Banlieue 13

In 2010, the dangerous districts in the periphery of Paris are surrounded by walls, and the dwellers do not have school, hospital and even police in the area, which are ruled by drug lords. In the 13th District, Leito (David Belle) is a honest man that lives in a clean building and does not permit drug dealers nearby his neighborhood. When he destroys one million Euros in heroin of Taha Bemamud (Larbi Naceri), the criminal abducts Leito's sister Lola (Dany Veríssimo) and the corrupt police arrests Leito. Six months later, the tough and honest Capt. Damien Tomaso (Cyril Raffaelli) is assigned to find and deactivate a stolen bomb that might destroy the 13th District and the two million dwellers. Together with Leito, they have to face the gang of Taha and disclose a despicable secret behind the robbery of the bomb.

The unknown "Banlieue 13" was one of the best surprises I have had this year. It is pure adrenaline and certainly one of the best action movies I have recently seen. The greatest attractions are the performances of David Belle and Cyril Raffaelli. I have just read in IMDb that David Belle is co-inventor of the sport known as Parkour, "which consists of moving freely in a natural area, including climbing on buildings and taking on whatever is in the way". Cyril Raffaelli is also stunt coordinator and stunt. Together, they are awesome, with amazing choreography that recalls Jackie Chan when he was young, and certainly are among the best I have ever seen in the cinema. The direction and the story are also good, hooking the attention until the very last scene. Just as a curiosity, in the beginning of the movie, the guys are watching a Brazilian soap-opera with Regina Duarte and Antônio Fagundes. My vote is eight.

Title (Brazil): "B13 - 13o Distrito" ("B13 - 13th District")

I don't know quite what I just saw. I'll have to watch it at least a few more times before I make a proper review, but for NOW, let me just attest that the action was so intensely awesome that I forgot to breath; I actually found myself short of breath more than once just from watching.

I have followed eastern action cinema for years and have been continuously intrigued and impressed with their inventiveness and physical expression, but without doubt this film has not just raised the bar for western martial arts/action movies but for the entire Action Movie genre.

The stunt work is flawlessly executed, and utterly amazing.

These guys are insanely talented, and whilst they do what they do best, you just cannot but sit in awe.

I was so excited after watching this film I felt sick!

The place : France.

The time : after 2010.

The plot : The French government has erected giant walls around the poorest and most dangerous neighborhoods. Inside these walls its a veritable jungle, with the strongest (and ofter most corrupt) ruling.

This is the directorial debut of Pierre Morel. He has worked as the cinematographer on Danny the Dog (a.k.a. Unleashed) and the Transporter. If this movie gives you a sense of deja vu, don't worry just flow with it.

The movie follows the recent Ong Bak trend of action movies in that there is very little plot or a somewhat lacking storyline but is compensated for by bone crunching and realistic action/athletic sequences, albeit in this case with a French flavor.

After the opening "fly through" of the barrio we get a glimpse at one of the protagonists, Leito (David Belle). Leito is a neighborhood kid who does a good impersonation of Daredevil (minus the blindness, white stick or red outfit). While surround by crime, Leito manages to keep honest and actually fights back against the neighborhood drug lord, Taha.

This is the first 20 minutes of the movie, and it was simply awesome. David Belle is co-founder of a sport called Parkour. It is some Euro-Asian fusion of martial arts and running. There was a Nike commercial (?? - it was definitely a sneaker ad) where this man kept jumping off of random things. The whole point was he didn't stop, no matter what was in his way. It seems to be some improvisational running, where you figure out ways to get around things. This opening sequence involves a lot of running at full speed and some fighting inside, outside and on top of an apartment building. The pace for the sequence is fast and awe-inspiring.

We are then transported 6 months into the future, where we are introduced to our second protagonist, Damien (Cyril Raffaelli). Damien is the decorated, "straight as an arrow" cop. He follows order and does whatever is necessary (within the law) to get the job done. Damien's 20 minute introduction takes place in an illegal casino. This is the actual sequence that reminds me the most of Ong Bak (the mêlée combat). It has a similar style (of course without Tony Jaa's proficiency), complete with the bone-wrenching "oomphs". Cyril may seem familiar to fans of the action genre. He has been in numerous actions flicks as well, staring in Kiss of the Dragon and as a stunt man in the Transporter and Brotherhood of the Wolf.

The first two sections of the movie contain the character development, while the last section handles the plot. A new type of bomb has been stolen. It has a 24 hour detonation timer on it that is activated once the case is opened. Damien is sent in to defuse it (namely to enter a code that defuses the already active bomb). The bomb is somewhere in B13 and Leito is "volunteered" to be his guide.

The movie was definitely enjoyable, yet lacking much of a story or a finale. I was reminded of Ong Bak and especially of the Transporter. These movies (along with B13) seem to have a rather simplistic finale. The world is a generally good place where a few bad apples take advantage of the good. Most of the time, the good simply do not know the "bad people" exist. They just need someone to tell them and then collectively the good "do the right thing" (which is always done through lawful and sometimes legislative means). There are other movies (like most of Jackie Chan's movies) that have similar endings. This is not so much a criticism as an observation.

There were some scenes that made me go "huh".

Why does everyone have their names on the doors ? I'm sure each of the characters probably also have their names sewn into their boxers. I did enjoy Taha's Tony Montana impression. It was quite a funny scene. Lastly, I would have liked a more extended fight scene with Yeti, but otherwise, was a good sequence. Outside of the action sequences, there were some instances of gun-play. This was definitely not John Woo, but I was reminded of the Professional (Besson does have writing credits).

I thoroughly enjoyed this fast paced action, buddy movie (reminded me of 48 Hours or Rush Hour - except without the comical cop/con routine). I highly recommend this movie for action fans.

-Celluloid Rehab

This movie will be a hit with action fans and no one else. I happen to enjoy movies with action and cool stunts, even if the plot is terrible or completely over-the-top, so I thoroughly enjoyed this movie, although the end left me wanting more (or something different). Basically, if you liked the Transporter movies, you'll like this one too.

The acting is actually better than I anticipated. The characters are one-dimensional as you might expect, but the script is decent and the dialogue isn't too corny. In fact, if you look really hard, there is also a trace of a socio-political message in the film.

The action met my expectations, but didn't surpass them by much. There are a lot of moves that remind me of Onk Bak: The Thai Warrior. If you can handle one person fighting an armed gang of a dozen or more and winning (or escaping, as the case may be) then you will be entertained by this movie.

This is a genre movie that will be surprisingly similar to the vision you have of it in your head before you see it. But it's worth a watch. You won't be bored by any means.

7 out of 10

People people people...anyone expecting Citizen Kane out of this movie needs to have their head examined. BUT...if you were looking for a thrilling, fast paced roller-coaster, that's what you will find.

For the past year, I have been seeking out alternatives to American cinema because it has become so formulaic and awful. I troll IMDb and eBay to see what else is happening in the world. Sure, B13 is derivative, but it is certainly more exciting than another "re-imagining" of a 70s cop show.

The opening sequence took my breath away. I was half-way through the film before I felt it was sage to dart to the kitchen for a drink. I said to my wife "THIS is the movie I've been searching for." Even the subtitles were good. The verbiage and spelling were very authentic and slang-conversational. It did not feel forced as many foreign films do. It was definitely subbed with the British market in mind, as some of the banter evoked thoughts of Lock, Stock or Layer Cake or Football Factory.

If I want a truly compelling story, I'll look elsewhere, but check out B13 for the some great fight scenes, excellent scenery and mind-blowing athleticism.