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MESRINE: KILLER INSTINCT (L'INSTINCT DE MORT) Movie Reviews
Story: 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 Dupuis Director: Jean-François Richet Opened: August 27, 2010 On DVD: February 22, 2011 From: Music Box Films Rating: R Length: 1 hr. 53 min.
Out On DVD
FEBRUARY 22, 2011
Mesrine: Killer Instinct (L'instinct de mort), Good Reviews, Mixed Key Cities
Updated: Mon, Apr 30 2012, 04:44pm
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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... Vincent 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, and it builds in strength and engagement..."  More Reviews Below...

Mesrine: Killer Instinct (L'instinct de mort)
Positive Reviews
(35 Reviews,  reviews below)
 Compare This Movie... 
TotalBroad
National
Press
Local
News-
papers
Alter–
native/
Indie
High-
Brow
Press
Movie
Industry
NY/LA
Chicago
Toronto
Key
Cities
Total
B.O.
66.0% 67.4% 72.9% 52.7% 64.5% 66.5% 65.0% 77.4% $552K
Averages: 51.8% 54.1% 52.3% 46.9% 45.8% 48.7% 49.9% 54.7%
Reviews & Quotes (35)

BROAD NATIONAL PRESS (3 Reviews)
Owen Gleiberman, Entertainment Weekly: GOOD (NOT GREAT) (cg)
"The events may be accurate, but 'Mesrine' is so episodic that it's slightly maddening to watch." (Read the full review...)
222 words, 08/27/10

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." (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..." (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 (from wiry to bulbous) volatility of classic Robert De Niro..." (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." (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, leavened with a bit of sex and sequences of brutal, at times sadistic, violence. What elevates it above the norm is bravura acting by Vincent Cassel in the title role." (Read the full review...)
657 words, 08/27/10

V.A. Musetto, New York Post: GOOD (NOT GREAT) (cg)
"...feels like a marathon.... Lovers of car chases, shootouts, explosions and general mayhem will be turned on..." (Read the full review...)
316 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." (Read the full review...)
479 words, 08/27/10

John Anderson, New York Newsday: OUTSTANDING (cg)
"It's safe to say no one will tire of Cassel.... He plays Mesrine as egomaniacal, homicidal, swashbuckling and hilarious." (Read the full review...)
332 words, 09/10/10

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." (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..." (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." (Read the full review...)
559 words, 08/13/10

Jennie Punter, Toronto Globe & Mail: VERY GOOD (cg)
"...exciting, but lacks a clear theme." (Read the full review...)
481 words, 08/13/10

Norman Wilner, Toronto Now: GOOD (NOT GREAT) (cg)
"Cassel endows Mesrine with a wily intelligence and low-heat charisma, but leaves the emotions out of it." (Read the full review...)
205 words, 08/12/10
KEY CITIES (10 Reviews)
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.' " (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." (Read the full review...)
346 words, 08/27/10

Roger Moore, Orlando Sentinel: OUTSTANDING (cg)
"Cassel's mesmerizing presence in the center of Jean-François Richet's two films lifts them above the somewhat conventional life-and-death-in-crime genre pictures these are." (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.' " (Read the full review...)
559 words, 01/14/11

Cary Darling, Dallas Morning News: OUTSTANDING (cg)
"...sprawling, engrossing..." (Read the full review...)
312 words, 08/27/10

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..." (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." (Read the full review...)
543 words, 08/27/10

Moira Macdonald, Seattle Times: VERY GOOD (cg)
"Jean-François Richet's film is an engaging one, even if it often plays like a re-enacted, high-episodic documentary." (Read the full review...)
402 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." (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." (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..." (Read the full review...)
660 words, 08/25/10

Betsy Sherman, Boston Phoenix: VERY GOOD (cg)
"Violent and brash... a solidly entertaining, if not groundbreaking, tale of a gangster's rise to notoriety." (Read the full review...)
648 words, 08/26/10

