I deserve all the insults in the world for this statement however, I had never seen either of the District 13 movies before this past weekend. Thanks to my buddy Stephen who was (rightly) appalled when I admitted I had never seen them before and we watched the first film on Saturday. It’s not like I avoided them or anything; I planned on watching them but sometimes life just gets in the way and I totally forgot. Anyway, enough drunken rambling, here finally are my thoughts on District 13 and District 13: Ultimatum.
District 13 (2004)
Plot: In 21st-century Paris, a member (Cyril Raffaelli) of an elite police squad must enter a crime-ridden ghetto to defuse a bomb that has fallen into the hands of Taha (Larbi Naceri), a powerful hoodlum. The cop joins forces with a civilian (David Belle) who must rescue his sister (Dany Verissimo) from the same criminal who holds the bomb.
I’m actually mortified that I am so late to the party in watching this movie; District 13 is one of the most influential action pictures of recent times and really brought parkour into the mainstream in terms of movies. The opening of Casino Royale would have been very different for a start as would so many other modern action movies.
Directed by Pierre Morel (Taken) District 13 is pretty much perfect, wasting no time getting going with fight scenes and incredible parkour stunts every few minutes. Both David Belle and Cyril Raffaelli deserved to be far bigger stars as they had incredible athletic abilities. Belle would go on to star in the Hollywood remake of District 13 called Brick Mansions starring the late Paul Walker. After watching this I’m baffled why they felt to remake a movie that was already perfect, but that’s Hollywood…
Our two leads are fantastic but so are all the supporting characters like K2 (Tony D’Amario) and the villainous Taha (Bibi Naceri).
The story has several twists and turns, so I had no idea which way it was going; it’s been years since I watched Brick Mansions, so I don’t remember anything about it. The action is some of the best you’ll see on screen, and it’s elevated by the amazing music too. I think the highlight is the whole sequence in the casino which is just sheer adrenaline.
Its pacing is lightning fast and yet we still get to care about our main characters while never slowing things down.
Overall, District 13 is one of my new favourite action pictures and I am a disgrace to the genre for having never watched it before now. Forgive me, action gods!
District 13: Ultimatum (2009)
Plot: Damien and Leito return to District 13 on a mission to bring peace to the troubled sector that is controlled by five different gang bosses, before the city’s secret services take drastic measures to solve the problem.
This sequel came out 5 years after the original and is still hugely enjoyable even if it isn’t quite a patch on the first film. It feels like more of the same with someone wanting to blow up the district and our two heroes trying to stop it. There are no major twists, and I feel like it lacks Pierre Morel’s steady hand as the director.
Still, there are some amazing action scenes and stunts; we also get to see Cyril Raffaelli in a pink dress which let’s face it, we’ve always wanted. I wish there were the same inventive fight scenes in this one; it certainly has its moments, but I love Damien and Leito taking on the huge guy in the first film.
Our two leads are once again very appealing, and it is almost as well paced as the first film. What I like about this one is that it wraps everything up nicely regarding the district so hopefully the residents can now finally live in peace in their new homes.
The music is once again on point and works well for the action scenes. I like how the residents all come together for the greater good too which is a nice touch.
The best new character is obviously Tao played by Elodie Young who has a blade in her hair to take down enemies; she feels like a character from Mortal Kombat and left the best impression.
Overall, District 13: Ultimatum still has plenty of action and fight scenes, but it never quite reaches the heights of the first film. This is still an easy watch, and I am now ordering the upcoming double pack from Umbrella Entertainment to welcome these movies into my collection.
If you love action, then District 13 really needs to be in your collection, and I apologise for everyone for having never seen it before. It is now rectified so you can all put down your pitchforks and torches… yes even you; I see you at the back.