In 2008, director Jean-François Richet brought the autobiography of France’s most famous gangster, Jacques Mesrine, to the big screen in L'Instinct de Mort (known in English as Mesrine: Killer Instinct ).

What drives a person to walk a path of self-destruction? Is it a choice, or something deeper—an innate "instinct" buried in the human psyche?

The phrase has lived two lives: one in the halls of psychology and another in the underworld of French crime. Today, we’re looking at how these two worlds collide. 1. The Psychological Roots: Freud’s "Thanatos"

, almost as if trying to master them. Aggression turned both inward and outward. 2. The Legend of Jacques Mesrine

Let me know your thoughts on Vincent Cassel's performance in the comments below! Film Review - Mesrine: Public Enemy No.1(2008)

While it sounds dark, it helps explain why we are sometimes drawn to: that defies logic.

The film doesn't just show us a criminal; it shows us the —the struggle between a "smooth operator" and a "clearly terrible person" who refuses to be redeemed. The Takeaway

"L'instinct de mort" can refer to two very different topics: the biological and psychological concept of the "death drive" or the gritty 2008 crime biopic starring Vincent Cassel.