|
||||||||||
Mesrine Part 1: Killer Instinct Mesrine Part 2: Public Enemy Number 1 (out 25 January 10, Cert. 15) Vincent Cassel, Gerard Lanvin, Georges Wilson, Samuel LeBihan,
Ludivine Sagnier, Elena Anaya, Gérard Depardieu, Cécile de
France,directed by Jean-François Richet, 2008, cert. 15, in French with
subtitles MonkeyScore: 89% Jacques Mesrine comes back from war and is seduced by gangster life. Soon he starts pulling jobs for a local boss, but his sense of self-worth doesn't quite gel with being in someone else's employ. Breaking hearts as he goes along, and breaking out of jail several times too, Mesrine goes on a criminal rampage on 3 continents and earns his Public Enemy Number 1 with pride, before being gunned down by the police in Paris in the late 70s. Based on the book written by Jacques Mesrine during one of his short prison stays.  Vincent Cassel is terrific as larger than life gangster Jacques Mesrine. Arguably better looking than the real thing, he portrays the audacious killer in all his media-savvy, charming splendour. Aided by a superb support cast with some of France's most accomplished actors, from Samuel LeBihan to veteran stars Gérard Depardieu and Georges Wilson, Cassel serves a tight script adapted from Mesrine's own account by Abdel Raouf Dafri (who also penned the original screenplay for A Prophet.) The result is an explosive, fast-paced look at a successful life of crime in 70s France. The "period" element is treated very successfully, adding depth and believability to the essentially true -if romanticised slightly- story. Indeed the car chases have an authentic feel that is conspicuously absent from most Hollywood productions, and the jail breaks are surprisingly low-tech. But since pyrotechnics are not a pre-requisite for making a great gangster flick outside of America, Mesrine works a treat. Cassel shines through the screen as he takes you through Mesrine's spiralling life of crime. A superior pair of gangster films not to be missed. Wanna win a copy of Mesrine Part 1 & 2 on DVD? Just head to   |
Whiteout (out 25 January 10, Cert. 15) Kate Beckinsale, Tom Skerritt, Gabriel Macht, Columbus Short, dir. by Dominic Sena, 2009,
cert. 15 MonkeyScore: 68% Kate Beckinsale stars as U.S. Marshal Stetko in this adaptation of the Rocka/Leiber graphic novel. The film had a microscopic cinema release in September 09, which is a shame as the stunning frozen landscapes would have looked the business on a big screen. Set in Antarctica, Stetko investigates what looks like the continent's first murder 3 days before her base is due to close down for winter. The cast get a decent - if average- script to work with. However, some of the characters lack depth and the result is not as thrilling as one would have hoped. Whiteout's main strength is definitely its portrayal of the desolate, frozen continent - filmed in Canada, rather than Antarctica. An enjoyable frozen thriller - just remember to wrap up warm when you watch it! |
|
||||||||
|
