The story of arch-criminal Jacques Mesrine continues in the same unrelenting thrill-a-minute fashion found in Mesrine: Part 1, Killer Instinct (VL-3/11). Director Jean-Francois Richet picks up Mesrine's tale in the early 1970s, as the master escape artist stages an amazing courtroom bust-out during a sentencing hearing, once again evading the long arm of the law in a pre-CCTV era world. Here, Mesrine comes into his own as a notorious public media figure, as self-conscious and concerned about his public image as any celebrity (he's even written a controversial and wildly embellished memoir). Although Mesrine is still in the bank heist business, he's now taking on bigger game (and bigger risks): knocking over a casino, and kidnapping an 82-year-old millionaire slumlord to hold for ransom. With a new young squeeze (played by slinky Ludivine Sagnier) and a freshly-minted political revolutionary attitude, Mesrine becomes more activist-minded by the late '70—at least superficially—as he begins spouting left-wing radical-speak and aims to smash the state in the form of singlehandedly bringing down both the banking system and the brutal maximum-security prison system that he suffered in for five years. Of course, the French police have other plans for Mesrine, none of which involve apprehending him alive. Every bit as rip-roaringly violent, suspenseful, and sophisticated as its predecessor, Public Enemy # 1 adds a bit more human vulnerability to this once-indestructible outlaw. Highly recommended. (M. Sandlin)
Mesrine: Part 2, Public Enemy # 1
Music Box, 134 min., in French w/English subtitles, R, DVD: $29.95, Blu-ray: $34.95, Mar. 29 Volume 26, Issue 3
Mesrine: Part 2, Public Enemy # 1
Star Ratings
As of March 2022, Video Librarian has changed from a four-star rating system to a five-star one. This change allows our reviewers to have a wider range of critical viewpoints, as well as to synchronize with Google’s rating structure. This change affects all reviews from March 2022 onwards. All reviews from before this period will still retain their original rating. Future film submissions will be considered our new 1-5 star criteria.
Order From Your Favorite Distributor Today: