Following on from the punchy Mesrine: Killer Instinct, Jean-Francois Richet presents part two of the Jacques Mesrine story, Mesrine: Public Enemy No.1. We start a few years after the conclusion of part one, with Mesrine under arrest and now beginning to sport quite a hefty belly (Cassel piled on the pounds in reality to show the effects of Mesrine’s aging and lifestyle). From here the film takes us on a circular route of arrest and escape a number of times. On the minus side this feels somewhat repetitive, but, as with the first film, the prison escape scenes are mini nail-biters. Another problem with the film is the impossible job of trying to crowbar in as much detail as possible about Mesrine's later life and though we are told of the dates of certain events, things fly by and Mesrine's occasional partners in crime are lost in a blur (Mathieu Amalric is particularly wasted). On the plus side Cassel is mesmerising again and this film has a wry sense of humour running through it that was missing from the first. Overall, whether this is an accurate representation of Mesrine is open to argument, but Richet comes down on the side of showing him as an uncompromising and brutal man and even having his fellow criminals point out the contradictory manner of some of his beliefs. The film ends on an extended version of the first films opening scene and though we know what is about to occur this is another scene filled with high tension and a welcome epitaph to 4 hours of tough, but welcome entertainment.
The OC Film Sting Final Verdict
Though this isn’t as strong as part one, it’s still worthy of attention and provides a fitting conclusion to an overall above average package. Rating: 6/10.
No comments:
Post a Comment