Public Enemy Number One - Part One (2008)

The 2009 Festival centrepiece is one of the most talked-about French cinema events in years - the two-part story of one the most controversial and debated criminal figures in Europe in recent memory. Jacques Mesrine was declared public enemy number one during his lifetime. His spectacular death, shot full of holes by police at close range in 1979 in the middle of Paris, put the crowning touch on his legend. But far from presenting him as a model or a superhero, the project portrays the character in all its complexity. What emerges is the story of the man behind the icon.