Mesrine: Public Enemy #1

“We are crooks, not wild-eyed idealists. We don’t try to break the system.”

Released in two parts, Mesrine’s story continues with the release of the sequel, “Mesrine: Public Enemy #1” (2008). Director, Jean-François Richet shot Mesrine’s saga as a two-part series to capture the breadth of Mesrine’s crimes, something that was impossible to represent in a single movie. The second part was released four weeks after the release of the first part, and it continues where the original movie finished.  Jacques Mesrine (Vincent Cassel), after making a daring prison escape, is back in France doing what he does best: robbing banks and millionaires.

                                                                                                             

While the first part, “Mesrine: Killer Instinct,” served as an introduction to Mesrine’s criminal mind-set, the sequel is a complex journey that grows darker at each step.  Some viewers might complain about the lack of reasoning in understanding Mesrine’s motives in the original; however, this time around, Mesrine’s actions are developed under the French political landscape. Nonetheless, if the original movie presented Mesrine as a robber, the sequel shows Mesrine as a political gangster. Every gangster wants to be noticed by exploiting the political shortcomings of a country as the main driver for his criminal operations, and Mesrine is no different. Faced with the imminent prospect of celebrity limelight, Mesrine uses his book as a pedestal to question the court of law and the fundamentals of political freedom.

This time the focus is solely on Mesrine with no father figure like Guido assist him.  Mesrine is caught again but escapes from a court by holding a judge at gunpoint. And he escapes not once but four times from several prisons in France. There was no prison in France that could hold Mesrine during his crazy run as France’s public enemy number-one. Call him a city rat or a deadly gangster or an intelligent criminal, Mesrine brought the entire French police to their knees; they were helpless, and whatever they did, Mesrine was two steps ahead of them. The fact that he was not operating for a gang increased Mesrine’s mobility. He moved from one location to the next in no time, which only made it hard for the police to trace his steps.

After the opening escape sequence ends, “Mesrine: Public Enemy #1” features a number of emotionally charged scenes that showcase Vincent Cassel at the top of his acting form. First, there is a touching father-son scene where Mesrine admits that as a son, he has failed his father. A mutual guilt creeps into both of them that presents a weak human side when dealing with blood relations: Who should be blamed when things don’t go as planned in life? Then, Mesrine meets his daughter while he’s in prison, and it is probably one of the best scenes in the film. Cassel’s portrayal is convincing as a distant father who wants to be part of his daughter’s life but could not, under the threatening circumstances.  The distance between them has grown so large that they communicate with each other in only a few words and a few demonstrative facial expressions; silence dominates, along with several odd moments, before they connect with each. You can see the daughter’s longing for a father figure, and in spite of being fully aware of her father’s crimes, the daughter unconditionally supports him.  Finally, there is his interaction with his publisher--an important aspect in his story--when he realizes that he can present himself as a rebel who is fighting against a repressive political system.

So, when does a gangster morph into a revolutionary? Or what is the difference between a revolutionary and gangster? As a billionaire explains it in the film, a revolutionary will shoot you in the head without asking for a ransom, whereas a gangster is only concerned with the ransom. Thematically different from its predecessor, the second part is an introspective take on Mesrine’s modulus operandi that gradually shows his transformation into a revolutionary figure. In a court, Mesrine taunts the French law system and openly challenges everyone that no prison can hold him for long.  Following this eventful mockery, Mesrine sees himself as a rebel standing against the oppressive French government.  But is the government really repressive? Or is it Mesrine’s way of validating his actions so that he can gain sympathy for his criminal activities?  Like a lawyer in the court rightly says: “There are no honest gangsters.”

Mesrine compares his movement to another popular gangster in Germany, Baader-Meinhof, who stood against the fascist German government during the 70’s and 80’s. The film shows Mesrine’s thought process as he battles to identify his criminal persona to a political cause. It’s true that right-wing parties have traditionally ruled France and were often criticized for their heavy-handedness; the state exerted its power in controlling the media and TV. But in the film, we never see or understand the political structure in France in the 70’s.  This missing component makes it difficult fully to comprehend Mesrine’s revolutionary approach. Nonetheless, within the boundaries of the gangster community, Mesrine was a free soul who just worked for himself, with no bosses or stakeholders.

Unlike the panel format structure in the first film, “Mesrine: Public Enemy #1” strictly conforms to a linear narrative. Indeed, the opening panel shot from the first part becomes the climax in this movie. Although the transition to the climax sequence is rather abrupt, the entire sequence is built masterfully, with every component arranged to perfection to achieve full tension and action, as expected from the dying moments in Mesrine’s saga. 

When compared to the original, “Mesrine: Public Enemy #1” is a bit predictable because of the plot’s familiarity by now. We are fully aware how Mesrine operates and the recourse taken by him in various situations. Generally, the film progresses nicely, but the uneven pacing of the middle act hampers the transitions in a few scenes. Despite this, the film still has a number of thrilling moments, and along with Vincent Cassel’s captivating performance, this sequel is a worthy viewing experience.

Video:

The 1080p transfer is encoded using an MPEG-4/AVC codec and presented in an aspect ratio of 2.35:1. This encode looks visually similar to the original movie. The transfer packs in an amazing number of details; the close-ups, especially, reveal good definition; and skins tones are realistic. There are plenty of outdoor scenes, and the transfer accurately presents the bold, bright colors.  Mostly, the film is shot with bright lights, and the transfer renders everything with a consistent clarity. Overall, the sequel shines in its 1080p transfer.

Audio:

This time, the back cover correctly indicates the presence of lossless English and French tracks. I watched this movie in its original French track. To me, this track sounded just like the original movie. The dialogue is crisp and consistent. The front and rear channels remain active throughout. In the action sequences, the track comes to life with its realistic sonic representation. Explosions, gunshots, and car chases makes the audio very dynamic. Overall, the lossless track provides an engrossing experience. Also, the movie can be viewed with English subtitles or in an English dub track. 

Extras:

There are no extras included for this release, apart from a few promotional clips.

Parting Thoughts:

“Mesrine: Public Enemy #1” satisfactorily concludes the Mesrine’s criminal saga. The movie is fun and entertaining, in spite of minor glitches in the screenplay. In terms of its thematic content, both parts of the movies are different; the first part captures Mesrine’s entry into the gangster world, whereas the second part chronicles Mesrine’s movement against the political structure. Taken as a whole, the two parts comprise one of the best gangster movies in recent memory. Highly recommended.