French Film Collection(Film 23) MESRINE(part 2) PUBLIC ENEMY NUM

ENGLISH SUBTITLES INCLUDED

While ΓΓé¼╦£Mesrine: Death InstinctΓΓé¼Γäó chronicled the ascendancy of Vincent CasselΓΓé¼Γäós cocksure French crim, Jacques Mesrine, this second chapter ditches the mechanics of his life story in favour of a ruminative, often unsympathetic inspection of his contradictory character traits (as reflected in an ever-changing wardrobe of disguises). The early stages hint at a ΓΓé¼╦£HeatΓΓé¼Γäó-like battle of wits between Mesrine and tireless police commissioner Broussard (Oliver Gourmet), but a last-minute escape from justice puts the spotlight back on Cassel. The film continues as a wandering account of how MesrineΓΓé¼Γäós various antics and encounters shaped him as a person. Unlike its more lively predecessor, this is more interested in dissecting the criminal mindset and proposes the theory that the acts of a felon prevent him or her from being able to maintain logical personal and political ideals. In one scene, for example, Mesrine violently forces a family to hide him from the cops, then, the next minute, heΓΓé¼Γäós handing over loot in return for their services.