France's most wanted criminal in the seventies, Mesrine is a controversial figure in his native land.

CNN: Vincent Cassel: Playing France's tough guys

The high-adrenaline life of crime he described resembled that of another famous French gangster, Jacques Mesrine.

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Mesrine's story ended in 1979, when he was gunned down by police on the streets of Paris.

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The moment for that may not be far away, especially after his recent virtuoso turn in the French blockbuster "Mesrine".

CNN: Vincent Cassel: Playing France's tough guys

In the film he plays the real-life French gangster Jacques Mesrine.

CNN: Vincent Cassel: Playing France's tough guys

The country's most-wanted man in the 1970s, Mesrine made his name as a charismatic, press-courting criminal known for his daring bank heists and spectacular prison breaks.

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The country's most wanted man in the 1970s, Mesrine made his name as a charismatic, press-courting criminal known for his daring bank heists and spectacular prison breaks.

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He captures both the unpredictable menace of Mesrine and his near-comical showmanship the sense of a feckless free spirit who grew convinced, thanks in large part to the media, that he was something greater.

NEWYORKER: Mesrine