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DISTRICT B13
Directed by: Pierre Morel.
Produced by: Luc Besson.
Written by: Luc Besson & Bibi Naceri.
Director of Photography: Manuel Teran.
Edited by: Frédéric Thoraval.
Music by: Da. Octopusss.
Released by: Magnolia.
Language: French with English subtitles.
Country of Origin: France. 85 min. Rated: R.
With: Cyril Raffaelli, David Belle, Tony D’Amario, Bibi Naceri & Dany Verissimo.

By 2010, crime in Paris has become so pervasive that the government has placed insurmountable walls around its most violent and impoverished neighborhoods, with no one allowed in or out (like Escape from New York, but with maximum security housing projects instead of prisons). When an active nuclear missile finds its way into one particularly bad breeding pit of gangs and guns, District B13, it almost comes as a surprise that the French government cares enough about B13’s inhabitants to send in one of its best police officers, Damien (Cyril Raffaelli), to defuse the bomb.

The film centers around Damien’s temporary alliance with the saintly but dangerous B13 resident Leïto, played by David Belle – the founder of parkour, a philosophical freeform sport that imagines the urban landscape of rooftops and fire escapes as a dynamic track field. His character somersaults in and out of windows, tumbling onto roofs, and leaping floor-to-floor using everything but the stairs. While Belle’s wholly unique choreography is seen throughout, the energetic 20-minute opening is essentially parkour porn, featuring more jumping, bouncing and swinging than any other sequence in the film.

To top that off, all the outlandish stunt work is performed by the actors themselves, allowing us to see each movement without having to switch shots between actor and body double. Although Raffaelli has worked as a stunt double (and coordinator) for Besson in the past, neither he nor Belle is a professional actor, meaning they were hired for their ability to flawlessly perform taxing, unpredictable movements, and it shows. (That does work both ways. Though not noteworthy thespians, both Belle and Raffaelli work well within the setting.) Director Pierre Morel also uses a special camera catching hundreds of more frames per second than the usual rate, highlighting the adroitness of Belle and Raffaelli’s slow and smooth movements.

What sets this pure-blooded action/thriller apart from others is that it has Luc Besson as writer/producer and his eye for enjoyably lightweight cinema can be seen throughout. The plot and dialogue can be predicted a half-hour away, but the fun with Besson’s films is never really found in big surprises and plot twists, but rather the atmospheric world he creates for his events to unfold. The quirky gang leader with morals and OCD, Leïto, is just one example of such originality, as he fights the good fight in a state-sanctioned gang zone while manning B13’s only building without graffiti and with a working elevator. It’s also a topical film that explores a good deal of contemporary French issues, considering the violent Parisian riots of recent months. (Although there is only one speaking role with an actor of Middle Eastern or African descent and his character is a wealthy college graduate, but the issues of poverty and government accountability are the same.) Zachary Jones
June 2, 2006