The story of french gangster Jacques Mesrine, before he was called Public Enemy N°1. Mesrine Part 1: Killer Instinct succeeds thanks to a great and haunting performance by Vincent Cassel who is easily the best part of the movie both as a character and as an actor. The rest of the cast does a pretty good job too such as Gérard Depardieu as Guido and Elena Anaya as Sofia. The action is really good and if you're into Gangster movies such as myself you won't be disappointed of course the film is not perfect it has some pacing issues and some moments feel kinda unrealistic if you ask me but as a French picture it's pretty damn good and Cassel gives his best performance in his entire career. (7/10)

I enjoyed watching the film, both parts together, one after the other. More than 4 hours of action, good music and a real story just flied...Overall it reminded me Carlos, another great production based on the real story of a character that was opposed to the system on his own way...NEve heard before of Mesrine but afterwards I had to search for more. It proves to be a very interesting person, a tragic figure of a "revolution" against the system. At some point he became a hero for the poor, the people that do not dare to go against what is supposed to be socially correct. Of course, meanwhile he killed a lot of people but still, an interesting and intriguing character full of contradictions...Last but not least, excellent performance from Vincent Cassel.

Charistmatic gangster are a staple of cinema, and Frenchman Jacques Mesrine was actually liked to the most iconic of all such figures, Bonnie and Clyde. In truth, such people are rarely heroes, but this two-part story captures excellently the psychological processes that might have transformed an ordinary man into the public enemy of his day. Vincent Cassel is very good, and the film is full of suspense; it neither demonises nor glamorises its protagonist, and interestingly, sets his story against the backdrop of the political violence of the 1970s, which had a superficial interest to Mesrine as he built his own legend. Even if you're tired of violent criminal dramas, I recommend this one: the (true) story is amazing, and told with a humanistic viewpoint rare in such films.

Although living in France I hardly speak it so was confined to reading subtitles. You have to see this movie in French though, it's as French as it can be. But, it's French as good as it can be. Hearing it in French makes it all the better. It's been a long time that such a good crime gangster movie was made. The realism level is amazing. If a car crashes into something else, it get's damaged, not like in your average American crime movie where the most ridiculous turns and jumps are made and they keep on driving like nothing happened. The shooting is realistic, shoot to kill but it's not that easy in all the excitement to hit something. It's the ugly truth about a live gone wrong. You start with feeling for the main character due to the circumstances but soon you'll end up on the other side, detesting his being, but that makes you all the more nailed to your seat to see what happens next. Gangster pure sang, which, of course, meets his end like it supposed to. I won't give anything away as that would take away your experience when you watch the movie, and watch it you must!