Review of District B13 (2004) by Robert L — 04 Sep 2010

Mon dieu!

Free running, one of the biggest outdoor activity to grip people in the last decade, it?s on the up and up always and never is that more true than in Banlieue 13.

In the future (or the past as it now is) the governments work out how to deal with the most dangerous places in the world. Their solution? Fence them in and put a wall around them all and have 24/7 policing around the designated area. This works a treat until one day a bomb is stolen and anciently triggered and there is only 24 hours until district 13 is no more.

Banlieue 13 has an air of the classic novel 1984 in its outline; the worst of the worst are penned off like sheep, left to fend for themselves and a law unto only them. Its interbreed with the idea that even though this is one of the worst places on earth, they still deserve to live. It?s a plot that we have seen many times before and will see many times again, the added advantage that Banlieue 13 has over other films of here is a situation where people are bad but here is a threat that will kill them all is that it uses a whole city to play with making for much more impressive and open world stunts, most of these kinds of movies are isolated to a given place, an island, a prison, a boat, but Banlieue 13 takes the idea out of the box and onto the street. And this is where it draws a lot of its power from.

Banlieue 13 has received rave reviews mostly down to a single sequence known as the Parkour Sequence. The sequence consists of Leïto outrunning and manoeuvring a number of random thugs. It achieved such praise for this one chain of moves because all of it was done without the use of wires and honestly, it deserves it all. The Parkour scene is insane totally insane, watching it you won?t believe that it?s real, it can?t be, the stunts are far too dangerous for any sane person to attempt.

Banlieue 13 knows its audience, it is aware of the people it wants and will appeal to, the people from the street the people who love action and thrilling stunts, and it tailor makes it?s movie for these people, the plot is forgettable and almost unneeded it?s only used as a bridge from one action sequence to the next, however the action sequences stand up on their own as some of the most breathtaking I?ve ever seen. Likewise the martial arts is perfect and on point.

However Banlieue 13 might be attempting to try and say something deeper about the world, imagine City Of God meets Children of Men, in France. That?s what Banlieue 13 feels like.

From the gangland warfare to the beat boxing soundtrack Banlieue 13 is a film that is hand-made for people who enjoy their stunts mind blowing and their action frantic , Banlieue 13 is a lesson in the language of fist.