District B13 (Banlieue 13) poster & wallpaper
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Cyril Raffaelli, David Belle, Tony D'Amario, Bibi Naceri, Dany Verissimo ... see more see more... , François Chattot , Nicolas Woirion , Patrick Olivier , Samir Guesmi , Gadner Jerome , Tarik Boucekhine , MC Jean Gab'1

A nuclear weapon has been stolen by the most powerful gang in Paris' treacherous, walled-in ghetto, and it's up to a determined cop and a vigilante criminal in search of his sister to infiltrate the s... read more read more...ector, save the girl, and get the bomb out of the bad guys' hands in an action-packed tale produced by Luc Besson and directed by cinematographer Pierre Morel. The year is 2010, and a massive wall has been erected to keep the violence of the Paris ghetto confined to District B13. Within these walls, gangs rules the streets and law enforcement is powerless. This time the gangs have gone too far, though, and when the authorities realize that a nuclear weapon has been smuggled into the district, specially trained policeman and martial artist Damien is assigned the task of retrieving the weapon of mass destruction before Paris goes up in flames. He's not going to be able to do it on his own, though, and when Damien learns that breakaway bad guy Leïto's sister has been abducted by the very same gang, the pair soon forges a tentative partnership that merges the power of law enforcement with the anything-goes attitude of the criminal element. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

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72% liked it

73,816 ratings

Critics

81% liked it

108 critics

R, 1 hr. 21 min.

Directed by: Pierre Morel

Release Date: June 2, 2006

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DVD Release Date: September 5, 2006

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Stats: 4,563 reviews

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x David Belle x David Belle Banlieue 13 Cyril Raffaelli District B13 (Banlieue 13) District B13 (Banlieue 13) District B13 (Banlieue 13) District B13 (Banlieue 13) District B13 (Banlieue 13) District B13 (Banlieue 13)
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Flixster Reviews (4,563)

  • fb733768972
    August 15, 2011
    fb733768972
    It may not serve as the most original film when you think about the story, but the atmosphere, the look, and the events are all very new and awesome to watch. As two unlikely men are teamed up to disarm a bomb stolen from a gang in Paris, they find trouble along the way, falling ... read moreinto predicaments leading to action sequences that will take your breath away. The choreography is brilliant, the action is top-notch, the story is believable but does reach a few over-the-top moments, and the editing is done so well that any viewer will be happy that they can follow every move by the main cast. From parkour to true explosive action, District B13 is a full-on adrenaline-fuelled-thrill-ride.
  • allan913
    June 22, 2011
    allan913
    It's great over the top fun. A smart, funny and highly entertaining film packed with incredible wall to wall action. Ong Bak meets Escape from New York. An unstoppable thrill ride that delivers the goods and incredible aerobic stunts. Its a head bashing good time. Fast, furious a... read morend spectacular entertainment. It's loaded with great chases, awesome fight sequences and terrific gun battles. Director, Pierre Morel and Writer/Producer, Luc Besson bring a tremendously exciting and new breed of action film. David Belle and Cyril Raffaelli bring on great chemistry as well as their incredible skills in martial arts and parkour
  • deano
    June 22, 2011
    deano
    Awesome non-stop action, acrobatic, martial arts and apocalypse madness French film I ever saw since Hong Kong and Thailand movies. Cyril Raffaelli and David Belle are fantastic in their own fight and acrobatic scenes that surprised me and became exciting to watch.
    Watching Belle... read more escape from an apartment building while chased by thugs is like watching poetry in motion. The movements are so graceful and fluid, and the things he does are amazing, because it is very evident that he's performing the stunts himself and that there's no safety equipment involved. He scales the sides of buildings 20 stories up, he jumps from rooftop to rooftop, he even slips past thugs in a narrow hallway by bouncing up the walls. And not to be outdone, Raffaelli has some great martial arts scenes, especially a long sequence in a backroom casino.
    The whole ghetto atmosphere works really well. Concrete and poverty works fine as scenery. The spectacular stunts are real, not done with special effects. The direction and the story are also good, hooking the attention until the very last scene.
    I recognized Raffaelli who appeared as the villian in Kiss of the Dragon and Die Hard 4.0 (aka Live Free or Die Hard), he should be the next new Jean-Claude Van Damme.
  • itsjustme2004
    May 17, 2011
    itsjustme2004
    F-U-N!!! Mediocre storyline, but fantastic fast-paced action scenes. Hard to believe no special effects were involved in all the jumping parkour scenes...amazing! Apparently soon to be an American version (as usual), and I can totally see why. I vote that they use both Belle, and... read more Raffaelli again. I don't see how Hollywood could do any better than those two. Kudos!!!
  • kenstachnik
    April 2, 2011
    kenstachnik
    Is there anything more bad-ass than a parkour filled action film fueled by French hip hop?
  • garyX
    April 9, 2010
    garyX
    A crime riddled district of Paris is walled up and abandoned by the authorities, but when a neutron bomb is stolen by its crime boss, a lone cop is sent in to defuse it. Escape From New York meets Ong Bak in this frenetic French action flick that's very much in the tradition of L... read moreuc Besson. The whole "near future" premise is really just an excuse to make you swallow the greater implausibilites in the plot, as there's little here to mark it out as sci-fi. It's really just a series of high octane shoot outs and bone crunching fight sequences as a buddy duo join forces to reach their respective objectives; the bomb and the rescue of a resident's sister. Thankfully there's no corny love interest and the buddy partnership works quite well because of the lack of idiotic one liners and macho bullshit you'd get in a Hollywood equivalent. It's a total no-brainer and the plot gets thinner and thinner as it goes (the best sequences are all at the beginning, before they set out on their mission) but the boys will enjoy the male bonding and non stop action and the girls will enjoy the sight of a constantly shirtless David Belle. Dumb but fun.
  • kpn666
    October 5, 2009
    kpn666
    Welcome to Paris. On the left is the Louvre. On the right is the Eiffel Tower. In front of you is.... District 13.

