District B-13
Directed by: Pierre Morel
Starring: David Belle, Cyril Rafaelli, Larbi Naceri, Dani Verissimo
Rated: R for strong violence, some drug content and language.
Parental Notes: This is an action movie with minimal gore, but there is plenty of fighting, gunplay, and some blood. It’s a soft R but more intense than a PG-13.
“District B-13” is a French action flick, and although you might not think of a French movie with subtitles as being a way to get your action fix, it just might change your mind. The film stars David Belle, the creator of Parkour — a sport where individuals catapult themselves over, around, and through obstacles on the urban landscape. His background is apparent in the film’s amazing on-foot chase scenes. Co-star Cyril Rafaelli has worked on a number of films as a stunt man and a fight choreographer, and his expertise stands him in good stead here.
The story, developed in part by Luc Besson (“La Femme Nikita”), is straightforward, as an action movie should be. It’s 2010, and the worst criminal part of Paris has been walled off District B-13. Damien (Rafaelli) is an undercover cop with incredible martial arts skills. Leito (Belle) is an idealistic resident of B-13 who got thrown in prison while trying to clean up his home neighborhood. When a massive bomb is stolen and accidentally activated by the biggest crime boss in B-13, the two of them are paired up by Damien’s superiors to get to the bomb and defuse it before it goes off.
It’s a simple buddy movie plot, with Leito and Damien at each other’s throats in the beginning and pals by the end. But then, it’s not pretending to be a deep, intellectual flick. Sure, there’s a little social commentary to be seen if you want to look for it (particularly since the riots in France last year), but this is an action movie. We go to movies like this to see incredibly fit young men leaping around and fighting, and “District B-13” delivers that in spades.
The stunts in the film are spectacular. A baddie who fails to capture Leito during the film’s opening sequence describes him as “a bar of soap” and that’s accurate. No matter how tight the situation, he finds a way out – leaping over things, bouncing off walls, vaulting over railings. It’s astonishing to watch, and one of the highlights of the film. Rafaelli holds his own, and brings an efficient fighting style to the film. The fight sequences are unrealistic, but not compared to the Hong Kong wirework style becoming so prevalent these days. This is more in the vein of “The Transporter” movies (which Rafaelli worked on), with wide views of intense fight sequences and occasional use of slow motion to play up a particularly graceful move. Folks who complain about the close-in filming of fights in most American action films will breathe a sigh of relief at the good views we get here.
There’s a subplot involving the big bad crime boss’ kidnapping of Leito’s little sister, which shouldn’t surprise action movie aficionados. She’s a good character for a teenage gal in an action film, however, and she holds her own in the handful of scenes where she’s not tied up or doped by the bad guys. Even so, it’s annoying that the only (and I do mean only) female character in the entire film is essentially a plot device to make Leito angry at the crime boss.
Flaws and all, though, this is a solid action film. The subtitles might scare some folks away, but they shouldn’t: action needs no translation. “District B-13” is under hyped but it’s playing in a number of theaters and is well worth catching. That goes double for those interested in seeing something a little different than your average action flick.