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MESRINE: KILLER INSTINCT (L'INSTINCT DE MORT)Movie Reviews
French language crime drama and biography, set in the 1960s and 70s, about the ascendancy of the infamous French gangster Jacques Mesrine. Part 1 of 2. Cast:Vincent Cassel, Cécile De France, Gérard Depardieu, Gilles Lellouche, Roy DupuisDirector:Jean-François RichetRelease Date:August 27, 2010DVD Release:February 22, 2011From:Music Box FilmsRating:RLength:1 hr. 53 min.
FEBRUARY 22, 2011
Mesrine: Killer Instinct (L'instinct de mort), Good Reviews, Mixed Key Cities
Mesrine: Killer Instinct (L'instinct de mort) played in key cities to good reviews that at the same time were mixed. • Emanuel Levy wrote for Cinema 24/7, "...an epic of ambitious proportions... Cassel holds the long, necessarily episodic film on his robust shoulders." • And Shawn Levy wrote in the Portland Oregonian, "...isn’t a great work, but it’s built on a magnificent central performance..." More Reviews Below...
Roger Ebert, RogerEbert.com: OUTSTANDING(cg) "Mesrine was the most famous criminal in French history, and he came to that role only late in his career, after he was already famous in Canada and the United States."(See all of Roger Ebert's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 973 words, 08/26/10
James Berardinelli, Reel Views: VERY GOOD(cg) "...a worthy entry to the genre, although the incompleteness of the story makes it difficult to evaluate on its own.... entertaining despite its unevenness..."(See all of James Berardinelli's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 1,054 words, 08/14/10
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NEW YORK/LOS ANGELES/CHICAGO/TORONTO (12 Reviews)
Stephen Holden, New York Times: EXCELLENT "Mr. Cassel's monumental performance fuses the cobralike menace of the young Robert Mitchum with the whipsaw, shape-shifting volatility of classic Robert De Niro..."(See all of Stephen Holden's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 1,161 words, 08/27/10
Elizabeth Weitzman, New York Daily News: MODERATE(cg) "Cassel is a gifted actor, but he doesn't have enough to grab on to. His character is basically just an egomaniac reluctant to work an honest job."(See all of Elizabeth Weitzman's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 152 words, 08/27/10
Kenneth Turan, Los Angeles Times: GOOD "...a thug's life writ very large... conventional cops and robbers stuff... What elevates it above the norm is bravura acting by Vincent Cassel in the title role."(See all of Kenneth Turan's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 657 words, 08/27/10
Michael Phillips, Chicago Tribune: VERY GOOD(cg) "...enjoyably trashy... Cassel clearly is having the time of his screen life. His zest is infectious. The movie's nothing distinctive in terms of technique, but it certainly moves."(See all of Michael Phillips's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 479 words, 08/27/10
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times: OUTSTANDING(cg) "Mesrine was the most famous criminal in French history, and he came to that role only late in his career, after he was already famous in Canada and the United States."(See all of Roger Ebert's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 973 words, 08/26/10
Nicolas Rapold, Village Voice/LA Weekly: WEAK "Richet's wearisome approach -- his daisy chain of capers and hideouts, with no feel for which events to dwell on, suggests an impatience with basic storytelling..."(See all of Nicolas Rapold's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 660 words, 08/25/10
Geoff Pevere, Toronto Star: MODERATE(cg) "...an epic of surface mayhem.... careens through sequential incidents of violence. He beats, shoots, leaves.... like a trailer desperately in search of its own movie."(See all of Geoff Pevere's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 559 words, 08/13/10
Jen Chaney, Washington Post: MODERATE(cg) "...unfolds like a story that has been told before... gives off the vibe of a Scorsese picture, a 'Goodfellas en Francais.' "(See all of Jen Chaney's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 653 words, 08/27/10
Steven Rea, Philadelphia Inquirer: VERY GOOD(cg) "...an exhilarating old-school crime pic.... doesn't exactly romanticize its pistol-packin' protagonist, but it doesn't condemn him, either."(See all of Steven Rea's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 346 words, 08/27/10
Roger Moore, Orlando Sentinel: OUTSTANDING(cg) "Cassel's mesmerizing presence in the center of Richet's two films lifts them above the somewhat conventional life-and-death-in-crime genre pictures these are."(See all of Roger Moore's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 694 words, 01/14/11
Richard Nilsen, Arizona Republic: OUTSTANDING(cg) "...astounding. Most of the credit goes to Vincent Cassel, who changes physically through the films at least as much as Robert De Niro did in 'Raging Bull.' "(See all of Richard Nilsen's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 559 words, 01/14/11
Ty Burr, Boston Globe: VERY GOOD(cg) "...until an abrupt non-ending, has enough criminal brutality and outlaw bravura to render a moviegoer happily knocked about..."(See all of Ty Burr's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 621 words, 08/27/10
Mick LaSalle, San Francisco Chronicle: OUTSTANDING(cg) "...a shot of adrenaline.... packed with incidents and episodes and almost every scene has its own special tension or appeal.... brisk, irresistible entertainment."(See all of Mick LaSalle's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 543 words, 08/27/10
Shawn Levy, Portland Oregonian: EXCELLENT(cg) "...isn't a great work, but it's built on a magnificent central performance, and it builds in strength and engagement as it goes along."(See all of Shawn Levy's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 600 words, 08/27/10
