Best Prison Break Plan Ever.
Park the car, shoot all the guards - get shot, get the friends you`re trying to rescue killed, turn around, escape.
Good job, genius!
Yeah, I was trying to figure out what the plan was there too.
I was thinking at first that it was to ram the fences with the pickup truck or something. Sheer surprise, big hole in fence before they knew what hit 'em, or something like that. Not strategy, but chutzpah. But then when the car full of guards came around the perimeter, they had to take care of them first (because if they rammed the fence they'd be "stuck" and sitting ducks for a few seconds)--but of course element of surprise is then lost, tower guards also get in on the action (since his first escape, they're not going to be caught hung over with their pants down again for awhile).... And yeah it just fell apart. No strategic thinking on his part whatsoever there.
But then again, he wasn't a strategic, methodical type of "criminal mastermind"--but rather one who relied on sheer audacity and boldness. Which often could work and did, but sometimes, spectacularly, didn't. Luck was probably on his side more than it usually is with that type of criminal though.
Understanding is a three-edged sword.
From what I've read about the real event, Mesrine and Mercier (rather foolishly) didn't anticipate the effect their escape had had on the prison's security. After they escaped, authorities ramped up security so the prison and its perimeter were swarming with guards when Mesrine and his buddy arrived.
I have to say as foolish as his move might seem in hindsight, I'm not sure it couldn't have worked if the prison had had the same level of security as earlier and if Mesrine had brought a few more shooters. I mean: Who at the prison would've anticipated a bunch of escapees coming back to break *into* the facility?
S.