Jeanskynebu the audience applauded

NekoHomey Purely Joyful Movie!

GazerRise Fantastic!

Ella-May O'Brien Each character in this movie — down to the smallest one — is an individual rather than a type, prone to spontaneous changes of mood and sometimes amusing outbursts of pettiness or ill humor.

Fella_shibby Parkour lovers n action fans will be in for a treat. The action scenes/ fighting sequences are phenomenal and combine mixed martial arts with elements of Parkour. The first chase scene is mind blowing. The story isn't that amazing and its pretty simple but still, its very solid for an action film. The cinematography, the music, action scenes and the actors make this movie very worth watching. The two main characters are David Belle and Cyril Raffaelli. David Belle is actually credited as the founder of parkour. This is a type of endurance sport where you run around and jump from building to building. They are also called free style runners and just runners. Cyril Raffaelli is a martial artist and stuntman in karate and wushu. Being who they are, their acting skills are just OK, but their action scenes are amazing since they do all their own stunts. Its directed by Pierre Morel, (Taken, Gunman, From Paris with love). Its written n produced by Luc Besson a pivotal figure in the Cinéma du look movement.

First Name Last Name I would advise my fellow action fans to watch this. I gave this movie 8 out of 10. While the plot and characters honestly felt slightly lame, the action and fast paced editing carries the movie to a higher level. There is no possible world in which this movie isn't entertaining as hell. Any viewer who enjoy impressive stunt-work will be engaged from start to finish.Some of the scenes involving parkour and martial arts were quite impressive. The opening sequence involving Leito's thrilling free running adventure was probably one of the most well executed action scenes in history. Seriously! The music and stunts work so well together that I instantly wanted to re-watch that scene. The very way it was put together was so splendid. And several other action scenes were quite worth the watch, albeit not as impressive as the opening action sequence. In short: watch it for that scene, at least. The cinematography is quite spectacular and delicious throughout, the soundtrack fresh, the actors comfortable with their clichés.Sure, one could find reasons to hate it; the plot is lame; the characters are pretty flat; the villain is a little sleazy and evil-for-the-sake-of-evil; the plot with the bomb and girl on top of the building was dumb. Those are usually big problems in most movies – but in this one it can be forgiven. The action is too impressive, simply. The editing is so sharp and on-point that I can't put a finger on it. It is dynamic, sleek and intense.I was positively surprised! I am glad to see a good European action movie that seriously tops anything America can deliver. I would encourage you to watch this!

ajs-10 I reviewed the sequel to this, Banlieue 13 - Ultimatum (2009) (a.k.a. District 13 – Ultimatum), back in June 2010 (you can find that review here: film-review-district-13-ultimatum-2009). Funnily enough, this film is very similar, with just as much action as in the sequel. But more of that later, here's a very brief summary first (summary haters please wait outside the walls of District 13 while I write the next paragraph).The French government have walled off a section of Paris to contain lawless elements within. A vigilante who lives there, Leïto, is in a dispute with a drug lord, Taha, when Taha kidnaps his sister. Taking revenge, Leïto captures Taha and takes him to the police, only for the corrupt cops to release Taha and lock up Leïto. Some time later, a straight-up cop, Tomaso, is tasked with retrieving a bomb that has been stolen in District 13. He takes Leïto to help him, on the promise that they will also rescue his sister. The bomb will explode in just a few hours and Leïto has a plan. I won't say any more, don't want to give too much away.This is a very well made film that has some great fight sequences and some brilliant free-running segments also. Performances were also pretty good, although it's quite hard to judge with an action film in a foreign language. But honourable mentions must go to; Cyril Raffaelli as Capt. Damien Tomaso, David Belle as Leïto, Tony D'Amario as K2, Bibi Naceri as Taha Bemamud and Dany Verissimo as Lola.Like the sequel, I found the plot a little simplistic, although there were some nice little twists in this one that were missing from the second. As I said, the fight sequences and free-running were excellent; I just felt there could have been a little more of them. The film did get a little too bogged down in dialogue from time to time which, I felt, didn't help the flow of the action. Having said that, it's still worth seeing for the action sequences, and so, recommended.My score: 6.8/10

dave-sturm By Woo! I mean of course John Woo! But there's also John Carpenter (Escape from New York). And Don Siegel and Walter Hill And a whole host of Hollywood action directors. It's all here in an amazingly condensed 85 minutes of flat-out action.And I mean flat-out. Not a dull moment. In fact, there's not even a romantic element. The woman to be rescued is a sister, not a lover.Luc Besson, the main writer, is a name brand to be trusted. He seems to be on a quest to prove the French can make exciting violent thrillers. Which this is.The main actors are stunt men. And the stunts they perform are, and I hate to use this overused word, but I will, awesome. One shot where our hero flings himself through a transom in an escape actually looks impossible. No CGI was used.Some people should avoid this movie. That would be those who dislike subtitles. Otherwise, Those who are not hate-French-movies yokels should sit back, pop some popcorn, crack a beer and get ready for fun.