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Special Features
- "The Making of District B13" featurette
- Extended Fight Sequence
- Outtakes
Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com
For eye-popping kinetic thrills, District B13 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 parkour, 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 District B13. --Bret Fetzer
Product Description
In this action-packed film set in the ghettos of Paris in 2010, an undercover cop and ex-thug try to infiltrate a gang in order to defuse a neutron bomb.
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
38 of 44 people found the following review helpful
Set in the year of 2010, `Dictrict B13' features two no-nonsense fighters Damian and Leito in the titular crime-infested area near the city of Paris. They fight the drug-addicted kingpin and his thugs before finally saving the world too. The story of French action film `District B13' (written by Luc Besson) needs lots of suspense of disbelief even though in reality we recently witnessed the outbreak of riots in this country. Still the actions of are all first-rate, and the two leads of the film Cyril Raffaelli and David Belle are more impressive than any other famous names from the Hollywood products.
Part buddy-buddy movie features crime-fighting Damian (stunt-turned actor Cyril Raffaelli, `Kiss of the Dragon') and ex-thug Leito (David Belle), both of whom have to join forces to accomplish the missions of their own. Not much is original, I admit, as far as the script by Luc Besson and Bibi Naceri (the latter also appears as the mobster) is concerned, but we are not watching this film for the story, and you should know it.
[EYE-POPPING STUNTS] The film will grab your attention from the opening section, where Leito runs away from the thugs sent from the gangster. For incredibly agile David Belle, jumping on the rooftops from one building to the other (like Jackie Chan in `Rumbles in Bronx') is not enough. Before doing these breath-taking stunts, he actually climbs down on the wall of the building, jumping from a balcony to the one below. And that's only the beginning of the eye-popping action sequences, in which like Buster Keaton he keeps running inside and outside of the buildings, and his rhythmical movements are often so beautiful that you might forget that he is really doing a death-defying actions.
[NO WIRE, NO CGI] Cyril Raffaelli is also great, showing the martial arts skills only the real stunt persons can reveal. You just have to see their stunts that are done by the actors themselves without using any wire and special effects (that's why it was shot in Romania, where the regulations are less strict). Their stunts remind the film fans of one Thai movie `Ong-Bak,' but the stunts in this French actioner are done in a different style with more vertical movements and less bone-crunching fighting. And they are both fantastic.
This is a non-stop French action hugely entertaining with incredible actions. You may not like the preposterous story, but once these actions start, you just cannot blink a second.
Part buddy-buddy movie features crime-fighting Damian (stunt-turned actor Cyril Raffaelli, `Kiss of the Dragon') and ex-thug Leito (David Belle), both of whom have to join forces to accomplish the missions of their own. Not much is original, I admit, as far as the script by Luc Besson and Bibi Naceri (the latter also appears as the mobster) is concerned, but we are not watching this film for the story, and you should know it.
[EYE-POPPING STUNTS] The film will grab your attention from the opening section, where Leito runs away from the thugs sent from the gangster. For incredibly agile David Belle, jumping on the rooftops from one building to the other (like Jackie Chan in `Rumbles in Bronx') is not enough. Before doing these breath-taking stunts, he actually climbs down on the wall of the building, jumping from a balcony to the one below. And that's only the beginning of the eye-popping action sequences, in which like Buster Keaton he keeps running inside and outside of the buildings, and his rhythmical movements are often so beautiful that you might forget that he is really doing a death-defying actions.
[NO WIRE, NO CGI] Cyril Raffaelli is also great, showing the martial arts skills only the real stunt persons can reveal. You just have to see their stunts that are done by the actors themselves without using any wire and special effects (that's why it was shot in Romania, where the regulations are less strict). Their stunts remind the film fans of one Thai movie `Ong-Bak,' but the stunts in this French actioner are done in a different style with more vertical movements and less bone-crunching fighting. And they are both fantastic.
This is a non-stop French action hugely entertaining with incredible actions. You may not like the preposterous story, but once these actions start, you just cannot blink a second.
18 of 20 people found the following review helpful
By Bosky Bear
Format:HD DVD|Amazon Verified Purchase
One of the best action adventure movies I have ever seen. Good story, sufficient surprises and plot twists. Faced paced action and well edited. The IMDB.com reviews say it all.
The star actors are athletes displaying their abilities in the newest sport called, Parkour. It is a type of hybrid form of running and jumping in urban settings, inspired by the martial arts. All stunts were performed by the principal actors, themselves.
The English dub track is intended for a British audience, but that is not too distracting. Cool music soundtrack that adds to the suspense.
I bought this because I could not rent it. Glad I bought it. Worth the $30 or so.
The star actors are athletes displaying their abilities in the newest sport called, Parkour. It is a type of hybrid form of running and jumping in urban settings, inspired by the martial arts. All stunts were performed by the principal actors, themselves.
The English dub track is intended for a British audience, but that is not too distracting. Cool music soundtrack that adds to the suspense.
I bought this because I could not rent it. Glad I bought it. Worth the $30 or so.
7 of 7 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
If you crossed one of John Carpenter's Snake Plissken films with one of the early Hong Kong shoot-em ups made by John Woo and added a boat-load of Jackie Chan styled acrobatics and bone-crunching martial arts, then you might be able to imagine the incredible action set-pieces that are welded to a super-cool futuristic dystopian setting in DISTRICT 13. Anyone who likes sci fi actioners should see it. Within the first 3 minutes I was completely pulled in by the pumping techno soundtrack and the super-stylish camera-prowl thru the decayed streets. DISTRICT 13 is, hands down, one of the best action movie I've seen in the last 25 years. Check it out.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
sexyalfonso45
good movie a lot of action pack thrilling jumping running fighting good movie bad ass cars that come out in this movie
Published 5 days ago by alfonso agredano
4.0 out of 5 stars
very entertaining!
this was a very entertaining movie. i hate English dubbed films and would rather watch it in sub tittle but i enjoyed it anyway. Read more
Published 13 days ago by bill cross jr
3.0 out of 5 stars
An Excuse For Fight Scenes
I suppose all the elaborate chasing, punching, and shooting should impress you, and it does for awhile. Read more
Published 1 month ago by mr. critic
4.0 out of 5 stars
Original Movie
This was a very original movie. It was fairly well written and acted. It was probably the best movie experience I have had in quite some time. It's worth your while to watch
Published 1 month ago by Donald Keylon
5.0 out of 5 stars
Awesome Movie
Great Film. Not trying too hard to be something it isn't. Short, interesting, fast paced. Who expected a beat-em-up to be ripe with social commentary
Published 1 month ago by Pierre Delinois
1.0 out of 5 stars
politically correct mainstream for mentally challenged.
Yes, I bought this politically correct mainstream movie for mentally challenged. Unforfunately I am capable to think outside the box. Read more
Published 4 months ago by aferdman
4.0 out of 5 stars
Great movie
This movie is a must, very fast paced movie! Not for kids thought. If you like the movies Crank and Crank2 then you wont be disappointed.
Published 5 months ago by Gary
1.0 out of 5 stars
language
i wanted the french version, not the english one. why would they only have the second one in french!? that is all.
Published 5 months ago by Monica
4.0 out of 5 stars
Great movie. One of the first movies to have a ton of Parkour...
Great movie. One of the first movies to have a ton of Parkour sequences, even is the dialog isn't the greatest.
Published 6 months ago by Rob
2.0 out of 5 stars
Dated, very dumb plot
We watched this with high hopes, given the buzz this film had. Aside from a few thrilling parkour scenes, the film was a boring mess. Read more
Published 8 months ago by Darth Pinche