Tasha Robinson, AV Club: GOOD (cg)
"...shapeless, overstuffed... Cassel is convincing and riveting..." (Read the full review...)
467 words, 08/26/10

Simon Abrams, Slant: MODERATE (cg)
"...scenes are like monochromatic mosaic tiles that rarely build directly on the emotional payoff of previous sequences." (Read the full review...)
691 words, 08/23/10

Norman Wilner, Toronto Now: GOOD (NOT GREAT) (cg)
"Cassel endows Mesrine with a wily intelligence and low-heat charisma, but leaves the emotions out of it." (Read the full review...)
205 words, 08/12/10

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 from Cassel..." (Read the full review...)
806 words, 08/25/10
HIGHBROW PRESS (6 Reviews)
Bob Mondello, NPR All Things Considered: GOOD
"The filmmakers never even remotely try to make Mesrine appealing. But they sure make him seductive.... like a classic gangster flick." (Listen to the full review...)
225 seconds, 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." (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 (from wiry to bulbous) volatility of classic Robert De Niro..." (Read the full review...)
1,161 words, 08/27/10

Anthony Lane, New Yorker: MODERATE
"...performs the unlikely trick of being both taut and plotless.... Richet has but a fraction of the sleek artistry that Michael Mann, for instance, brought to 'Public Enemies' and 'Heat'..." (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..." (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, leavened with a bit of sex and sequences of brutal, at times sadistic, violence. What elevates it above the norm is bravura acting by Vincent Cassel in the title role." (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..." (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 into the audacious." (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, leavened with a bit of sex and sequences of brutal, at times sadistic, violence. What elevates it above the norm is bravura acting by Vincent Cassel in the title role." (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, Vincent Cassel holds the long, necessarily episodic film on his robust shoulders." (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 (from wiry to bulbous) volatility of classic Robert De Niro..." (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." (Read the full review...)
365 words, 09/03/10
(cg) = based on the critic's grade

Review Mixture
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
Broad National   Alternative/Indie   Highbrow Press   Key Cities
NY, LA, Chicago, & Toronto Movie Industry  
Outstanding
Very Good
Good
Moderate
Weak
Poor
Reviews
Outstanding
Very Good
Good
Moderate
Weak
Poor
Reviews
Big
Publications
>Bigger
Publications
>Biggest
Publications
Coverage, Volume & Length

Coverage: Mesrine: Killer Instinct (L'instinct de mort)'s reviews cover 44.9% of potential readers (average is 68.2%). Volume: The film's reviews total 19,518 words in volume (average is 19,979 words). Length: The film's reviews average 558 words in length (the norm is 512 words).

Mesrine: Killer Instinct (L'instinct de mort)
Coverage, Volume & Length
(35 Reviews,  reviews below)
TotalBroad
National
Press
Local
News-
papers
Alter–
native/
Indie
High-
Brow
Press
Movie
Industry
NY/LA
Chicago
Toronto
Key
Cities
Total
B.O.
Coverage:
Volume:
Length:
44.9%
19,518
558
16.1%
2,249
750
82.5%
10,433
549
70.4%
3,742
535
87.6%
3,579
597
100.0%
4,489
748
90.6%
6,240
520
66.3%
5,323
532
$552K
Averages: 68.2%
19,979
512
66.7%
3,178
451
80.2%
10,677
521
80.8%
3,310
430
58.7%
2,374
630
85.2%
3,407
685
83.7%
5,861
500
73.0%
2,885
539
Opening Day Reviews
Reviews Broke 11 Days Before Release (Norm is 0.2 Release)

Mesrine: Killer Instinct (L'instinct de mort)'s reviews on average broke 11 days before opening. Norm for this measure is 0.2 hours after. 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)
M O R E    P O S I T I V E    R E V I E W S
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R
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I
E
R
L
A
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E
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M O R E    N E G A T I V E    R E V I E W S
Movie Review Intelligence Mobile Web App 1.0
Updated: Mon, Apr 30 2012, 04:44pm
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