MOVIE · 2008

Mesrine: Killer Instinct

ActionAdventureCrimeDramaThriller113 min

Jacques Mesrine returns from the Algerian War to his parents’ home, then drifts toward the neon nightlife and quick money of 1960s Paris. Vincent Cassel is Mesrine, an ex-soldier whose small hustles give way to armed robbery and a rapid climb through the criminal underworld. Under the wing of Gérard Depardieu’s Guido, he trades middle-class respectability for gangland connections, while Jeanne (Cécile de France) becomes part of his increasingly dangerous orbit. Drawn from the life of one of France’s most notorious gangsters, the film begins with Mesrine’s shift from loyal son to rising outlaw.