THOUGH not for the faint-hearted, Mesrine - the second part of which is now showing at Eden Court - showcases a tour de force performance by its star, Vincent Cassel.

It's tribute to the performance turned in by the young pretender - who follows in the footsteps of a famous dad - that it takes a while to realise that Gerard Depardieu is even in the film (brilliant though he is as a mafia-like criminal mastermind).

Mesrine was an infamous French gangster who was expelled from school for aggressive behaviour and went on to serve in the French Army during the Algerian War. He was arrested for the first time in 1962 with three accomplices before an attempt to rob a bank.

By that time he had been a professional criminal for years. He was sentenced to 18 months in prison and was released in 1963. He got a job in an architectural design company but was fired during a downsizing in 1964, and went back to a criminal life.

Cassel, who first came to prominence outwith France with 1995's hard-hitting La Haine gained 40-plus pounds for the two-parter which has been a huge hit in the land of his birth.

The director uses a flashback storytelling technique which offers enticing hints at what is to come and reveals some of the events which formed the character of the criminal. He also reveals a humanity beneath the cold, hard exterior but pulls no punches when portraying someone who was, after all, a cold-blooded murderer.

The film opens as Jacques Mesrine (Cassel) returns home after a harrowing tour of duty in Algeria. Looking for work, he learns an old friend of his earns money on the side by carrying out certain "assignments" for a heavyweight criminal known as Guido (Gérard Depardieu).

Bank robberies - sometimes two in a day - and an unfortunate visit to Montreal are covered in the first part which is something of a white-knuckle roller-coaster ride. Perhaps not feelgood, it's nevertheless a very satisfying piece of filmmaking which will see the star shine that much brighter further from home.

* For film times and ticket details, call Eden Court box office on 01463 234234.

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