Review: Mesrine - Killer Instinct

Mesrine makes Michael Mann's Public Enemies looks positively half-arsed when compared to this French take on their own legendary bank-robbing Public Enemy Number One.

Despite the similar stories, in many ways they represent opposite ends of the gangster spectrum. Where Public Enemies aimed for realism and made a 14 month period seem more epic, Mesrine is full of fast cuts, split screens and cool music that make its ten-year period fly by.

Vincent Cassell is superb as the suave but psychotic lead who will cut you up for messing with his favourite whore, but won't hesitate to stick his gun down the throat of the mother of three children - he's perfect for the role and for my mind beats Depp in the charismatic anti-hero stakes this year.

The film cuts a frenetic pace throughout its near two hour trip over a decade and would benefit from slowing down in a couple places to let the viewer and the story catch up - for example Mesrine manages to fall in love (again), rob a bank and move half way across the world in the space of about two minutes at one point.

Covering so much, it leaves you wondering just where they go next in Part Two, but at the end you definitely can't wait to find out.