Review of Mesrine: Killer Instinct (L'instinct du mort)

Before I start this review, I should mention that this film is part of a duology, but because only the first part is available on Netflix Instant and I need to write a review this will just have to do.           

          L’instinct du mort (Mesrine: Killer Instinct) is the story of world famous French criminal, Jacques Mesrine, here played terrifically by Vincent Cassel.  Mesrine skyrocketed to international fame thanks to his daring robberies and escapes, all of which seemed to be validated when a Montreal newspaper labeled him, “Public Enemy No. 1.”  Whether this means he is a great gangster or a horrible one is up for debate since true power in the criminal world is usually associated with anonymity and not how many times you can successfully get yourself incarcerated, but this is not a film about his tactfulness, its about his sheer bravado and reliance on violence as the ultimate cure all.

The film begins with the titular character as a soldier during France’s disastrous occupation in Algeria.  It is here where he learns of the immense, yet fleeting power that comes through the use of brutal violence.  Once his tour is over he returns to his wealthy and well-off parents in Paris who eagerly await his arrival and even get him a job.  Clearly Algeria is still fresh on his mind and he rejects his new life, citing his dad as a Nazi sympathizer and instead follows his friend into a life of crime.

There is a lot to enjoy in the film directed by Jean-Francois Richet: strong action sequences that highlight Mesrine’s “make it up as you go” approach to crime, a focus on his love life, which is very much handled the same way as his criminal enterprises i.e. horribly and violently; and most interestingly, a focus on French social factors that ultimately mold his persona--a Nazi occupation that is still fresh in people’s minds and a disastrous Libyan situation with more than a few racial implications.   

Unfortunately though a lot of this gets lost thanks to an episodic narrative that finds us in different stages of Mesrine’s life with little more information than the city name and year at the bottom of the screen.  This effectively makes the viewer loose track of what does work in the film and leaves the whole thing feeling disjointed and unaffecting.  Here’s to hoping that Part 2 succeeds where Part 1 failed.

-Review of Part 2 coming soon.