ign logo IGN.com | AskMen.com | Rotten Tomatoes | GameSpy | FilePlanet | TeamXbox | CheatsCodesGuides | GameStats | Direct2Drive

RottenTomatoes.com

RT Bug Squash
Home Movies DVD Celebrities News Critics Photos & Trailers The Vine Forums
Box Office | In Theaters | Opening | Upcoming | Best Of | Certified Fresh | Showtimes
Register for free site & special features! | Log In | What is RT?
                       
MOVIES / ON DVD / DISTRICT B13
District B13

Rate This Movie

Write a Review
Share This Movie
Add to List
Buy DVD
Buy Poster

Bookmark and Share

District B13 (2006)

80%
82%
79%
N/A
N/A
N/A
80 %
Reviews Counted: 106 Fresh: 85  Rotten:21 Average Rating: 7/10
 
Consensus: A nonstop thrill ride. A nonstop thrill ride, District B13's dizzying action sequences more than make up for any expository flaws. more
 
Rated: R
Runtime: 85 mins
Theatrical Release: Jun 2, 2006 Limited
Box Office: $1,150,592
Synopsis:
Both of the leads in the French action flick DISTRICT B13 practice parkour, a kind of urban gymnastics that looks a little like skateboarding without the skateboard, and the pleasure of this short frenetic film is watching the two lithe heroes leap through windows, run up walls, and jump off... [More]
Both of the leads in the French action flick DISTRICT B13 practice parkour, a kind of urban gymnastics that looks a little like skateboarding without the skateboard, and the pleasure of this short frenetic film is watching the two lithe heroes leap through windows, run up walls, and jump off buildings. Like Jackie Chan, Cyril Raffaelli, and David Belle, both stuntmen-turned-leading-men perform their own acrobatic martial arts sans special effects or invisible wires, and the lo-fi fight sequences pack a gritty punch that is often missing in slick Hollywood fare. The plot involves a futuristic France where the worst ghettos have been walled off from the rest of society, their schools shut down, and the police force evacuated. The people in power simply want to ignore the plight of the disenfranchised, but this becomes difficult to do when the most notorious gang, led by the wild-eyed Taha (Bibi Naceri), gets its hands on a nuclear warhead and proceeds to demand a 20-million-Euro ransom, with the city of Paris as its hostage. Enter Damien (Raffaelli), a one-man police strike force, who has 24 hours to disarm the missile. To help him navigate the war zone of District B13, he springs a vigilante antihero, Leito (Belle), from jail. Leito has personal reasons for taking down the crime lord: Taha has turned Leito's adolescent sister into his junkie pet. As the ultra-athletic duo go up against Taha's gangster army, they repeatedly (and conveniently) lose their guns, and are forced to improvise, thrashing goons with steering wheels, cinder blocks, and their foreheads. The screenplay (written by Luc Besson, director of LA FEMME NIKITA) and the blunt political critique are a bit heavy-handed, but obviously that's beside the point. Lovers of action flicks could ignore the English subtitles completely and still relish the hyperkinetic beauty of the whip-quick combat. [Less]

Genre: Science-Fiction/Fantasy

Starring: Cyril Raffaelli, Tony D'Amario, Dany Verissimo, Bibi Naceri, David Belle

Director: Pierre Morel
Producer: Bernard Grenet

DVD Info

Release:

Dec 31, 2006

[DVD Details]

Buy It On DVD

Reviews

 
T-Meter Critics
 
 
Top Critics
 
 
RT Community
 
 
My Critics
 
 
My Friends
 
 
DVD
 
 
 
1 - 20 (sorted by date)
Text View | 1 2 3 4 5 6
Arrange By: Name | Fresh | Rotten | Date | Source
 
 
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review | Comment
08/17/07 03:15 AM
Jeff Shannon
Seattle Times
Ratings Image

Click to read the article

Full Review | Comment
07/14/07 05:30 AM
Joe Lozito
Big Picture Big Sound
Ratings Image

the most memorable parts of District 13 actually precede the unfolding of its main plot, which, much like the thermonuclear device on which it is premised, is never allowed to fulfill its explosive promise.

Full Review | Comment
07/04/07 12:26 PM
Anton Bitel
Eye for Film
Ratings Image

Both smart and direct, District B13 is the kind of lean, mean action film most of America's working directors only wish they could pull off.

Full Review | Comment
07/03/07 12:20 PM
Rob Humanick
Projection Booth
Ratings Image

A message-based actioner that's fast, dumb fun.

Full Review | Comment
06/06/07 10:48 AM
Lisa Nesselson
Variety
Top Critic Icon Top Critic
Ratings Image

I was delighted by the balletic and acrobatic stunts, some of which evoke Tarzan.

Full Review | Comment
06/06/07 10:47 AM
Jonathan Rosenbaum
Chicago Reader
Top Critic Icon Top Critic
Ratings Image

Nifty action flick influenced by Hong Kong cinema that includes a critique of French racism against immigrant community.

Full Review | Comment
01/02/07 03:12 PM
Louis Proyect
rec.arts.movies.reviews
Ratings Image

O roteiro quase inexistente é uma mera desculpa para que o filme apresente ao espectador diversas seqüências de ação absolutamente sensacionais criadas a partir do parkour.

