Review of Mesrine: Public Enemy #1 (2008) by Bob B — 02 Apr 2011

This is the second film in the Mesrine epic. We watched both films in one day, with only a short break in between. They are stylistically consistent and hold together well. In this second film, the scale of the action is larger, following the arc of the criminal career.

(Warning: possible spoilers here) The depiction of the main character becomes more ambivalent as the story progresse. He talks about revolution and verbally allies himself with radical causes, but it seems rather hollow. On the other hand, the governments of Canada and France do some pretty horrible things to him according to these films, and it's easy to see why he may hold a grudge against the entrenched powers. The increasing publicity that he gains and his own interest in being perceived as a folk hero add another dimension to the character and his motivations.