The presentation mirrors the sort of locomotive-paced lifestyle that propelled Mesrine’s criminal career and made him into a folk hero among the French, and Cassel’s immense presence carries the character’s magnetism straight through.

| Original Score: 3.5/4 | Jul 31, 2023

He's paunchier than when we last saw him (Cassel put on 40lbs for the film), but no less adept at wriggling free of the law's clutches and even slicker at getting on the front pages of newspapers and magazines.

| Nov 22, 2020

Public Enemy #1 is filled with some rousing set pieces, but does nothing to help us understand the man French police gunned down in cold blood on November 2, 1979.

| Original Score: 3/5 | Oct 28, 2019

The film simply meanders towards its inevitable conclusion.

| May 15, 2018

Once again Casell is phenomenal in the role and turns the film into a compelling and gripping ending to an epic gangster flick.

| Original Score: 9/10 | Nov 9, 2013

Part 1 remains marginally compelling, if for no other reason than that it sets the table for the vastly superior Part 2.

| Original Score: B- | May 26, 2013

Yes, he was a bad guy; but what a great story.

| Original Score: B+ | Jan 21, 2011

Cassel tackles his role like it's the ultimate one-man show, filling his mustachioed character with a feral swagger that conveys tightly coiled threat and sexual charisma. It's not a particularly insightful performance, but it certainly feels authentic...

| Original Score: B- | Jan 11, 2011

...both movies would have been better served had they been edited down into one consistently engrossing thriller.

| Original Score: 3/4 | Jan 6, 2011

... crackles with tension and violence, driven by [Vincent] Cassel's powerhouse performance.

| Original Score: 4/5 | Dec 6, 2010

This masterpiece combines the best of 'Scarface,' 'The Godfather' and 'Bonnie and Clyde'. Vincent Cassel tackles the demanding lead role and is simply magnificent. There is no shortage of action, violence and ...

| Original Score: 3.5/4 | Oct 29, 2010

His violent, pathetic end makes you sad not for the man but for a world in which such a creature could exist -- and thrive.

Full Review | Original Score: 3/4 | Oct 20, 2010

Richet is overly ambitious and often pushes too hard, but in that sense he's perfect for chronicling Mesrine's life.

| Original Score: 3/5 | Oct 15, 2010

... there's also a lot of fun to be had spotting the many references to other gangster flicks that Richet has planted throughout his film.

| Original Score: 7/10 | Sep 24, 2010

The last half of the four-hour Mesrine is much better than the first half, but will anyone who sat through the first two tedious hours care?

Full Review | Original Score: 2.5/4 | Sep 17, 2010

The second half of the French gangster series drags a bit at the end but is fun, macho stuff nonetheless.

| Original Score: 7/10 | Sep 16, 2010

Women cannot resist Cassel, even though he looks like he needs a bath. His sneer should win prizes. What a punim.

| Sep 8, 2010

[Mesrine's] demise is foretold at the beginning of both films so the ending is no surprise. Getting there, though is full of surprises...

Full Review | Original Score: A- | Sep 7, 2010

The final scene, and all that comes before it, deservedly establishes Cassel as an international movie star and Richet as a stylish auteur-in-the-making.

| Sep 7, 2010

According to this lofty mandate, the film shouldn't be judged as a historically meretricious account.

| Original Score: 1.5/4 | Sep 6, 2010