Mesrine: Killer Instinct

About the Film

Mesrine: Killer Instinct introduces us to Jacques Mesrine (Vincent Cassel), a loyal son and dedicated soldier back home and living with his parents after serving in the Algerian War. Soon he is seduced by the neon glamour of sixties Paris and the easy money it presents. Mentored by Guido (Gerard Depardieu) Mesrine turns his back on middle class law-abiding and soon moves swiftly up the criminal ladder. After pulling off an audacious heist he and his lover Jeanne (Cecile de France) flee to Canada where the opportunity of one big payout lures him out of hiding and propels his towards international notoriety.

Reactions

The best gangster film of the year. A splendid and stylish crime epic. — Stephen Whitty, Newhouse News Service

5 out of 5 stars! Superb! Brisk, irresistible entertainment. — San Francisco Chronicle

Critic’s Pick! A riveting, visceral entertainment that evokes a Gallic Scarface… — The New York Times

Awards

• Chlotrudis Awards 2011 Nominee - Best Actor, Vincent Cassel
• Las Vegas Film Critics Society 2010 Sierra Award Nominee - Best Foreign Film
• Winner! Lumiere Award 2009 - Best Actor, Vincent Cassel 
• Winner! Étoiles d'Or 2009 - Best Actor, Vincent Cassel
• Winner! César Awards 2009 - Best Actor, Vincent Cassel
• Winner! César Awards 2009 - Best Director, Jean-François Richet
• Winner! César Awards 2009 - Best Sound
• César Awards 2009 Nominee - Best Adapted Screenplay
• César Awards 2009 Nominee - Best Cinematography
• César Awards 2009 Nominee - Best Costume Design
• César Awards 2009 Nominee - Best Editing
• César Awards 2009 Nominee - Best Film
• César Awards 2009 Nominee - Best Music Written for a Film
• César Awards 2009 Nominee - Best Production Design
• Winner! Golden Globes, Italy 2009 - Best European Actor, Vincent Cassel
• Sannio FilmFest 2009 Golden Capital Award Nominee - Best Actor, Vincent Cassel
• Sannio FilmFest 2009 Golden Capital Award Nominee - Best Picture, Jean-François Richet
• Winner! Tokyo International Film Festival 2008 - Best Actor, Vincent Cassel
• Tokyo International Film Festival 2008 Tokyo Grand Prix Nominee - Jean-François Richet

Cast & Crew

Cast

Jacques Mesrine:	Vincent Cassel
Jeane Schneider:	Cecile de France
Guido:	Gerard Depardieu
Jean-Paul Mercier:	Roy Dupuis
Paul:	Gilles Lellouche
Sofia:	Elena Anaya
Mesrine’s Father:	Michel Duchaussoy
Mesrine’s Mother:	Myriam Boyer
Sarah:	Florence Thomassin

Crew

Director: Jean-Francois Richet
Screenplay: Abdel Raouf Dafri, Jacques Mesrine (novel)
Producer: Thomas Langman
Executive Producer: Daniel Delume
Cinematography: Herve Schneid
Editing: Antoinette Boulat and Patrice Farner
Visual Design: Robert Gantz
Production Designer Emile Ghigo
Costume Designer Virgine Montel

 

Technical Info

Production Year: 2008
Release Date: 08/27/10
Countries of Production: Canada, France
Languages: English, French
Running Time: 1h 53m
Screen Ratio: 2.35:1
Sound: Dolby Digital
Color: Color
Rating: R

Mesrine: Killer Instinct - Press Page

Awards

• Chlotrudis Awards 2011 Nominee - Best Actor, Vincent Cassel
• Las Vegas Film Critics Society 2010 Sierra Award Nominee - Best Foreign Film
• Winner! Lumiere Award 2009 - Best Actor, Vincent Cassel 
• Winner! Étoiles d'Or 2009 - Best Actor, Vincent Cassel
• Winner! César Awards 2009 - Best Actor, Vincent Cassel
• Winner! César Awards 2009 - Best Director, Jean-François Richet
• Winner! César Awards 2009 - Best Sound
• César Awards 2009 Nominee - Best Adapted Screenplay
• César Awards 2009 Nominee - Best Cinematography
• César Awards 2009 Nominee - Best Costume Design
• César Awards 2009 Nominee - Best Editing
• César Awards 2009 Nominee - Best Film
• César Awards 2009 Nominee - Best Music Written for a Film
• César Awards 2009 Nominee - Best Production Design
• Winner! Golden Globes, Italy 2009 - Best European Actor, Vincent Cassel
• Sannio FilmFest 2009 Golden Capital Award Nominee - Best Actor, Vincent Cassel
• Sannio FilmFest 2009 Golden Capital Award Nominee - Best Picture, Jean-François Richet
• Winner! Tokyo International Film Festival 2008 - Best Actor, Vincent Cassel
• Tokyo International Film Festival 2008 Tokyo Grand Prix Nominee - Jean-François Richet

Reactions

The best gangster film of the year. A splendid and stylish crime epic. — Stephen Whitty, Newhouse News Service

5 out of 5 stars! Superb! Brisk, irresistible entertainment. — San Francisco Chronicle

Critic’s Pick! A riveting, visceral entertainment that evokes a Gallic Scarface… — The New York Times

Detailed Film Info

Mesrine: Killer Instinct - the first of two parts - charts the outlaw odyssey of Jacques Mesrine (Vincent Cassel), the legendary French gangster of the 1960s and 1970s who came to be known as French Public Enemy No. 1 and The Man of a Thousand Faces.  Infamous for his bravado and outrageously daring prison escapes, Mesrine carried out numerous robberies, kidnappings and murders in a criminal career that spanned continents until he was shot dead in 1979 by France's notorious anti-gang unit. Thirty years after his death, his infamy lives on.

Mesrine was helped along the way by beautiful and equally reckless Jeanne Schneider (Cécile de France), a Bonnie to match his Clyde. Mesrine made up his own epic, between romanticism and cruelty, flamboyance and tragedy. Both a thriller and a biopic, Mesrine:  Killer Instinct explores the man behind the icon.

Trailer

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