Claim: Vincent Cassel starred in a movie.

Jacques Mesrine -LRB- -LSB- mesʁin -RSB- ; 28 December 1936 -- 2 November 1979 -RRB- was a French criminal responsible for numerous murders , bank robberies , burglaries , and kidnappings in France and Canada . Mesrine repeatedly escaped from prison and made international headlines during a final period as a fugitive when his exploits included trying to kidnap the judge who had previously sentenced him . An aptitude for disguise earned him the moniker `` The Man of a Thousand Faces '' and enabled him to remain at large while receiving massive publicity as a wanted man . Mesrine was widely seen as an anti-establishment ` Robin Hood ' figure . In keeping with his charismatic image , he was rarely without a glamorous female companion . A two-part film which came out in 2008 was based on Mesrine 's life .