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Review #171 of 365
Film: District B13 (Banlieue 13) [R] 85 minutes
WIP™ Scale: (1st viewing $13 + 2nd Showing $13.50)/2 = $13.25
Where Viewed: Starz FilmCenter, Denver, CO
When 2nd Seen: 2 July 2006
Time: 5:10 p.m.
Review Dedicated to: Michael "Cyber Husky" K. of Chicago, IL
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DVD |
Click for 'Review Lite' [a 150-word review of this film]
Nearly a month ago, I saw District B13, and I had rave reviews for the French import. Since then, I had been hoping for an excuse to see it again. That excuse presented itself yesterday when a lack of options necessitated me seeing a movie for a second time. The movie highest on the most worthy of a second viewing list was District B13. One never knows if a movie will hold up to a second screening. With an excess of 35 films in between, it was just about the right time for me to give the film a fresh look. Honestly, I liked it even better the second time. Please see the first review for the film for an in-depth look at the background, plot, actors, etc.. That review, which I just re-read, does a splendid job of summing up the movie (apologies, I do not mean to sound self-congratulatory, but it does). So, for this second go-round, I will spend the bulk of the time working to address why I feel this film has set a new benchmark in action films.
First and foremost, using real stuntmen in the lead roles was a stroke of genius. Sure, there have been countless films where actors, including Tom Cruise, have done all their own stunts. Which is awesome, but risky. In any case, even when actors do their own stunts they are still not highly trained stuntmen. So, when director Pierre Morel made the bold decision to find stunt men who could carry the roles of the two leads: Damien (Cyril Raffaelli) and Leïto (David Belle), he opened up the range of things he could expect from them in filming the ingenious action sequences using David Belle's Parkour martial arts choreography. This amazing new form of martial arts with emphasis on the 'arts' brings almost a dance-like quality to the motions so they are so fluid and dynamic you will wish to own this on DVD ASAP so you can slow them down to see just how they work. In the film, you will see the two stars complete moves that only a CGI Spider-man could accomplish before them. Despite its French origin (France not being known for its martial arts contributions previously), Parkour has catalyzed a world-wide phenomenon with clubs popping up all over the place. There is little doubt in my mind that this style will become the next most copied style in action movies since Keanu Reeves froze in mid-air in the Matrix to effect a kick against poor unsuspecting Agent Smith and spawned copy cats in the next 20 action films and numerous knockoffs in comedies.
Beyond the killer martial arts choreography, District B13 revives the buddy cop approach that made such action thrillers like the Lethal Weapon series, Rush Hour, etc. so popular after a long period of solo endeavors. A duo presents all sorts of possibilities from humorous interactions between the two heroes, to the sharing of awesome moves, to the mutual take-down of a particularly nasty villain such as the Yeti in District B13. In this case, we have the military cop, Damien, paired with the local district hero, Leïto, wrongly imprisoned by a ridiculous, retiring cop just after delivering the district's worst crime lord to the hands of the police. They must first learn to trust each other and then to plan together and execute together. When they finally click, they are like a well-oiled action machine performing some amazing duo stunts. District B13 capitalizes well on this interaction and parallel abilities of the duo in the climatic battle which momentarily pits them against each other as Leïto begins to believe that Damien unwittingly was sent to prime the neutron destruction device so that it exploded in District B13 rather than defuse it as Damien believes. (Again for clarification on what this means please see the first review.)
First and foremost, using real stuntmen in the lead roles was a stroke of genius. Sure, there have been countless films where actors, including Tom Cruise, have done all their own stunts. Which is awesome, but risky. In any case, even when actors do their own stunts they are still not highly trained stuntmen. So, when director Pierre Morel made the bold decision to find stunt men who could carry the roles of the two leads: Damien (Cyril Raffaelli) and Leïto (David Belle), he opened up the range of things he could expect from them in filming the ingenious action sequences using David Belle's Parkour martial arts choreography. This amazing new form of martial arts with emphasis on the 'arts' brings almost a dance-like quality to the motions so they are so fluid and dynamic you will wish to own this on DVD ASAP so you can slow them down to see just how they work. In the film, you will see the two stars complete moves that only a CGI Spider-man could accomplish before them. Despite its French origin (France not being known for its martial arts contributions previously), Parkour has catalyzed a world-wide phenomenon with clubs popping up all over the place. There is little doubt in my mind that this style will become the next most copied style in action movies since Keanu Reeves froze in mid-air in the Matrix to effect a kick against poor unsuspecting Agent Smith and spawned copy cats in the next 20 action films and numerous knockoffs in comedies.
