Rating of
3/4
"Mesrine: Public Enemy #1" by Yojimbo
Yojimbo - wrote on 10/24/12
The second part of the life story of notorious French criminal Jacques Mesrine is very much a case of more of the same; more daring bank heists, more shoot outs on the streets of Paris and more prison break outs. It takes place over a shorter period of time than the previous film leaving more room to concentrate on the man and his motivations, particularly during the scenes in which he verbally spars with an ageing millionaire and kidnap victim and his brutal attempted murder of a right wing journalist. These scenes show all his bluster about being a "revolutionary" was really a smoke screen to cover his ever increasing ego and obsession with his own public image. The representation of his death is also very well done despite the inevitable conclusion, echoing the opening scenes from the first part except from the point of view of the pursuing police. It's a very tense piece of film making, very much from the Infernal Affairs school. Again it made not be the most in depth examination of the man's life but it's always entertaining and made all the more interesting by the fact that it's all based upon actual events.
