if you know me, you’ll probably know i love chinese movies – especially martial arts. well then, it was pretty surprising that i managed to watch district b13 last night with the hubby, courtesy of netflix’s watch instantly online.
this is not just any movie, it’s a french action movie (so we were reading subtitles but that’s nothing new), and much better than expected. i only played it because of some glowing reviews and i’m glad we did. all in all, a very enjoyable movie and the guys were very nimble. there were a few stunts like jackie chan’s and i thought i even saw a flying knee kick to the chest like tony jaa’s. what i liked about this is that the majority of the stunts doesn’t look like they use wires. that’s a big plus in my book.
if you get a chance, do pick it up. i’m sure you’ll enjoy it.
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
