Nuclear Threat in the Paris Ghettos
Directed by: Piere Morel
Starring: Cyril Raffaelli, David Belle, Tony D'Amario, Bibi Naceri, Dany Verissimo
Classification: 15
Running time: 85mins
The multiplex has been crammed in recent years with martial arts films of both Eastern and Western origin, but the French action thriller 'District 13' (Banlieue 13 in French) adds a more organic twist by replacing the highly polished choreography and practiced wirework of films such as 'Hero' with the fluid art of urban free-running.
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It's the year 2010 and Paris is falling apart. Walls are built to contain the violence and poverty within the worst affected districts, while law enforcement is handed over to the drug barons when the police withdraw. B13 is one of the most violent sectors and is run by druglord Taha (Bibi Naceri), who steals a neutron bomb with the intention of selling it on to the highest bidder. Undercover cop Damien (Cyril Raffaelli) is sent into B13 to diffuse it, accompanied by Leito( David Belle), a former resident of B13 who is sprung from jail in order to help Damien find Taha and the bomb. Leito has a personal grudge with Taha since he holds his little sister Lola (Dany Verissimo) captive after an earlier run-in. They head into B13 to diffuse the bomb and rescue Lola.
Recent Parisian Riots give Weight to Plotline
It's a simple enough plot, yet it becomes all the more inflammatory by the recent riots in Paris that saw law and order completely break down in the less salubrious housing projects. The portrayal of organised crime is the stuff of Hollywood while the hired goons
and customised cars lend an air of hip-hop menace to the already hi-octane plot. In places, the film feels like the hyperactive offspring of 'Escape from New York' and 'The Fast and the Furious'. A pumping techno soundtrack accompanies breathtaking chases through the ghetto and across rooftops, as Damien and Leito climb, roll, run and fight. Doing their own stunts in these daredevil sequences, they seem almost like real life versions of computer game action heroes as they perform seemingly impossible feats, but their fluid style is a joy to watch, and is a real breath of fresh air to the saturated action film genre.
Some may be put off by the fact that it is a French film with subtitles, but I would urge you to go and see it anyway - the action sequences transcend all languages, while the pacey, grungy direction marks a welcome change from the glossy Eastern martial arts productions. In doing so, it brings the action closer to home, and adds an air of realism often missing from the thriller genre. Definitely one to watch.
4/5 Smooth, action-packed and engaging, you'll never look at a croissant in the same way again.