"For the twin offenses of being French and not starring Tom Cruise, District B13 is getting exiled to the art house ghetto. Spread the word: This delirious import is the most (maybe the only) fun action movie of the summer - swift, funny, filled with actual stunts instead of digitized mayhem, and primed at a moment's notice for megaton ass-kicking. Set in 2010 Paris, it fuses Escape From New York's futuristic city-as-prison concept with Assault on Precinct 13's bristling political subtext, as an undercover cop (Cyril Raffaelli) and a convict (David Belle) battle their way through a walled-in underclass banlieue searching for a massive 'clean bomb'...Belle - a master of parkour, the French extreme sport/martial art...brings an exhilarating athleticism to the many chases and fights. I'd trade all of M:i:III's 126 minutes for one 1.7-second shot of Belle hurtling himself in a single motion through a locked door's transom." (Village Voice) "District B13 does everything absolutely right. Its talky, plot-advancing moments shoot by in succinct, hurried bursts. Its camerawork is constantly inventive and sexy, commanding our attention. Meanwhile, BOOM! Expertly choreographed set-pieces staged on rooftops, poker tables, and mean future streets hark back to early John Woo - they're that volatile and energized...Now, add District B13 to the pantheon of bare-fisted, bullet-grazed greats." (Film Threat) More at districtb13.com.
2006, color, 1 hour 25 minutes, France