Sidewalks On The Corner

It seems there is some unfinished business for Leito and Damien in “District 13: Ultimatum.”

Follow up:

DISTRICT 13: ULTIMATUM
In Theaters and Available now on VOD
Specs: 101 min., Rated R
Website: http://www.district13ultimatummovie.com/

Studio Synopsis:
Two years have passed since elite police officer Damien Tomasso (Cyril Raffaelli) teamed up with reformed vigilante Leito (parkour originator David Belle) to save the notorious District 13, a racially charged ghetto populated by violent drug dealing gangs and vicious killers. Despite government promises to maintain order, the state of the district has deteriorated, and a group of corrupt cops and elected officials are conspiring to cause civil unrest in D13, looking for an excuse to raze the area and cash in on its redevelopment. Now Damian and Leito must join forces again, and use their mastery of martial arts and their unique physical skills to bring peace to the neighborhood by any means necessary… before a proposed nuclear air-strike wipes it off the map. With bone crunching fights and death defying leaps, this adrenaline charged sequel takes the groundbreaking parkour action from DISTRICT B13 to thrilling new heights.

David Belle in DISTRICT 13: ULTIMATUM, a Magnet release. Photo courtesy of Magnet Releasing.

J.P.'s Take:
In this second chapter to the underground French action film, simply titled “District 13” (French title: “Banlieue 13”), writer/producer Luc Besson returns with a ferocious new vision of the franchise.

One interesting aspect of the film is that it utilized a style of obstacle aversion known as parkour (the film's co-star David Belle is credited as the founder of parkour). This physical discipline was created in France and is used in the film, as it’s main stunt of choice. Parkour is basically a mixture of martial arts, gymnastics and acrobatic moves. It harnesses the fight/flight methods, running, jumping, climbing in the most efficient and creative ways. In other words it’s a slick way of getting out of trouble fast and kicking major tail at the same time. This particular routine of stunts is what set D13 apart from the typical action genre.

The dynamics between the characters of Damien (Cyril Raffaelli) a Special Forces Captain, and Leito (David Belle), a small time thug, are carried over from its predecessor. You get a glimpse of their back-story, such as how they met and what they’ve gone through to warrant their coming back together. For the first time viewer of either film, most audience members may not understand the many inside jokes between the two, which also make there way into scenes with the duo working side by side once again. For those of you unfamiliar with the prequel, here's the skinny on the sequel’s humble beginnings. In the not too distant future, 2010 to be exact, Paris is at odds with one of its own districts. This area contains some of the most heinous of criminals on Earth who live among the poorest of people.

To keep the area known as District 13 under control, the French government built a wall around the slum to protect the more civilized patrons of France. The French government had a secret plan to wipe out its inhabitants with a neutron bomb, afterward demolish the shantytown and rebuild fresh. They felt the slum village would tarnish polished image that is the future of France. This movie reminds me of a film done by John Carpenter in 1981 called “Escape From New York.” In fact, that’s the feel you get while watching this movie, although “D13 Part 2” isn’t quite as dark or grim as the Carpenter classic.

Elodie Yung in DISTRICT 13: ULTIMATUM, a Magnet release. Photo courtesy of Magnet Releasing.

Personally, I felt the original was an understated flick with some interesting twists. I was more impressed with the directing and editing not the story itself. Also the stunt choreography was top notch. Although the story wasn't totally inspiring, however, as the movie came to a close, it started to make more since. Now that the “Ultimatum” has surfaced, I have to say that I was totally taken be surprise by the new film. I felt it was a much better sequel than I expected. At first, I must admit I almost brushed this movie off completely. What I liked about "Ultimatum" is you're drawn in by physicality of it. It's not the story that grabs you at first; it's the hyper-masculine, heart pounding action scenes that hit you like a sledgehammer.

Whether you’re a huge action junkie or just into parkour, you can expect to find plenty of insane fighting sequences, with some death defying stunts literally. This is where the real fun comes in. The movie showcases parkour as a natural form of the physical performance. There is a chase sequence, which will leave the audience breathless as they watch Leito make his escape from a task force. He leaps from rooftop to rooftop of buildings that look like they are hundreds of feet apart, as if he were Superman. Damien, the super cop, fights with such precision and slickness he make Jackie Chan's skills like child's play. Damien jump kicks his enemies and hops off of walls like a jackrabbit. Another off the wall scene involves Damien and Leito stealing a car and somehow they end up driving through an office building to make their escape. The story isn't a bad one and again because of the directing, it's executed pretty well. With techno music blazing in the background and a hailstorm of bullets, you have yourself one hyper action movie with a French accent (in other words subtitles).

Even my friend/creator of Sidewalks Entertainment, Richard R. Lee, got a kick out of it, and he never seen the first film. By now you should know what my response is: I felt “Ultimatum” set to do what it was created to do, blow your socks off. It’s a lot of fun from start to finish.
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J.P. Langston is a member of "Sidewalks Entertainment" team primarily as a videographer. He loves movies, especially sci-fi horror and action comedies. Some of his favorite films include "Blade Runner" "The Matrix Trilogy," The (original) "Star Wars," "Equilibrium," "Serenity," "Kill Bill Vols 1 and 2," "Appleseed," "Unbreakable" and "Sin City." He has a large DVD collection, which is still growing. Since reviewing films for "Sidewalks," he has been expanding his palette for all types of films.