Who's
In It: Cyril Raffaelli , David Belle , Tony D'Amario , Bibi Nacer , Dany Verissimo
, François Chattot , Nicolas Woirion , Patrick Olivier Who Directed
It: Pierre Morel
Year of release: 2006
District
B13 (2006) Movie Review Reviewed by: Paul Heath
Playing
at my local multiplex at the moment is SUPERMAN RETURNS, PIRATES OF THE CARRIBEAN:
DEAD MAN'S CHEST, GARFIELD 2, OVER THE HEDGE and STORMBREAKER. Those along with
a French movie called DISTRICT B13. The aforementioned films play eight to ten
times a day, every hour. DISTRICT B13 is limited to just one screening a day,
at 9.30pm. Why am I telling you all of this? Well, I've seen all of those flicks,
bar GARFIELD and STORMBREAKER, but out of those that I have seen, DISTRICT B13
is easily the best.
Set
in the near future, actually 2010, in a neighborhood of Paris, the film follows
Leïto, a down on his luck kid who is trying to bring local gang warlord and
controller of all, Taha to his knees. When things go a little 'tits up', Taha
takes it upon himself to kidnap Leito's kid sister, and generally treat her like
a slave (which includes keeping her on a leash, and feeding her drugs). Leito
is betrayed and send down for lashing out at the local police station (which is
closing that very same day) and we fast forward six months to meet Damien, a hard
arsed police officer who has just solved a huge case involving underground gambling.
Having booted the big boss of that organization into the local nick, Damien is
immediately given a new mission, to locate a bomb that has gone astray in District
B13 before it goes off in less than 24 hours time. To help him, Damien grabs local
kid Leito from inside to show him the walled borough and the two have to work
together to get to the bomb, and indeed Leito's sister in time.
This
film could have been a big advertisement for new 'sport' Parkour, which is described
on Wikipedia as being 'a physical discipline of French origin in which
participants attempt to pass obstacles in the fastest and most direct manner possible,
using skills such as jumping, vaulting and climbing, or the more specific parkour
moves.' There's an awful lot of this in the movie, and the movie indeed stars
the cofounder of the discipline, David Belle in the lead role. These scenes are
the best in the movie, and the action is delivered thick and fast - in fact the
movie rarely lets up. It's action all the way from the super-cool opening frames
through the 85 minutes to the kick ass climax. Sure, the script is flawed, the
story very vague, and the acting a little ropey, but don;t pay attention to all
that. Just enjoy the high octane fun and games up there on the screen. I encourage
you to find a better action movie in theaters this year.
First
time helmer Pierre Morel (this guy has been cinematographer on films like UNLEASHED
and THE TRANSPORTER) wows us from the opening frame and producer/ co-writer Luc
Besson's traits seep through, and there are even nods to films like ESCAPE FROM
NEW YORK and even SCARFACE contained within.
I
had a great Saturday night at the movies with DISTRICT B13, as did the other five
to six people in the auditorium no doubt. I'm just a little disappointed, as this
film will go largely unnoticed here, and with big movies like 'SUPERMAN' and 'PIRATES'
playing at the same time (all of which were packed to the rafters this evening),
it's little surprise. All I will say is do not be put off by the subtitles, or
the fact that you haven't seen this heavily advertised on billboards, on TV or
indeed in featured trailers at the cinema, you simply have to see it. I guarantee,
it does not disappoint.
High
octane testosterone powered popcorn fun. What more could you ask for?
