With a poll coming up on IMDbs Classic Film board for the best titles of 2004,I was happily caught by surprise,when a very kind fellow IMDber sent me a DVD of a great-looking French Action movie,which led to me getting ready to enter District 13.
The plot:
Seeing crime go out of control,the French government in 2010 decide to build a wall to separate the most crime-ridden ghettos from the rest of France.
2013 (How futuristic!):
Finding that all of his heroin supply has been destroyed by Leïto,leading gangster Taha Bemamud decides to get his revenge by kidnapping Leïto's sister Lola.Discovering that his sister has been taken, Leïto fights to get her back,but his stopped in his tracks by a group of corrupt police officers,who put Leïto in jail.
6 Months later:
Learning that Bemamud's gang has gotten hold of a nuclear bomb which is set to go off in 24 hours,the French government decide to send Capt. Damien Tomaso over the wall so that he can defuse the bomb.With Tomaso knowing nothing about what is behind the wall, Leïto is freed from prison,so that he can become Tomaso's guide.Getting behind the wall,Tomaso and Leïto soon discover that a hidden threat is being prepared.
View on the film:
Kicking things off with an explosive title sequence,director Pierre Morel and Manuel Teran give the film a blazing stylised appearance ,with Morel & Teran using rapid-fire tracking shots to show the destructive battleground of the ghettos,as the superb electronic score from Bastide Donny/ Da Octopuss and Damien Roques packs a real punch with the snappy action scenes.Whilst the stunts,(all performed with no CGI or wires) are impressive,Morel never allows them to be given the breathing space to display their full impact,due to the lightning fast editing not allowing for the viewer to fully soak up the breath- taking stunt work.
Entering the district with a firm mind-set of what is right and wrong, Cyril Raffaelli gives a very good performance as Capt. Damien Tomaso,with Raffaelli showing Tomaso's straight-edge law & order ideas get chipped away,as Tomaso finds out what the government's plan for the district are.Joining Raffaelli, David Belle gives a gritty,extremely energetic performance as street-smart Leïto,whilst co-writer (along with Luc Besson) Bibi Naceri lights up the screen as cackling baddie Taha Bemamud,and Tony D'Amario gives an excellent,animated performance as Bemamud's henchmen K2,as everyone fights for survival in the crime ridden ghetto of District 13.
The plot:
Seeing crime go out of control,the French government in 2010 decide to build a wall to separate the most crime-ridden ghettos from the rest of France.
2013 (How futuristic!):
Finding that all of his heroin supply has been destroyed by Leïto,leading gangster Taha Bemamud decides to get his revenge by kidnapping Leïto's sister Lola.Discovering that his sister has been taken, Leïto fights to get her back,but his stopped in his tracks by a group of corrupt police officers,who put Leïto in jail.
6 Months later:
Learning that Bemamud's gang has gotten hold of a nuclear bomb which is set to go off in 24 hours,the French government decide to send Capt. Damien Tomaso over the wall so that he can defuse the bomb.With Tomaso knowing nothing about what is behind the wall, Leïto is freed from prison,so that he can become Tomaso's guide.Getting behind the wall,Tomaso and Leïto soon discover that a hidden threat is being prepared.
View on the film:
Kicking things off with an explosive title sequence,director Pierre Morel and Manuel Teran give the film a blazing stylised appearance ,with Morel & Teran using rapid-fire tracking shots to show the destructive battleground of the ghettos,as the superb electronic score from Bastide Donny/ Da Octopuss and Damien Roques packs a real punch with the snappy action scenes.Whilst the stunts,(all performed with no CGI or wires) are impressive,Morel never allows them to be given the breathing space to display their full impact,due to the lightning fast editing not allowing for the viewer to fully soak up the breath- taking stunt work.
Entering the district with a firm mind-set of what is right and wrong, Cyril Raffaelli gives a very good performance as Capt. Damien Tomaso,with Raffaelli showing Tomaso's straight-edge law & order ideas get chipped away,as Tomaso finds out what the government's plan for the district are.Joining Raffaelli, David Belle gives a gritty,extremely energetic performance as street-smart Leïto,whilst co-writer (along with Luc Besson) Bibi Naceri lights up the screen as cackling baddie Taha Bemamud,and Tony D'Amario gives an excellent,animated performance as Bemamud's henchmen K2,as everyone fights for survival in the crime ridden ghetto of District 13.