Just when you thought it was safe to go back to the Paris suburbs, writer-producer Luc Besson lobs another Molotov cocktail at the screen with "District B13: Ultimatum." Fun and frenetic sequel to the 2004 actioner heads back to the titular ghetto/war zone, where racially charged gangs are threatened by corrupt officials, trigger-happy cops, and nonstop chaos. With enough refs to the 2005 French riots to be considered, if not political, at least timely, the pic skilfully blends combat with social messaging, in an explosive blend that should satisfy fans in Gaul and beyond. Pic opened strongly Feb. 18.
It's three years later -- 2013 -- and things haven't changed much in the locked-down sector north of Paris known as District B13. If anything, they've grown much worse: there seems to be even more garbage and guns, more massive drug distribution, and the neighborhood is now divided along strict ethnic lines ruled by black, white, Arab and Asian warlords. So much for the urban melting pot.
When an elite squad of killer cops stages a police assassination inside the nabe, their conniving boss (Daniel Duval) hopes to convince his president (Philippe Torreton) to raze the area so they can all cash in on the real estate boom. Thankfully, local rogue Leito (David Belle) and his law-enforcing partner Damien (Cyril Raffaelli) manage to re-team and run, flip, jump, tumble, twist, swing, punch, kick and head-butt their way to saving the slum from destruction.
Directed by Patrick Alessandrin but clearly marked by series creator and scribe Besson, this second instalment offers a similar mix of gonzo gang violence and chase sequences, where parkour experts Belle and Raffaelli jump from rooftop to rooftop like a pack of human squirrels. The fight sequences (choreographed by Raffaelli) are especially creative, with the combatants using any available object, including a priceless Van Gogh painting, to get the job done.
Pic's playful action, shot partially in Serbia, is backed by Hughes Tissandier's ("Taken") funky decors and a supporting cast that includes French rappers MC Jean Gab'1 and La Fouine, and TV star Elodie Yung as a sexy warrior who uses her long braids as lethal weapons. Bass-heavy soundtrack by hip-hop artists DA Octopusss and Track Invaders helps sustain the rhythm of d.p. Jean-Francois Hensgens' ("Go Fast") dizzying, at times overcharged camerawork.
While Besson has undoubtedly boosted the series with even bigger stunts and setpieces, the omnipresent images of police brutality and civil unrest (including cutaways to actual archive footage) provide a more radical social undertone than in the first instalment.
Camera (color, widescreen), Jean-Francois Hensgens; editor, Julien Rey; music, DA Octopusss, Track Invaders; production designer, Hughes Tissandier; costume designer, Thierry Delettre; sound (Dolby Digital/DTS Digital), Francois de Morant, Guillaume Bouchateau, Alain Feat, Didier Lozahic; visual effects supervisor, Alain Carsoux; special effects supervisor, Georges Demetrau; fight choreographer, Cyril Raffaelli; assistant director, Stephane Gluck; casting, Marc Robert, Herve Jakubowicz. Reviewed at UGC Cine Cite Les Halles 4, Paris, Feb. 18, 2009. Running time: 100 MIN.
This should be pretty frakkin' sweet if the action is as good as in the first movie. Hopefully the eventually blu release will have a straight English subtitle track rather than an English SDH track like the first movie.
Make note if anyone's considering the twin-pack the original release of the 1st film was region-B locked.
I've been following this release closely, unfortunately DVDfr has been reporting no english subs. Kynch, I was actually planning on PMing you about this very title when the release date came closer....
Make note if anyone's considering the twin-pack the original release of the 1st film was region-B locked.
I've been following this release closely, unfortunately DVDfr has been reporting no english subs. Kynch, I was actually planning on PMing you about this very title when the release date came closer....
PM ahead whenever you need to mate. I'll check however I can.
PM ahead whenever you need to mate. I'll check however I can.
You rock! Unfortunately looks like we already have our answer. I can get around the Region-Lock, however my french isn't good enough to watch without English subs...
Guys - I'm going to start a thread in the UK section, but take note that in this month's UK home entertainment magazine CUE Entertainment, there is a full-page ad for the UK rental and retail releases of what will be titled in the UK District 13 Ultimatum on DVD and Blu from Momentum - says nothing about English subs, but I think we can be sure of them
Guys - I'm going to start a thread in the UK section, but take note that in this month's UK home entertainment magazine CUE Entertainment, there is a full-page ad for the UK rental and retail releases of what will be titled in the UK District 13 Ultimatum on DVD and Blu from Momentum - says nothing about English subs, but I think we can be sure of them
Did the ad mention a release date? Still nothing showing up on Amazon UK.
Dang what a deal! Just bought a used copy for 12 euros (17.50 dollars) only to find that the previous owner had never even opened the box (still factory wrapped). For info the cheapest the movie is offered at in "officially new condition" is for 21 euros at Amazon France.
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