Following his daring escape from and attack on a Canadian penitentiary, Jacques Mesrine is back in French custody. After taking a judge hostage during his trial and narrowly escaping again only to be recaptured and placed in a maximum security prison, Jacques begins to write his memoirs, plan his next escape, and further develop his image as a Robin Hood like gangster. Public Enemy #1, the follow up to
Killer Instinct, is really the second half of one whole, shot in the same style as the first film. The difference though is that in this film Mesrine is devoid of all humanity and what remains in a convoluted delusional psychopath who rationalizes his atrocities and even finds good in them. Vincent Cassel's portrayal is again riveting, embodying the complexities of the infamous gangster. I also liked the work of Mathieu Amalric, who plays Mesrine's partner in crime but is quiet, reserved, and essentially his opposite in every way. The film is intense and nicely filmed as well, particularly during a manhunt scene following a casino robbery. I felt there were some mistakes in the film with structure, namely the extended shootout scene at the end of the film which we already know the outcome of as it was shown at the beginning of both films. Still, Mesrine: Killer Instinct and Public Enemy #1 tell the story of a brazen gangster with flair and contain a virtuoso performance from Vincent Cassel.
