Who'd have thought the director of the pointless and forgettable Assault On Precinct 13 remake could turn out such a thoroughly entertaining crime epic. Doubt ye not though because Jean-François Richet's biopic of the self-aggrandising French bank robber, jail-breaker, womaniser and author is a belter of a crime thriller.
Both Killer Instinct (pt1) and Public Enemy Number 1 (pt 2) manage to be gripping, action-packed and very funny for a combined running time of nearly 4 hours. This in no small part is down to a hugely charismatic Vincent Cassel, carrying more bravado as Jacques Mesrine (pronounced May-reen...) than the entire cast of Goodfellas, shooting, shagging and posturing his way across Algeria, France and Canada. The supporting cast add some more colour to proceedings with the frankly stunning Ludivine Sagnier and The Diving Bell And The Butterfly's Mathieu Amalric (as fellow inmate Francois Besse) standing out. The ever-reliable Gerard Depardieu is also on form as an aging mob boss.
The first film is the more action-oriented, whilst the second traces Mesrine's cocky relationship with the press and his burgeoning celebrity status. Appropriately, given the real Mesrine's character, there's a certain tongue-in-cheek approach to the material with no-one, on screen or otherwise, quite able to take the Frenchman's antics seriously.
Mesrine Parts 1 and 2 are out on UK DVD and Blu-ray from 25th Jan 2010.
Both Killer Instinct (pt1) and Public Enemy Number 1 (pt 2) manage to be gripping, action-packed and very funny for a combined running time of nearly 4 hours. This in no small part is down to a hugely charismatic Vincent Cassel, carrying more bravado as Jacques Mesrine (pronounced May-reen...) than the entire cast of Goodfellas, shooting, shagging and posturing his way across Algeria, France and Canada. The supporting cast add some more colour to proceedings with the frankly stunning Ludivine Sagnier and The Diving Bell And The Butterfly's Mathieu Amalric (as fellow inmate Francois Besse) standing out. The ever-reliable Gerard Depardieu is also on form as an aging mob boss.
The first film is the more action-oriented, whilst the second traces Mesrine's cocky relationship with the press and his burgeoning celebrity status. Appropriately, given the real Mesrine's character, there's a certain tongue-in-cheek approach to the material with no-one, on screen or otherwise, quite able to take the Frenchman's antics seriously.
Mesrine Parts 1 and 2 are out on UK DVD and Blu-ray from 25th Jan 2010.
DVD Details
DVD Special Features:
* Killer Instinct Making Of - 48 mins
* Public Enemy Making Of - 45 mins
Blu-ray Special Features:
* Making Of - 18 mins
* Music Making Of - 10 mins
* Deleted Scenes
* Jean - Francois Richet Interview - 25 mins
More from Mesrine
- Reviews: Fantasia 2010: MESRINE (Part 2) Review
- Reviews: Fantasia 2010: MESRINE (Part 1) Review
- Reviews: MESRINE: L'ENNEMI PUBLIC No.1 (MESRINE: PART 2 - PUBLIC ENEMY No.1) Review
- Reviews: MESRINE: L'INSTINCT DE MORT (MESRINE: PART 1 - KILLER INSTINCT) Review
- Reviews: MESRINE: L'instinct de mort and L'ennemi public n° 1 Reviews
- Reviews: MESRINE: L'instinct de mort and L'ennemi public n° 1 Reviews
I've been excited about this since you first started posting news last year. These were two of my most anticipated films of 2009. They were both supposed to hit the theatre here in Vancouver this year but never materialized.
Checking over on Amazon UK the price for the Blu-ray is not bad.
Moments like this where I wish my PS3 was region free! Looks like I'll have to go the DVD route.
Guess we'll have to wait for the Asian markets (Region A) to release it.