4 out of 5

Director: Jean-François Richet

With the devastating acting of Vincent Cassel, Mesrine: Killer Instinct part 1 adds up to a thoroughly fascinating portrayal of the famous French gangster, stepping past some of the by-the-books feeling of the direction. I havent heard of the guy, but apparently many have: Jacques Mesrine, gangster extraordinaire, who made no bones about letting himself be seen in the news or in public while he went about murdering, robbing banks, etc. The story itself would be fascinating but it is given two perfect jolts for the first part of this epic: an absolutely convincing lead in Cassel and a smart script that doesnt bother too much with blowing the action to extremes, but rather focusing on moments around the action. So we skip the nonsense Hollywood formula of showing the roots of evil as a child and instead jump to a bit of violence in the army (giving us a war-justified taste of Mesrines blend of justice and violence) and then flashes of current homelife before sticking our fast-thinking man into the mess. There are exciting bits, and funny bits, and sexy bits, and gory bits, but its all played straight and to let the characters shine so that theres not one second where you glance at your watch. Add to this Mesrines somewhat unpredictable blend of motives, and you want the movie to extend beyond 2 hours. As mentioned, the camera direction is a bit heavy, but whats on screen is so motivating that it just overpowers it. Cannot wait for part two.