MESRINE: Parts Un et Deux

Part 1 - Killer Instinct

Part 2 - Public Enemy No. 1

I have rarely been so entranced by what is primarily an action movie.  So far-reaching is the protagonist's mayhem that it took two full length films to show just pieces of his exploits.  There could easily have been a third. 

The saga begins in the early 1960s when Jacques Mesrine (Vincent Cassel) struggles with his post in Algeria.  He is assigned to rout out revolutionaries in Algiers and punish with no mercy (these scenes harken back to the equally suspenseful Battle of Algiers).  Clearly conflicted, he returns home - to live with his parents.  His disillusionment is not unlike those returning from World War I, confused by their elders' insistence that war is honorable, as is a quiet home and a respectable job.  

Home life doesn't agree with Mesrine, but he finds that bank robbing holds a thrill, and a paycheck, he can't resist.  He becomes more embroiled in the criminal underworld and his "legitimate" life begins to crumble.  His wife and kids suffer from his short temper and angry outbursts.  He is finally apprehended and jailed for a number of years before he manages to escape (the first of many times).  The mood slowly morphs from bebop-infused heists (in which Mesrine insists no one is hurt and only the thieving banks suffer) to dark, solemn, psychologically-disturbed crime.  

Cassel very expertly draws this enigmatic character.  He will wink and give a half smile that elicits a chuckle, then scrunch up his nose in a sneer that is frightful.  Though Mesrine has no problem shooting police officers and stealing money, he is also incredibly charming, a stalwart friend and a fantastic cook.  He has never gone back on a promise and never hurts an innocent bystander.  The gendarmerie have labelled him Public Enemy #1, but the public are not so quick to condemn.  He is a modern Robin Hood. 

By the second film, Mesrine (that's MAY-reen) is struggling with this public image.  At once admired and reviled, he begins to lash out at those who try to quell his ideas.  He attempts to develop his stance as a revolutionary -- fighting against inhumane treatment in prison (like those he suffered), in addition to bringing attention to unfair banking practices and those who control them.  

Yet he can never quite reconcile himself with the absolute ruthlessness needed to achieve widespread change.  He has a tender side, which he often has trouble dealing with.  It's as if two halves are constantly battling one another -- and it's devastating, yet incredible, to watch.  We too, as the audience, are at the same time intrigued and repulsed by the outlaw.  Perhaps the only thing that is clear is that the ineffectual Paris police force (portrayed as little better than a team of Inspector Clouseaus) caused an unfair end to Mesrine.  

The Mesrine Saga is a taut and exciting portrait of a man who really existed.  It is a fun crime thriller to be sure, but it also explores what is means to "exist" and the idea that exterior perception can affect interior reality.

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Many thanks to Psychotronic Films for screening these movies, and to Muse Arts Warehouse for hosting. 

View trailers of the films here. 

"The Class" or Entre les Murs

The first French film to win the Palme d'Or at Cannes since 1987, this raw tale of a school year in Paris' inner city pulls no punches.  Francois Begaudeau penned the novel, the screenplay and played "himself" as the teacher, under the direction of Laurent Cantet.  

Filmed with real students, not actors, it exposes with frankness the day-to-day challenges, and successes, of life within the walls.  It also managed to show a wider view of Paris that enamored foreigners rarely see -- racial division, Muslim populations, and formerly colonized African descendants all in the same room.  Kids will be kids, but these kids have it tough and are fighting tooth and nail to be heard over the din of street violence, iPods and aggressive parents.  

Lengthy scenes add to the realistic feel, letting the audience feel like it is sitting in on class.  Interjections and giggling seem spontaneous.  Interruptions remind us how hard it is for the teacher to keep things on a single track.  What makes this teacher so endearing is his willingness to let them drive the direction.  He winds up their curiosity and lets them go, almost so they won't know that they are learning. 

There is much to glean from the few scenes with administration as well.  Their callousness toward the students we have spent class with is cold and shortsighted. We feel the urge to yell at the screen, "But you weren't there!  You don't understand! If you would just listen!"

Somehow, the story comes full circle.  It's neither happy nor sad. It's Sisyphus. Another school year is over.  People move on.  He'll have a new class next year.  And maybe these kids will be the ones to get something out of it. 

Certainly he will.