Mesrine: Public Enemy Number One (15) *****

Aug 30 2009 by Graham Young, Sunday Mercury

H H H H H

Cast: Vincent Cassel, Mattieu Amalric.

Plot: After Mesrine: Killer Instinct, this is the second half of director Jean-Francois Richet’s near four-hour biopic of notorious French gangster Jacques Mesrine.

The story continues with Mesrine again ­escaping from prison, this time with fellow convict Francois Besse (Amalric).

He boosts his confidence by robbing two banks in an hour, but police officer Broussard (Olivier Gourmet) is a tenacious old so-and-so and won’t give up the chase easily.

Good points: This is brilliantly filmed, often on location. Even if you saw the beginning of Killer Instinct and know what’s coming at the end of Public Enemy No 1, the tension is still palpable.

Cassel gives Mesrine a likeable quality reminiscent of Heath Ledger’s ‘Why so serious?’ Oscar-winning performance as The Joker in The Dark Knight.

Bad points: Like Che I & II earlier this year, the public isn’t readily being given the chance to see both movies together. This is only screening at Cineworld Broad Street, while Killer Instinct has now moved on to Warwick Arts Centre. But do note that Public Enemy will work as a standalone thriller regardless.

Should I see it?: If you wasted your money on Michael Mann’s Public Enemies, here’s a chance to get some real value back.

GRAHAM YOUNG