Mesrine: Killer Instinct

French outlaw Jacques Mesrine (Cassel) and his girlfriend are ambushed on the streets of Paris in 1979 and gunned down by a police hit squad. Rewind twenty years, and Mesrine’s story starts in Algeria, where as a soldier he brutally executes a rebel with characteristic disdain for his orders. On his return to France, his climb to the top of the criminal underworld begins, aided by crime boss Guido (Depardieu), until he is forced to flee to Montreal, and is captured and imprisoned. Mesrine escapes, and returns to wreak vengeance on the prison guards.

Although mostly unheard of in the UK and America, Jacques Mesrine enjoys a similar status to the Krays and John Dillinger as a gangster-cum-folk hero. Killer Instinct is partially based on Mesrine’s prison memoirs, so it’s not surprising that he comes out of this film, if not heroically, at least fairly well. Despite the character’s brutal nature, Vincent Cassel makes him charming and involving enough to turn what should be a tired, clichéd prison escape sequence into one of the most tense and thrilling on film. In a lot of ways, Mesrine’s deadly mix of charm and violence reflects the film itself. While a lot of elements are throwbacks to the noir-ish French gangster films of the late 1950s, there are some things which bring Killer Instinct bang up to date, including a very modern split-screen opening.

With a pair of heavyweight French actors, an enthralling plot and one of the most charismatic criminals you’ll ever see on screen, Killer Instinct’s ‘To be continued’ ending will leave you wanting more. Which is handy...

Marcus Kelly