Full Review | Comment
12/20/06 10:30 PM
Pablo Villaca
Cinema em Cena
Ratings Image

There's something refreshing about an action film that actually gives a damn about more than explosions.

Full Review | Comment
11/20/06 11:12 PM
Ryan Cracknell
Movie Views
Ratings Image

Genre fans will get a kick from the martial-arts action, and that's all District B13 needs to do.

Full Review | Comment
10/27/06 03:16 AM
Gerry Shamray
Sun Newspapers of Cleveland
Ratings Image

In his feature directing debut, cinematographer Pierre Morel has delivered an adrenaline-packed picture that sold its brains to the devil in exchange for spectacular fight and chase scenes.

Full Review | Comment
10/09/06 04:52 PM
Forrest Hartman
Reno Gazette-Journal
Ratings Image

District B13 is an apocalyptic action message movie with a distinct French flare.

Full Review | Comment
08/23/06 11:57 PM
Michael Szymanski
Hollywood.com
Ratings Image

The highly stylized result feels barren of both texture and imagination.

Full Review | Comment
07/14/06 07:13 PM
Duane Dudek
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
Ratings Image

For a film that's so light on its feet, "B13" seems rooted in what's really happening on the ground.

Full Review | Comment
07/14/06 12:52 PM
Rob Thomas
Capital Times (Madison, WI)
Ratings Image

If there’s a sequel…I’m there!

Full Review | Comment
07/14/06 03:15 AM
JoBlo
JoBlo's Movie Emporium
Ratings Image

A 90-minute feature simply showing [David] Belle's stunts with no frills would be great; unfortunately, they only account for about 10 minutes - the rest of the time, Belle is called upon to act.

Full Review | Comment
07/08/06 04:09 AM
Peter Bradshaw
Guardian [UK]
Ratings Image

The cast hurls itself into the comic-book violence, while the stunt choreography and razor-sharp editing are exhilarating.

Full Review | Comment
07/07/06 03:16 AM
Empire Magazine
Ratings Image

There are plenty of impressive gunfights and some wicked martial arts sequences here, but the film is most likely to be remembered for its emphasis on free running, a dizzying physical technique in which the cast sprint, leap and roll through the city.

Full Review | Comment
07/07/06 03:16 AM
David Edwards
Daily Mirror [UK]
Ratings Image

As 85-minute testosterone binges go, you could do a whole lot worse.

Full Review | Comment
07/06/06 03:16 AM
David Jenkins
Time Out
Ratings Image

Instantly forgettable, but hugely entertaining for 85 minutes.

Full Review | Comment
07/04/06 03:17 AM
Digby Lewis
BBC
1 - 20 (sorted by date)
Text View | 1 2 3 4 5 6
See More Topics...

Related Forums

Soundtrack
by: PJo 9/4/07


The bomb and the code -SPOILERS!!!
by: TinMan368 4/28/07


This Movie Is Great
by: lol180 1/14/07


Dvd
by: Knapster 10/1/06


REEL_REVIEWER
DISTRICT B13 (Banlieue 13) finally gets a USA release before hitting DVD on Sept. 5th
by: REEL_REVIEWER 9/8/06
all

Pictures

all

Videos

Clip #4
Watch Now >>
all

News

"District B13" Sequel Yes, American Remake No
posted by Fred Topel March 13, 2007
The Luc Besson produced "District B13" made such waves in Hollywood, introducing Parkour as a new martial...


Magnolia Digs Into the Crayon Box
posted by Scott Weinberg July 26, 2006
You probably know Magnolia Pictures as the distributor of foreign/arthouse fare like "District B13,"...


Critical Consensus: "The Break-Up" Gets Dumped
posted by Tim Ryan June 01, 2006
This week at the movies brings us "The Break-Up," a hotly-anticipated dark comedy featuring two actors...


Trailer Bulletin: District B13
posted by Scott Weinberg May 25, 2006
One of the most entertaining action flicks I've seen in a year or two is the frenzied French import known as...

Around the Network

• District B13 at Rotten Tomatoes
• District B13 at IGN
• District B13 at AskMen
About| Site Map| Help| RT To Go| Contact Us| Critics Submission| Linking to RT| Licensing| Movie List| Celebs List| Newsletter
IGN.com | GameSpy | Comrade | Arena | FilePlanet | ModCenter | GameSpy Technology
TeamXbox | Planets | Vaults | VE3D | CheatsCodesGuides | GameStats | GamerMetrics
AskMen.com | Rotten Tomatoes | Direct2Drive

By continuing past this page, and by the continued use of this site, you agree to be bound by and abide by the User Agreement.
Copyright 1998-2008, IGN Entertainment, Inc. About IGN | Support | Advertise | Policy | User Agreement | Subscribe to RT's XML feed! IGN RSS Feeds
IGN's enterprise databases running Oracle, SQL and MySQL are professionally monitored and managed by Pythian Remote DBA
Certain product data ©1995-present Muze, Inc. For personal use only. All rights reserved.