Subscribe via e-mail

infolinks

20100121

Parkour + French Racial Unity = District 13: Ultimatum (Review)

District 13: Ultimatum

Banlieue 13 - Ultimatum (2009)

Directed by Patrick Alessandrin

par·kour n. (park-joor') An activity in which the participant movies quickly and fluidly, by surmounting obstacles such as walls and railings and leaping across open spaces.

Not going to write a long review here. I recently picked this flick up at a cheap DVD store and with the pending US DVD and theatrical release upcoming, I'd thought I'd share my thoughts.

When I first saw the original District 13 I ranked it #9 on my top 10 movies of 2006. Back then I had only scene glimpses of free running and parkour on YouTube, I was to say the least intrigued. The guys who created parkour David Belle (who stars in this D13) and Sébastien Foucan (he was recently in The Tournament) have turned into action stars and the original was outright fuckin awesome.

Parkour moves are a thrill to watch. Seeing dudes jump from tall buildings is outright fascinating. And to see dudes effortlessly jump in and out of tight spots and maneuver from angles and heights that would scare Evil Knievel is freakin fun.

As for the movie, following the story of the original, France is still divided into districts, each with their own racial gang. You got your I-talians, Blacks, Asians and Arabs. When the corrupt police plan to destroy District 13, its up to Belle and fellow traceur Cyril Raffaelli (he plays the super cop) to kick ass, parkour away from inept French police and unite the gangs to save their beloved home.

All in all, a good solid action flick filled with humor, uber action porn and the best traceurs (parkour performers) the discipline has to offer. Be sure to check out the original before you see this (as its actually better). Parkour!

Rating:
1/2

Check out the trailer below.





Here is the trailer of the original movie.





And finally here is one of the first American parkour videos I ever saw. Pretty awesome.



0 comments: