Virgin director Pierre Morel and writer Luc Besson (Transporter 1&2, The Fifth Element) team up for an action packed escapade set in the dystopian future of Paris, France. Utilizing the “sport” of Parkour, “free running” or “the art of displacement”, actors David Belle (co-founder of Parkour) and Cyril Raffaelli buddy up to save Paris from nuclear destruction.

It is the year 2010 and Parisian slums (banlieues) have been quarantined by walls and armed guards at check posts. The movie focuses on the turbulence inside one of these slums, District B13. Schools have been shut down, utilities don’t function properly and the police have abandoned their stations inside the District. Anti-hero Leito (Belle) fights to save his beloved home and single handedly takes on the drug kingpin Taha ( Bibi Naceri) with disastrous results. With no police support, Leito finds himself behind bars and his adolescent sister in the hands of Taha. Six months later, Taha has acquired a nuclear device through suspicious circumstances and demands 20 million Euro in ransom or Paris will be leveled. Undercover police officer and all around tough guy, Damien (Raffaelli) is sent to team up with Leito, still serving time, and convince him to help find the nuclear device to disarm it before the City of Light is snuffed out permanently.

While the action in this film is undeniably first rate, the acting and plot are B-movie at best. This is a film worth watching for the fight scenes and “wireless” stunts rather than the thin political message it sends; a message that isn’t really evident until the last few scenes of the film. The most refreshing aspect of the film is that while it is categorized as a sci-fi action flick, there is no CGI to speak of. It is completely raw which serves to display the pure athletic talent of Belle and Raffaeilli.

French is the language of love and it may be difficult to listen to this beautiful tongue amid gunfire, but the voice over work is worse with English, Scottish and American accents that just don’t fit the characters at all. Once again, your best bet is to listen in French and read the subtitles.

If you are a fan of movies like Ong Bak or Besson’s other work such as Le Femme Nikita then District B13 should definitely be on your “must own” list.

Director: Pierre Morel

Writers: Luc Besson
Bibi Naceri

MPAA Rating: R for violence, language