I’m a firm believer that you should not go watching sequels before you have seen the first movie, sadly this was not an option available to me when I watched District 13: Ultimatum (Banlieue 13 – Ultimatum). Luckily for me the movie was so cleverly pieced together that if you had not caught the first its not going to be an issue, no catching up on story, no hidden riddles; Ultimatum sits happily as a stand alone movie.
Rather like Escape From New York, District 13 places the people nobody wants to know or hear about behind a wall were they can’t be a hindrance to normal everyday people. This Paris suburb is home to various races, and clans who all operate their own individual crime waves. When a corrupt government agency plans a despicable act in order to gain wealth and rid Paris of its little problem its down to cop Damien (Cyril Raffaelli) and District 13 freedom fighter Leito (David Belle) to gather the evidence and fight for the people of District 13 before the government raise it to the ground.
D13: Ultimatum mixes the action movie with the wonder of Parkour, creating an enticing visual spectacle that continuously finds you asking, “How the hell did they do that?” The fight scenes and stunts are quite simply some of the best I have seen, working against an alien Parisian background, the film takes what could be viewed as a potentially normal looking action movie to a whole different level. The action is incredibly well choreographed whether jumping from roof to roof, to fighting with an almost priceless Van Gogh painting which turns from being unpleasant looking work of art to the ultimate weapon.
Story wise it’s simplistic story telling, which to someone who does not speak French is possibly not a bad thing. This is not a criticism of the movie but plain straightforward good sense. Thrillers, comedies, and horror movies all work very well in another language with onscreen subtitles, but an action movie does not always have the same effect; lines are often spouted out in quick succession in action movies not always allowing you to enjoy the visual spectacle unfolding on screen. D13 allows you to enjoy the action without bogging you down with unnecessary dialogue. Thankfully the DVD takes care of those that do not like their movies in a pure form, and has a dubbed English version, this allows the movie to be enjoyed by the biggest possible audience, an option not so commonly used now days.
There is a lot of humour in the movie, a little cheesy in places but in a cheeky fashion. Director Patrick Alessandrin (and of course screenwriter Luc Besson) seem keen to show their comic side, when you first meet Damien he is disguised (fairly badly) as a geisha girl, while his head is clearly masculine a lot of time is spent focussing on his waxed feminine flesh; it’s a prime example of one of those situations that is so wrong, but incredibly amusing.
The performances are good David Belle, and Cyril Raffaelli both prove you can be physically well trained and deliver a convincing acting performance. Supporting performers such as Elodie Yung who plays the movies action woman add real sparkle, while MC Jean Gab’1 who plays gang boss Molko offers a real feeling of menace and fairness
You could say the French movie industry is a little overlooked, and to be fair the French are not known for their action movies, however D13: Ultimatum is a rare exception to the rule. It’s easily as addictive as Luc Besson’s Nikita, not quite so deep but incredibly compelling to watch. The inclusion of Parkour means that with the original movie an obvious exception there is nothing that quite looks like this, it’s an instant, identifiable, unique looking movie that while not gaining Blockbuster status will ultimately enjoy a somewhat cult following. One thing is for sure, having seen this I immediately hopped online to order the original movie, and I’m sure countless others will to; for fans of the original this will be the must have purchase of the year. D13 is one of the most interesting action movies of the year, its just a shame that it never got a little more limelight while not being completely perfect it’s a most enjoyable way to spend 90 minutes.
Special Features:-
A 26 minute documentary looks at the creation of the movie, pulling in cast and crew to talk about incidents and their personal take on the movie.
A series of extended and deleted scenes are included, most of which are fight scenes.
There is music video from French rapper Alonzo that combines the movies main musical score with the performers own style, with some interesting cross language dialogue.
Finally there is a teaser and theatrical trailer to promote the movie.
Language options are French and English.
District 13: Ultimatum is released in the UK on DVD by Momentum on the 26th of October
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