Mesrine: Killer Instinct (L'instinct de mort) (2007)

This is part one of a two part epic about infamous French gangster Jacques Mesrine who was a real menace during the 1960s and 1970s. I had not heard of him or his exploits before I heard about the movie, but when I heard about the movie, I got interested, especially since it stars Vicnent Cassel who is becoming a guy I'm starting to really dig and get into.This was split into two parts, similar to what was done with Kill Bill and Che, and, like those two, I wouldn't have minded seeing the whole thing all at once instead of having to see one part then wait a bit to see the other. Even though I'm not totally satisfied with how they concluded this part, it does definitely make me thirsty for more. This portion of the story was based on Mesrine's own writings, so that's cool, and means that there's the chance of more honesty and realism in things, no matter how remarkable or unlikely they seem, such as the way he robs a bank then immediately runs across tthe street to rob another bank. You get some insight into who people are, and some development, but a lot of focus is placed on people doing stuffThat's okay though, because the performances make it all work, especially Cassel (who looks rather spiffy sporting various types of facial hair), Dupuis, and Depardieu. Cecile De France who seems almost too cool and sexy for her own good. Plus, even though the film is mostly people doing stuff, it's really fun and entertaining since that stuff usually consists of armed robbery, kidnapping, or escaping prison. I know that before he did this director Jean-Francois Richet directed the remake of Assault on Precinct 13, so the man can do action and crime type stuff. I must say though that for whatever reason, whenever this type of movie isn't an American film, it somehow seems more sophisticated, classy, and artistically done. Not that there aren't exceptions to the rule (Mann, Scorsese, Tarantino, etc), but by and large foreign takes on crime cinema just seem to bring some respect that is often missing. You should check this out. It's got some fine, charismatic performances, fun style, good technique, and some strong music. I can't wait to see part 2.