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Plot Summary
The first part of an epic two-film saga, "Mesrine: Killer Instinct" introduces us to Jacques Mesrine: daring bank robber, media showman, master of disguise, prison escape artist and iconic real-life outlaw. Starring French superstar Vincent Cassel ("Black Swan"), this high-octane crime thriller sports an all-star cast and a long list of awards. "Killer Instinct" shows us Mesrine as a legend-in-the-making. Recently returned from the war in Algeria, Mesrine quickly turns to a life of crime after being taken in by gangster Guido (Gérard Depardieu). He quickly discovers he has a gift for robbing banks and forms a duo with lover Jeanne Schneider (Cécile De France, "Hereafter") to rival Bonnie and Clyde. The couple is finally hunted down in the Arizona desert and Mesrine is sentenced to ten years in a maximum-security penitentiary. But he is about to prove that no prison is big enough to contain him as his larger-than-life story unfolds.
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Rotten Tomatoes Movie Reviews
TOMATOMETER
82%- Reviews Counted: 68
- Fresh: 56
- Rotten: 12
- Average Rating: 7.4/10
Top Critics' Reviews
Rotten: The effect of Richet's hyperventilating filmmaking is akin to that of an extended-play trailer.
Fresh: A bold and exciting cinematic tale of a well-known French criminal.
Fresh: Performs the unlikely trick of being both taut and plotless.
Fresh: The screenplay, by Richet and Abdel Raouf Dafri, is a superb work of condensation, amplification and imagination.
Customer Reviews
Oui, Rentable
It will entertain you--though there is nothing new or novel offered. Regardless, it's fun to see a lawless juggernaut run rampant through places like France and Canada... tearing down everything and everyone put before him. The director lives up to French tradition, showcasing an artistically-conscious intelligence: a good portion of the camerawork is so dynamic as to be thought-provoking, e.g., "Why that angle? And the split? What is the director trying to tell us?" You just don't get that sort of creative commitment from Hollywood directors. Additionally, Cassel makes the movie fun even though the content is often brutal--kudos to him. The least satisfying element here--also perhaps the most exciting--is that this is only Part 1 of a 2-part story, and so the end necessarily leaves you feeling incomplete. I would never buy this; there's just not enough to merit multiple viewings, BUT: as far as renting goes, for $4, it's pretty perfect as a late-night pre-bed drown-out-the-day bit of cinema.
P.S. Can the children who mark down every review as unhelpful just stop it already? Don't you get it? It's US (the consumers, holders of hard-earned dollars) vs. THEM (the money-making machines and their myopic operators). I'm not saying we have to sit in a circle, hold hands and sing, but can we acquiesce to the slightest bit of camaraderie? For the sake of our wallets? You want anarchy and chaos? Great. Direct it at Them. You'll have my full support. Vive la Revolución!
Forget Scorsese
This is not the best french gangster ever made, it is simply the best gangster film ever made. It is not possible to describe this film it is simply unreal.
Gangster Films are Gangster Films
This was a good film, not great, but good. The pacing was a little awkward, and the leaps in time could have been sewn together a little better, however, it was worth the rent. It may not seem that way initially, but the character develops (Cassel) it turns out to be quite a spectacle. The scenes vary from nail-biting anxiety, gun-ho shoot outs, overdrawn out scenes, all the way to bone-chilling, jaw grinding horror and excitement. Much like, American Gangster, it's got it's ups and downs, but in the end, you still love the villain.
If you want to see Vincent Cassel kick a** and take names, rent it. If you're looking for dramatic overtures with amazing plots (The Godfather Series), then don't.
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- $12.99
- Genre: Thriller
- Released: 2010
- © Southport Music Box Corporation d/b/a Music Box Films