X
- 2010
- R
- Music Box Films
- 1 h 53 m
- 2010
- R
- Music Box Films
- 1 h 53 m
Summary Mesrine: Killer Instinct introduces us to Jacques Mesrine, a loyal son and dedicated soldier back home and living with his parents after serving in the Algerian War. Soon he is seduced by the neon glamour of sixties Paris and the easy money it presents. Mentored by Guido (Gerald Depardieu) Mesrine turns his back on middle class law-abidi...
Directed By: Jean-François Richet
Written By: Jacques Mesrine, Abdel Raouf Dafri, Jean-François Richet
- 2010
- R
- Music Box Films
- 1 h 53 m
- 2010
- R
- Music Box Films
- 1 h 53 m
Mesrine: Killer Instinct
71
8.1
Where to Watch
Summary Mesrine: Killer Instinct introduces us to Jacques Mesrine, a loyal son and dedicated soldier back home and living with his parents after serving in the Algerian War. Soon he is seduced by the neon glamour of sixties Paris and the easy money it presents. Mentored by Guido (Gerald Depardieu) Mesrine turns his back on middle class law-abidi...
Directed By: Jean-François Richet
Written By: Jacques Mesrine, Abdel Raouf Dafri, Jean-François Richet
Where to Watch
Top Cast
Metascore
Generally Favorable
Based on 23 Critic Reviews
71
74% Positive
17 Reviews
17 Reviews
26% Mixed
6 Reviews
6 Reviews
0% Negative
0 Reviews
0 Reviews
Metascore
Generally Favorable
Based on 23 Critic Reviews
71
74% Positive
17 Reviews
17 Reviews
26% Mixed
6 Reviews
6 Reviews
0% Negative
0 Reviews
0 Reviews
The films never lose sight of Mesrine the man, a fascinating character in that he's brutal yet extremely intelligent, has a skewed but discernible conscience, and, under the right circumstances, can be warm and generous.
The film is big and sprawling and moves with fiery energy -- there's little or no exposition or explanation between scenes or episodes, yielding a breakneck pace.
User Score
Universal Acclaim
Based on 30 User Ratings
8.1
90% Positive
27 Ratings
27 Ratings
10% Mixed
3 Ratings
3 Ratings
0% Negative
0 Ratings
0 Ratings
User Score
Universal Acclaim
Based on 30 User Ratings
8.1
90% Positive
27 Ratings
27 Ratings
10% Mixed
3 Ratings
3 Ratings
0% Negative
0 Ratings
0 Ratings
It's a great little history lesson. The movie is certainly implausible except for the fact that it is all based quite closely on the real life ****. For all of his repugnance you still must watch to see how he pulls this all off and how it might all end. If there's an overarching persistent flaw it is the way the movie surveys his life and crimes and never once even tries to dig into some pithy look at motivation. Still, very entertaining.
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Riveting, action packed crime drama, with a mesmerizing performance by Vincent Cassel as Mesrine, the legendary French criminal. Amazed that I didn't know anything about this movie before I walked into the theatre, was glued to my seat for two hours, didn't want to chance missing anything for popcorn or a trip to the bathroom. Last hour of the movie superior to the first, detailing his burgeoning violence, his desire to defy the authorities at any cost, and his notorious infamy. That is except for its see you later ending which was rather abrupt and awkward. But can't wait to see Part Two.
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The real-life career criminal Jacques Mesrine is seen in all his wild, scary, violent glory.
As biographical crime thrillers go, Killer Instinct is a worthy entry to the genre, although the incompleteness of the story makes it difficult to evaluate on its own. The movie needs to be seen in the context of a greater whole for it to be fully appreciated.
Cassel is convincing and riveting as Mesrine, which helps balance out the film's problematic slick shallowness and disconnects.
The events may be accurate, but Mesrine is so episodic that it's slightly maddening to watch.
Richet proves maddeningly loath to edit his material, and his charismatic star, Vincent Cassel, does not delve deep into the character.
Before I start watching it I have to say that I knew nothing at all about Jacques Mesrine, but I was very impressed by the fact that he had managed to get two simultaneous films made about him and starred by Vincent Cassel.
I did a little research while I was watching, and apparently Jacques Mesrine was responsible for 39 deaths in a two-decade career as a bank robber and kidnapper, as well as escaping prison on several occasions and, incidentally, writing a few books.
I'm not much for celebrating these types of people, but here we are.
The film in question is entertaining, I can't deny it, and Cassel is a magnetic presence. His character comes across as arrogant, self-centered and choleric.
A man who doesn't even give a second thought to the crimes he commits and the violence he uses to get his way.
The dude is a **** sleazebag and Cassel never tries to soften him up. That might be difficult for people who need to create some sort of bond with the leading character in a movie, but here clearly the idea even with the notable embellishment of the guy, they're not trying to sell him as a hero or anti-hero either. Or at least I didn't seem to get that impression.
How much of the rest of its story will justify the sequel is something that remains to be seen considering I'll be seeing it next, and that to me is something that weakens it structurally because you apparently have to watch both films back-to-back, kind of like the Che movies that Soderbergh made.
So I'll have to see if they're completely similar in tone and style. Because if so, basically the only thing that separated the two films was the issue of their length and not necessarily the artistic element of them. But from what I can tell I liked this one.
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Il y a une ambiance à l'amÃricaine dans cette première partie de Mesrine. Cette dernière se montre assez noire, tendue et palpitante. Tout ce qui peut manquer à un film français en fin de compte! Et on peut dire que Mesrine - L'Instinct de Mort est une vÃritable surprise car il n'est pas un simple biopic pompeux mais bien un polar superbement mis en scène et interprÃtà à la perfection (Vincent Cassel au sommet, mais n'oublions pas GÃrard Depardieu, CÃcile de France, Gilles Lellouche...). Dommage cependant que les scènes s'enchaÃnent à un rythme (trop) effrÃnÃ, à cause d'un scÃnario qui abuse des ellipses et d'un montage quelque peu brouillon. De ce fait, on a l'impression de passer à côtà de beaucoup de choses vÃcues par Mesrine. Mais pour qu'un film français soit enfin de cette envergure, on ne va pas cracher dessus!
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The lead actor is excellent, and he's just repugnant enough that you're not rooting for him like you'd typically root for the bad guy in a movie like this. The supporting actors are uniformly outstanding. Even though I knew this is part one of two, it really ends rather abruptly - almost like they produced both parts to be seen back-to-back with a short intermission. I'll certainly see part 2, despite the fact that it's pretty clear how it will all turn out from the directors use of the uroboros.
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Production Company
La Petite Reine,
Remstar Productions,
Novo RPI,
M6 Films,
Canal+,
TPS Star,
120 Films,
Région Haute-Normandie,
Société des Producteurs de Cinéma et de Télévision (Procirep),
Angoa-Agicoa,
Centre national du cinéma et de l'image animée (CNC),
Téléfilm Canada,
Société de Développement des Entreprises Culturelles (SODEC),
Uni Etoile 4,
Uni Étoile 5,
Banque Populaire Images 8,
Cinémage 2
Release Date Aug 27, 2010
Duration 1 h 53 m
Rating R
Awards
César Awards, France
• 3 Wins & 10 Nominations
Dublin Film Critics Circle Awards
• 3 Nominations
Globes de Cristal Awards, France
• 2 Wins & 2 Nominations
