7.5 | / 10 |
Users | 5.0 | |
Reviewer | 4.0 | |
Overall | 4.3 |
Second installment of the two-part film based on the true story of France's infamous public enemy during the 70s, Jacques Mesrine. He lead a life of bank robberies and high-profile kidnappings, escaped from prison twice, and was said to have killed at least 39 people.
Starring: Vincent Cassel, Ludivine Sagnier, Mathieu Amalric, Gérard Lanvin, Samuel Le BihanDrama | 100% |
Crime | 67% |
Foreign | 54% |
Thriller | 33% |
Biography | 26% |
Action | Insignificant |
Video codec: VC-1
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 2.35:1
Original aspect ratio: 2.39:1
French: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 (48kHz, 16-bit)
English
50GB Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region B (locked)
Movie | 4.5 | |
Video | 3.5 | |
Audio | 4.5 | |
Extras | 4.0 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
Winner of three Cesar awards, including Best Director and Best Actor, Jean-Francois Richet's "Mesrine: L'instinct de mor" a.k.a. "Mesrine: Killer Instinct" (2008) and "Mesrine: L'ennemi public n.1" a.k.a. "Mesrine: Public Enemy Number 1" (2008) arrive on Blu-ray courtesy of British distributors Momentum Pictures. Amongst the supplemental features on the disc are two making of featurettes, an interview with director Jean-Francois Richet, deleted scenes, trailer and more. With optional English subtitles. Region-B "locked".
Nobody kills me...until I say so!
Presented in an aspect ratio of 2.34:1, encoded with VC-1 and granted a 1080p transfer, Jean-Francois Richet's Mesrine: L'instinct de mort and Mesrine: L'ennemi public n.1 arrive on Blu-ray courtesy of British distributors Momentum Pictures.
There is only one thing that bothers me about this Blu-ray release - the two films should have been placed on two separate BD50. When Universal-France released them last year, this is precisely what they did. It was the right thing to do.
The two transfers are practically identical to the ones used for the French releases. Both are encoded with VC-1 (as were the French ones) and convey basically the same fluctuations I observed on the French releases (softness, contrast, etc). Generally speaking, clarity and detail are also quite similar. On this disc, however, during a couple of scenes I noticed a bit of mild flickering (it is very noticeable during the army chase in the forest). As far as I could tell, the color-scheme is also identical - greens, yellows, browns, blacks and especially blues are rich and well saturated (for example, the part where Mesrine meets Sofia and invites her to dance with him looks excellent). Additionally, there are portions of the two films that were shot with a hand-held camera, and contrast varies quite a bit there. Heavy edge-enhancement and macroblocking, however, are not an issue of concern. On the other hand, I noticed a bit of digital noise - particularly during the second film - but, again, I don't believe that this is something that would bother most of you. Finally, I did not notice any scratches, marks, dirt, or cuts to report in this review. To sum it all up, have these two films been placed on separate BD50, I have absolutely no doubt that they would have looked marvelous. On the other hand, they still look very good, and I have absolutely no problem recommending them to you. (Note: This is a Region-B "locked" disc. Therefore, you must have a native Region-B or Region-Free player in order to access its content).
There is only one audio track on this Blu-ray disc: French DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1. For the record, Momentum Pictures have provided optional English subtitles for the main feature. When turned on, they appear inside the image frame.
The DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track is excellent. The bass is rich and powerful, the rear channels not overly active but very effective, and the high-frequencies not overdone. The dialog is crisp, clear and easy to follow. Additionally, I did not detect any problematic dropouts, clicks, pops, or cracks to report in this review. Eloi Painchaud (first film) and especially Marco Beltrami and Marcus Trumpp's (second film) music scores sound terrific.
Making of Killer Instinct - a long and very informative featurette containing a variety of different comments from cast and crew members addressing Mesrine's legacy, the key characters in the film, its production history, etc. There is also an abundance of raw footage from the shooting process. In French, with optional English subtitles. (48 min).
Making of Public Enemy n.1 - a similarly long and in-depth featurette focusing on Mesrine's legacy. There is raw footage from the shooting of the quite a few of the more dangerous scenes in the film. In French, with optional English subtitles. (45 min).
The Actors & their characters - Vincent Cassel, Elena Anaya, Samuel Le Bihan, Gerard Depardieu, Gilles Lellouch, Olivier Gourmet, Ludivine Sagnier, Gerard Lanvin, Mathieu Almaric and Cecile De France discuss the characters they play in the film. In French and English, with optional English subtitles. (18 min).
Making of Film Score - composers Marco Beltrami and Marcus Trumpp discuss their involvement with the film, the type of emotions the music was meant to convey. In English, with imposed French subtitles. (11 min).
Deleted Scenes - a collection of eight deleted scenes. With optional English subtitles.
Interview - director Jean-Francois Richet talks about his decision to film the life of Mesrine, his legacy, some of the difficulties the cast and crew encountered while shooting the film, etc. In French, with optional English subtitles. (26 min).
Trailer - the original theatrical trailer for the film. In French, with imposed English subtitles. (2 min).
Two of the best films to be released on Blu-ray in 2009 - unfortunately, not in English-friendly territories - Jean-Francois Richet's L'instinct de mort and L'ennemi public n.1 are now available on Blu-ray in the UK through local distributors Momentum Pictures. If you can play Region-B "locked" discs, then you should most definitely consider ordering one for your library. Vincent Cassel is on fire! VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.
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