Mesrine is put into a French Canadian prison is very intense. It is not only well filmed with interesting camera positions and cold, touching decorations but reminds me of legendary prison movies such as "Papillon" or "The Shawshank Redemption" and contains some well hidden but intense criticism. Mesrine's escape from prison eventually led to the closure of those inhuman French Canadian prisons and this movie shows us the way of life in this hell in a very intense way. The movie also slightly criticizes the corruptive justice and police in France as well as the way how the medias deal with Mesrine's fate and make an iconic modern Robin Hood out of a dangerous and ignorant gangster that begins to use the medias for his own good and enjoys the show.As you can see, the movie contains many different elements and details that make it a very diversified, intense and still entertaining gangster movie which happens to be one of the best of its kind. If you like "The Godfather", "Once Upon A Time In America", "Papillon" and "The Shawshank Redemption" you should definitely check this masterpiece out. If you happen to like this movie, you should absolutely try to get the German gangster and terrorist movie "Der Baader-Meinhof-Komplex" which is also based on true events and happened at the same time as Mesrine became the public enemy number one in France. The French movie has also some connections to those events as Mesrine talks from time to time about it as you should have noticed.In the end, this movie about an extreme and charismatic character is way more than an excellent gangster movie with some social criticism but a gripping two hours of history class.The only reason why I didn't give the highest possible note is that I would have liked to learn more about the youth of Mesrine. For example, the movie didn't show us his very first wife and how he quit her to go to the Algerian War. It didn't show us how he got honoured by the French government and military for his heroic actions during wartime. It didn't show us how he got caught the first time during a bank theft and how he dealt with it. Those little elements could have made the character even more intense, profound and interesting but a part of that, there is really nothing negative about this amazing movie.