The first part of an epic two-film saga. Killer Instinct introduces us to Jacques Mesrine at the beginning of his incredible true-life career of bank heists, prison breaks and kidnappings throughout the 60's and 70's and across three continents. Recently returned from the war in Algeria, Mesrine soon bores of the 9 to 5 life and gradually drifts into a life of crime under the tutelage of veteran gangster Guido played in a very Brondoesque style by Gerard Depardieu. He quickly discovers he has a gift for robbing banks and forms a duo with lover Jeanne Schneider to rival Bonnie and Clyde. When the couple is finally hunted down in the Arizona desert, Mesrine is sentenced to ten years in a maximum-security penitentiary. But he is about to prove that no prison is big enough to contain him as his larger-than-life story unfolds.
This is a superbly made film that makes very effective use of split screen. It has the grit and realism reminiscent of the Bourne Supremacy and keeps you at the edge of your seat throughout. Unlike other films of this genre it shows that people are very complex and that compassion and caring can co-exist quite happily with cold blooded brutality. This will undoubtedly become a cult classic like the Godfather. Vincent Cassel plays the role brilliantly.
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