Rene Rodriguez, Miami Herald: VERY GOOD(cg) "...a wild, bullet-riddled ride as audacious as its protagonist. Crime may not pay, but it can certainly make for fun, splashy movies."(See all of Rene Rodriguez's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 593 words, 10/08/10
ALTERNATIVE/INDIE PRESS (7 Reviews)
Nicolas Rapold, Village Voice/LA Weekly: WEAK "Richet's wearisome approach -- his daisy chain of capers and hideouts, with no feel for which events to dwell on, suggests an impatience with basic storytelling..."(See all of Nicolas Rapold's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 660 words, 08/25/10
Curt Holman, Atlanta Creative Loafing: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "...doesn't dig deeply into the relationship between crime and fame.... compensates for thin themes with its high-adrenaline set pieces and a magnetic performance..."(See all of Curt Holman's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 806 words, 08/25/10
Joe Morgenstern, Wall Street Journal: MODERATE "Cassel is a relentless force... Does Mesrine's life justify two parts and a total running time of 246 minutes? The weight of the evidence says it does not."(See all of Joe Morgenstern's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 365 words, 09/03/10
Stephen Holden, New York Times: EXCELLENT "Mr. Cassel's monumental performance fuses the cobralike menace of the young Robert Mitchum with the whipsaw, shape-shifting volatility of classic Robert De Niro..."(See all of Stephen Holden's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 1,161 words, 08/27/10
Anthony Lane, New Yorker: MODERATE "...both taut and plotless.... Richet has but a fraction of the sleek artistry that Michael Mann, for instance, brought to 'Public Enemies' and 'Heat'..."(See all of Anthony Lane's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 828 words, 08/09/10
John Powers, NPR Fresh Air: VERY GOOD "Jean-Francois Richet's juiced-up style seems steeped in rollicking American pictures like 'Goodfellas'.... most enjoyable as a classic, French-style character study..."(See all of John Powers's reviews...)(Listen to the full review...) 343 seconds, 08/27/10
Kenneth Turan, Los Angeles Times: GOOD "...a thug's life writ very large... conventional cops and robbers stuff... What elevates it above the norm is bravura acting by Vincent Cassel in the title role."(See all of Kenneth Turan's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 657 words, 08/27/10
MOVIE INDUSTRY (6 Reviews)
Robert Koehler, Daily Variety: WEAK "...episodic to a fault... The effect of Richet's hyperventilating filmmaking is akin to that of an extended-play trailer.... Pic's narrative compression grows ridiculous..."(See all of Robert Koehler's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 778 words, 09/15/08
Kirk Honeycutt, Hollywood Reporter: VERY GOOD "...shoves France's most notorious criminal on to the screen with propulsive action and swagger. No one asks you to like the guy; just strap on your seat belt for a wild ride..."(See all of Kirk Honeycutt's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 565 words, 09/10/08
Kenneth Turan, Los Angeles Times: GOOD "...a thug's life writ very large... conventional cops and robbers stuff... What elevates it above the norm is bravura acting by Vincent Cassel in the title role."(See all of Kenneth Turan's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 657 words, 08/27/10
Emanuel Levy, Cinema 24/7: OUTSTANDING(cg) "...an epic of ambitious proportions... Rendering a truly astonishing and dominant performance, Cassel holds the long, necessarily episodic film on his robust shoulders."(See all of Emanuel Levy's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 963 words, 08/25/10
Stephen Holden, New York Times: EXCELLENT "Mr. Cassel's monumental performance fuses the cobralike menace of the young Robert Mitchum with the whipsaw, shape-shifting volatility of classic Robert De Niro..."(See all of Stephen Holden's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 1,161 words, 08/27/10
Joe Morgenstern, Wall Street Journal: MODERATE "Cassel is a relentless force... Does Mesrine's life justify two parts and a total running time of 246 minutes? The weight of the evidence says it does not."(See all of Joe Morgenstern's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 365 words, 09/03/10
19.9 Percentage Points Average Difference Between Reviews (Norm is 18.4pp; <18.4pp = More Consistent; >18.4pp = More Mixed)
Mesrine: Killer Instinct (L'instinct de mort)'s reviews are separated by an average 19.9 percentage points. The norm for this measure is 18.4 percentage points. Less than 18.4 indicates more consistent reviews; greater than 18.4 indicates more mixed reviews. In the chart below, each dot represents a review, with the dots at the top more positive than the dots at the bottom. From left to right, the dots represent reviews in big, bigger and biggest publications. Roll over each dot for more detail.
Mesrine: Killer Instinct (L'instinct de mort) (35 reviews) Roll over dots for each review
Coverage:Mesrine: Killer Instinct (L'instinct de mort)'s reviews cover 44.9% of potential readers (average is 67.9%). Volume:The film's reviews total 19,518 words involume (average is 20,172 words). Length:The film's reviews average 558 words in length (the norm is 517 words).
Reviews Broke 11 Days Before Release (Norm is 1.2 Release)
Mesrine: Killer Instinct (L'instinct de mort)'s reviews on average broke 11 days before opening. Norm for this measure is 1.2 hours before. The chart below shows reviews on opening day and the days before and after opening; the left side is earlier and the right side is later. The red bars extending above the horizontal mid-line represent more positive reviews, and the red bars extending below represent more negative reviews. The white space/red bar in the middle is Mesrine: Killer Instinct (L'instinct de mort)'s opening day. Click on any bar for a list of the reviews for that day.
Mesrine: Killer Instinct (L'instinct de mort) (35 reviews, click on bars for reviews)
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