District 13: Ultimatum (2009)

Original Title: Banlieue 13: Ultimatum
French with English subtitles

starring Cyril Raffaelli, David Belle

directed by Patrick Alessandrin

Walter Gassman, the leader of the Department of Internal State Security (DISS), makes a deal with some foreign business men to destroy District 13 in Paris. His plan is to wipe it off the face of the Earth and then rebuild. Police captain Danien Tommasso (Cyril Raffaelli) and District 13 resident Leito (David Belle) team up once again to save the neighborhood.

Thoughts

Elodie Yung plays Tao, the leader of one of the gangs in District 13. I know her best from Season 2 of Daredevil where she played Elektra.

This movie had some of the trappings of the first District 13 movie but it only had a glimmer of the acrobatics that were seen in the first installment.

District B13 (2004)

See my previous post about District B13 for the description. I just finished watching it for the second time. I forgot how short it was. It's fun but it feels a bit light. It could have used some more acrobatics and fight scenes. The escape sequences were my favorite parts of the movie.

District B13 (2004)

Original Title: Banlieue 13
French with English subtitles

Six years in the future, the authorities have given up on a run the down banlieue or district 13 of Paris. Walls have been built around it. There are no schools or hospitals. All sorts of services usually provided by the government like the police have been or are in the process of being withdrawn.

Leito is the last man willing to stand up to Taha, the drug lord who effectively runs Banlieue 13. He is arrested and sent to prison after Taha cuts a deal with the police.

Six months pass. Damien Tomaso, a police officer is tasked with finding a bomb that Taha's men stole. Damien is teamed up with an unwilling Leito. They need to find and deactivate the bomb which is set to go off in less than 24 hours. The bomb is powerful enough to kill everyone in the banlieue. Leito shows little to no interest in helping Damien until he learns that Taha (who also holds his sister captive) is the one in possession of the bomb.

Most of the movie is a fast paced action romp with a couple twists. There are lots of acrobatic action sequences. I enjoyed it quite a bit.