District B13

For eye-popping kinetic thrills, i District B13 i0 tops the class. In the near future, the worst ghettos of Paris have been walled in and left to rot. When a neutron bomb gets stolen by a criminal kingpin in seedy District B13, Damien--a cop who specializes in deep cover assignments (Cyril Raffaelli, a stuntman turned actor)--has to team up with Leito (David Belle), who grew up in the district and has his own reason for going back: the kingpin kidnapped his sister (tough yet adorable gamine Dany Verissimo). The plot takes a few preposterous turns, but it's beside the point--every turn serves only to maintain the relentless flow of sheer physical prowess. Belle is one of the inventors of a sport called i parkour i0 , which treats a city's architecture like an obstacle course; while running from gun-toting thugs, Leito leaps, bounds, and scrambles up and down buildings with astonishing grace. The fight sequences are just as down-to-earth yet over-the-top as Damien whirls, kicks, and crunches through armies of bad guys. Just as important is the tongue-in-cheek tone that never turns smirky; the movie doesn't take itself seriously, but doesn't mock itself or its basic cinematic pleasures. Anyone looking for a break from the overbearing CGI and self-important pomp of Hollywood action movies should watch i District B13 i0 . i --Bret Fetzer

uuid: 63D22137-E836-4FC9-9FA3-3BE5ED8E8057
upc: 0876964000208
title: District B13
theatricalDate: 20-05-2004
stars: Cyril Raffaelli David Belle Tony D'Amario Bibi Naceri Dany Verissimo
purchase date: 20-05-2007
publisher: Magnolia
published: 05-09-2006
price: $19.98
net Rating: 4
MPAA Rating: R
minutes: 84
last lookup time: 201399568
genre: Thrillers Heroes Race Against Time French Audio & Video
fullTitle: District B13
features: Color Dolby Dubbed DVD-Video Subtitled Widescreen NTSC 2.35:1
director: Pierre Morel
currentValue: $4.55
created: 201399568
country: us
aspect: DVD
asin: B000GPPPTK