“F---, there are rules,” says a livid Jacques Mesrine (Vincent Cassell) following an attack on his daughter. “What rules?” answers his gang boss Guido (the excellent Gerard Depardieu). “The only rule in this world is the law of the jungle.”
For Mesrine—one of the 20th century’s most notorious outlaws—navigating his own complex set of “rules” is a treacherous plight that leads to murder, heartbreak and jail. It also leads to wealth, beautiful women and worldwide fame. The French crime drama Mesrine: Killer Instinct tells the story of Mesrine’s wild life and times from his early adulthood in the late ‘50s to the early ‘70s. (A second film, Mesrine: Public Enemy No. 1, charts the rest of his life and will open in Atlanta on Sept. 3).
Killer Instinct kicks off with a telling moment from Mesrine’s formative years. Serving in the French army, he helps interrogate an Algerian rebel. When the rebel won’t talk, his innocent wife is dragged into the room, and Mesrine’s superior orders him to kill her. For Mesrine, it’s a potent lesson that “the system”—whether government, the police or the military—plays by its own set of rules.
Back at home, Mesrine feels isolated, desperate to avoid the boring life his dad has chosen. So when his buddy offers him a job “off the books,” he jumps at the chance.
Soon he finds himself in the employ of Guido, pulling off a series of audacious robberies. Underneath his tough exterior, he exhibits a soft side with the ladies: first a prostitute named Sarah, then a Spanish beauty he meets and woos during a business trip. But his interactions with these women also spark the increasingly volatile Mesrine to brutal acts of violence.
Eventually his escapades find him in French Canada, wreaking criminal havoc with yet another woman (a stellar Cecile de France) until he lands in the country’s most brutal prison, where’s he subject to various forms of torture. Mesrine, not one to be corralled by minor barriers like a maximum security prison, plots a daring escape.
If you’ve been craving a new gangster epic, look no further: Killer Instinct delivers pure entertainment from start to finish. Cassell is a powerhouse in the title role, a storm of energy capable of wicked cunning, gentle humor and gruesome violence. Though he’s flirted with international stardom since bursting onto the scene in 1995’s classic La Haine—nabbing a role in Ocean’s 12 and starring in acclaimed French thrillers such as Read My Lips and Irreversible—Mesrine may be the spectacular performance that pushes Cassell over the top.
Abdel Raouf Dafri’s episodic script unspools with fierce urgency, taking scenarios familiar from other gangster movies and infusing them with rich details that enable Killer Instinct to stand on its own. And director Jean-François Richet handles the proceedings with verve and style. Split screens, often a flashy novelty, are used here to strong effect. Don’t miss the slowly retreating, corkscrew camera shot of Mesrine in his jail cell—it’s dizzying, electrifying stuff.
“Everyone’s got their principles, their morals,” Guido explains to Mesrine. In Killer Instinct, Mesrine’s flailing attempts to define his own principles and morals—and how they fit into his action-packed world of crime—make for riveting cinema. This is one of the year’s best.
Grade: A
Related Articles:
1) Mesrine: Public Enemy No. 1 review: Vincent Cassel amazes again in gangster epic
2) Gomorrah review: Mafia tales from modern-day Italy
3) Revanche review: Revenge served cold with a twist
"Mesrine: Killer Instinct" opens in Atlanta on Aug. 27 at Landmark’s Midtown Art Cinema.
Follow Ryan at http://twitter.com/ATLFilmExaminer.
Comments