The films showcased great acting by several notable actors, and I have no complaint about the acting or the screen writing. Cassel and Depardieu were well cast in their roles, and delivered performances which will not disappoint. Still, I loathed Mesrine from the very start, and I could not suspend disbelief in regard to the legendary exploits portrayed in the films.
Supposedly the events are "true" in some fashion, although liberties were certainly taken.
Supposedly the events are "true" in some fashion, although liberties were certainly taken.
It was a chore to watch these films at times. I cannot imagine having watched them back-to-back. I was tired by the end of each of the two parts separately. I resented being dragged along for the ride with such a horrible excuse for a human being and through improbable circumstances of grandiose mythology.
There were glimpses of his humanity, but they were so brief, and quickly refuted by his next episode of bravado gone wrong. It wasn't so charming or funny as I have read reviewers mention but I resonated with the psychotic and disturbing characterizations which were mentioned in the same breath.
Sometimes French films escape me. This time it was not the films or the culture of France so much; it was the fascination with this man, Jacques Mesrine that I could not identify with. That's odd to me. I love gangster films as a genre. But I guess that I am not a fan of the amoral psychotic character. I don't take pleasure in watching anarchy unfold or in pointless exploits of egotists.
The films themselves succeeded in so many ways. The settings were gorgeous, the acting was incredible, and the film was certainly remarkable. I wanted to love them but i couldn't get past that one significant thing, Mesrine. They succeeded in bringing about strong emotion in me, and that can be a kind of success.
I also kept asking myself what the significance of the opening scene was to the rest of the film. That was never made clear. It was an unanswered question that plagued me throughout the entire film. Was this moment in time supposed to have led Mesrine to become mentally unhinged? Was I supposed to see that event as that which led him to become a criminal? Was I supposed to pity him and see that as justification for the mayhem and death he created thereafter? I was not able to find answers within.
I also kept asking myself what the significance of the opening scene was to the rest of the film. That was never made clear. It was an unanswered question that plagued me throughout the entire film. Was this moment in time supposed to have led Mesrine to become mentally unhinged? Was I supposed to see that event as that which led him to become a criminal? Was I supposed to pity him and see that as justification for the mayhem and death he created thereafter? I was not able to find answers within.
I can understand why others would like the films, but have to apologetically admit that I am not in that camp. These films did inspire me to loathe a historic figure on levels which I did not think were previously possible and I also learned a bit about what I find deplorable. That's worth something.
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