Mesrine: Killer Instinct (Mesrine: L’instinct de mort) (2010)
82%RT Audience Score: 75%
Awards & Nominations: 8 wins & 15 nominations
Vincent Cassel is mesmerizing in the lead role. Even if it’s less focused than its predecessor, it’s more fun
Public Enemy #1 is a wild ride through the life of Jacques Mesrine, a notorious French gangster. Critics seem to be divided on whether the film is a masterpiece or a meandering mess, but one thing is for sure: Vincent Cassel’s performance as Mesrine is phenomenal. The film is filled with rousing set pieces and slick escapes, but it also leaves you feeling sad for a world in which such a creature could exist. Overall, if you’re in the mood for a gritty gangster flick, Public Enemy #1 is definitely worth a watch.
Production Company(ies)
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer,
Distributor
NA
Release Type
Theatrical
Filming Location(s)
Clichy, Hauts-de-Seine, France
MPAA / Certificate
Rated R for strong brutal violence, some sexual content and language
Year of Release
2008
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Color:Color
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Sound mix:DTS Dolby Digital
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Aspect ratio:2.35 : 1
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Runtime:NA
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Language(s):French, English, Arabic, Spanish
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Country of origin:Canada, France
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Release date:Release Date (Streaming): Mar 29, 2011
Genre(s)
Action/Biography
Keyword(s)
starring Vincent Cassel, Ludivine Sagnier, Mathieu Amalric, Gérard Lanvin, Samuel Le Bihan, Olivier Gourmet, directed by Jean-François Richet, written by Abdel Raouf Dafri, Jean-François Richet, action, biography, R rating, box office performance, budget, reviewed by Tom Long, Rene Rodriguez, Simon Abrams, Michael O’Sullivan, Brian Tallerico, Kenneth Turan, Jason Best, David Harris, Kaleem Aftab, Matt Joseph, Al Alexander, Jacques Mesrine, France’s most-wanted criminal, Mesrine: Part 1 – Death Instinct, Transsiberian, Yip Man 2, Lebanon, 13 Assassins, Thomas Langmann, Maxime Rémillard, Andre Rouleau, English, 2h 10m, Vincent Cassel as Jacques Mesrine, Ludivine Sagnier as Sylvie Jeanjacquot, Mathieu Amalric as François Besse, Gérard Lanvin as Charly Bauer, Samuel Le Bihan as Michel Ardouin, Olivier Gourmet as Le commissaire Broussard, bloody brutal violence, scene of sexuality, nudity, pervasive language
Worldwide gross: $31,076,533
Worldwide gross (inflation-adjusted): $42,806,737
Worldwide gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 1,408
Worldwide tickets sold (est.): 4,668,128
US/Canada gross: $551,697
US/Canada gross (inflation-adjusted): $759,942
US/Canada gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 2,242
US/Canada opening weekend: $152,873
US/Canada opening weekend (inflation-adjusted): $210,577
US/Canada opening weekend ranking (inflation-adjusted): 1,648
Budget and Earnings Details
Production budget (est.): NA
Production budget (inflation-adjusted): NA
Production budget ranking: NA
Marketing and distribution budget (inflation-adjusted est.): NA
Box office net earnings to date (inflation-adjusted est.): NA
ROI to date (est.): NA
ROI ranking: NA
Ludivine Sagnier – Sylvie Jeanjacquot
Mathieu Amalric – François Besse
Gérard Lanvin – Charly Bauer
Samuel Le Bihan – Michel Ardouin
Olivier Gourmet – Le commissaire Broussard
Director(s)
Jean-François Richet
Writer(s)
Abdel Raouf Dafri, Jean-François Richet
Producer(s)
Thomas Langmann, Maxime Rémillard, Andre Rouleau
Film Festivals
Awards & Nominations
8 wins & 15 nominations
Academy Awards
All Critics (90) | Top Critics (31) | Fresh (73) | Rotten (17)
Yes, he was a bad guy; but what a great story.
January 21, 2011 | Rating: B+
Tom Long
Detroit News
TOP CRITIC
His violent, pathetic end makes you sad not for the man but for a world in which such a creature could exist — and thrive.
October 20, 2010 | Rating: 3/4
Rene Rodriguez
Miami Herald
TOP CRITIC
According to this lofty mandate, the film shouldn’t be judged as a historically meretricious account.
September 6, 2010 | Rating: 1.5/4
Simon Abrams
Slant Magazine
TOP CRITIC
Director Jean-Francois Richet and screenwriter Abdel Raouf Dafri’s movie generates much heat, but little light.
September 3, 2010 | Rating: 2/4
Michael O’Sullivan
Washington Post
TOP CRITIC
Public Enemy #1 proves the theory that a film must be more than the sum of its parts. These movies both have some great parts but the sum is less than a masterpiece.
September 2, 2010 | Rating: 3.5/5
Brian Tallerico
HollywoodChicago.com
TOP CRITIC
Jacques Mesrine’s end may be inevitable, but he certainly doesn’t bore us along the way.
September 2, 2010 | Rating: 3.5/5
Kenneth Turan
Los Angeles Times
TOP CRITIC
He’s paunchier than when we last saw him (Cassel put on 40lbs for the film), but no less adept at wriggling free of the law’s clutches and even slicker at getting on the front pages of newspapers and magazines.
November 22, 2020
Jason Best
Movie Talk
Public Enemy #1 is filled with some rousing set pieces, but does nothing to help us understand the man French police gunned down in cold blood on November 2, 1979.
October 28, 2019 | Rating: 3/5
David Harris
Spectrum Culture
The film simply meanders towards its inevitable conclusion.
May 15, 2018
Kaleem Aftab
The National (UAE)
Once again Casell is phenomenal in the role and turns the film into a compelling and gripping ending to an epic gangster flick.
November 9, 2013 | Rating: 9/10
Matt Joseph
We Got This Covered
Part 1 remains marginally compelling, if for no other reason than that it sets the table for the vastly superior Part 2.
May 26, 2013 | Rating: B-
Al Alexander
The Patriot Ledger
The only recent gangster film this one falls short of is “Killer Instinct,” the first half of the epic.
January 16, 2013 | Rating: 3/4
Roger Moore
Tribune News Service…
Plot
Mesrine: Part II – Public Enemy 1 follows the story of Jacques Mesrine, who becomes France’s most-wanted criminal and his violent, pathetic end.
Trivia
Goofs / Tidbits
Vincent Cassel’s performance as Jacques Mesrine is described as “mesmerizing” by critics.
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