Produced by Luc Besson (one of the coolest directors of all time), directed by Pierre Morel (who went on to make "Taken" and "From Paris With Love"), and starring David Belle (the guy who founded the urban sport of parkour, where people run and move in fancy ways to overcome obstacles), "District B13" is all about style and action, and it's pretty damn cool that way. Action is quite frequent in this film; it showcases some really impressive fights and some really spectacular foot-chases. It comes close to besting "Ong Bak" in terms of quality choreography and jaw-dropping stunts. Oh yeah, it's that good. With tight pacing, a trim runtime, and some really stylish photography and special effects, this film definitely entertains.
The story for this is serviceable; nothing really deep, inspiring, or even original (it actually bears one or two things in common with "Escape From New York"). However, it does have a few fine and dandy twists, and it's pretty easy to follow and relate to the characters; I actually grew to like the cast by the time the credits rolled. Towards the end, a type of "fight the power" message emerged, which might be seen as a little pushy, dumb, or one-sided; I personally thought it was something of a redeeming factor.
With quality, stylish photography and editing effects, the film looks really cool, especially in the way it captures the action and the seedy ghetto settings. Acting and writing are generally not bad; they get the job done. David Belle seemed to show a lot of angst, at least in the first half, but definitely showed excellent physical prowess. Cyril Raffaelli provided a decent counter-performance opposite Belle. Everybody else is alright. This production has some really trashy-looking settings and locales, which is appropriate, but it also boasts some nice-looking cars and it does okay with the costumes and props. Special effects are used sparingly, and aren't too bad either. Music is really cool.
As you may surmise, this is not a great film, but it has great action and spectacle. I was plenty happy with the story, even if it isn't the greatest, and I was pleased with the film's style and quality, even if it isn't groundbreaking in any specific way. It's probably one of the coolest flicks that I've seen, French or otherwise, and chances are that if you enjoy action, impressive stuntwork, and stylish cinema like I do, then this film should be right up your alley.
4/5 (Entertainment: Very Good | Story: Average | Film: Pretty Good)
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