Beyond the killer martial arts choreography, District B13 revives the buddy cop approach that made such action thrillers like the Lethal Weapon series, Rush Hour, etc. so popular after a long period of solo endeavors. A duo presents all sorts of possibilities from humorous interactions between the two heroes, to the sharing of awesome moves, to the mutual take-down of a particularly nasty villain such as the Yeti in District B13. In this case, we have the military cop, Damien, paired with the local district hero, Leïto, wrongly imprisoned by a ridiculous, retiring cop just after delivering the district's worst crime lord to the hands of the police. They must first learn to trust each other and then to plan together and execute together. When they finally click, they are like a well-oiled action machine performing some amazing duo stunts. District B13 capitalizes well on this interaction and parallel abilities of the duo in the climatic battle which momentarily pits them against each other as Leïto begins to believe that Damien unwittingly was sent to prime the neutron destruction device so that it exploded in District B13 rather than defuse it as Damien believes. (Again for clarification on what this means please see the first review.)
"…this style will become the next most copied style in action movies since Keanu Reeves froze in mid-air in the Matrix to effect a kick against poor unsuspecting Agent Smith…"
The film District B13 has one more dimension that raises the bar for all future action thrillers. Both Damien and Leïto possess an incredible sense of honor and dignity. They will stop at nothing to ensure that justice is served. Damien spews rules and regulations from his training and states that he will fight to uphold the values of society and make sure that no one forgets the tragedy that B13 became when walled off from the rest of the city. Meanwhile, Leïto shares similar ideals though not trained by the government, rather he was trained in the streets to do right by his enclave. Probably at the core, this is no different than many other films except that here both Damien and Leïto actually talk about it. It isn't just presumed because one wears a badge. In a way, in that sense, they reminded me of another famous set of French action heroes of yesteryear, the Three Musketeers. Recall the Musketeers discussing the politics of France and what to do to ensure that the right thing is done. These sorts of discussions are often missed or their importance unseen in most action thrillers.
If you get a chance to see this film in your area, I highly recommend it. The rest of the world spends hundreds of millions of dollars per year to see movies made in the USA. Perhaps filmed elsewhere, most of the films the world sees are still USA products. Please take an opportunity to see some of the films coming out of the rest of the world. Be it District B13 for fans of action thrillers, On a Clear Day for fans of dramedy, or Water for fans of epic drama, you will be pleasantly surprised that great ideas for films and a fresh outlook on an old genre might be right there if only you were to take the risk and see a film that wasn't being mass marketed to you on the side of every bus in town.
If you get a chance to see this film in your area, I highly recommend it. The rest of the world spends hundreds of millions of dollars per year to see movies made in the USA. Perhaps filmed elsewhere, most of the films the world sees are still USA products. Please take an opportunity to see some of the films coming out of the rest of the world. Be it District B13 for fans of action thrillers, On a Clear Day for fans of dramedy, or Water for fans of epic drama, you will be pleasantly surprised that great ideas for films and a fresh outlook on an old genre might be right there if only you were to take the risk and see a film that wasn't being mass marketed to you on the side of every bus in town.
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Click for 'Review Lite' [a 150-word review of this film]
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District B13 (Banlieue 13) [DVD](2004) DVD
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Review-lite [150-word cap]
It is 2010. To contain 'problem' areas of suburban Paris, the government erects walls around them isolating residents from the city and its services and creating zones run inside by crime lords. Such is the premise for this French film, District B13, which captures some of the most thrilling, non-CGI stunt effects, ever filmed. Director Pierre Morel found exactly the right stuntmen to play the lead roles featured in this Luc Besson-script: the highly moral cop Damien (Cyril Raffaelli) and the righteous, vigilante Leïto (David Belle). I have not left a movie theatre feeling so jazzed by the action in a film, with my adrenaline pumping 90 MPH since I saw Die Hard. While not Officer McClain, Leïto and Rob served well in this action-packed extravaganza that thrills while also speaks out to injustice and offers some capacity to solve the decay of civility in urban areas.
2 comments:
Hey does anyone know the name of the style of theor jumping around and stuff, or was it just based on martial arts?
Justin,
"Also, these sequences serve as the first theatrical USA release of actors performing Parkour—a creation of French stuntman David Belle which involves achieving a style of movement whereby the person adapts his or her actions and musculature to move past any object in a rapidly fluid way with unfettered forward motion. So, the body leaps over an obstacle and fluidly tumbles around the corner in a semi-handstand or by running up the wall a tad all in one motion." It's called Parkour. There's tons of stuff about it on the web. Hope this helps!
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