    Set in the future where ghettos sprawling with crime are encased within stone walls, District 13 is the largest, nastiest and most violent.

    Its a French movie of ... read morecourse... but action needs no translation and from the get go, you are in for one heck of a roller coaster ride in the tradition of the Transporter movies. Parkour is greatly used in the flick, but its great.... nothing tame, all wild style, guns, car crashes and good old martial arts.

    Dont worry about the indifferent acting, weird music and other things... its an action movie with real stunts and proper stuntmen/actors doing the job. No BS computer gimmickery, just good ole flesh n bone, wires and padding action.

    Worth watching!
  • SirPant
    September 29, 2009
    SirPant
    Good modern action film without the clichés but quite typical of a Luc Besson production
  • MrsInsomnia
    August 29, 2009
    MrsInsomnia
    Unpredictable and cool.Real action, that makes you feel you are moving even if you are sitting at a chair,fast french dialogues and parkour........
  • ironclad1609
    June 12, 2009
    ironclad1609
    A lot of bad things could be said about this French action movie. That it steals vital plot parts from Carpenter's "Escape from New York", that the characters are mere stereotypes saying stereotype things or that the techno soundtrack is more annoying than memorable. The reasons ... read moreall that doesn't matter all that much and this film works anyway are the impressing artistic fitness of the two main characters and the fun action scenes they deliver, while the whole flick doesn't take itself more serious than necessary. Especially the first Parcours action scene is really impressive and fun, because you see that it worked without special effects, thanks to Parcours inventor and main character David Belle. Some of the dialoges are even good for a laugh or two and although the showdown doesn't quite live up to the promising set up, you won't regret having spent those 90 minutes watching, if you are a fan of the Jason-Statham-kinda-action.

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Critic Reviews

Lisa Nesselson
June 6, 2007
Lisa Nesselson, Variety

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

Jonathan Rosenbaum
June 6, 2007
Jonathan Rosenbaum, Chicago Reader

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

Kevin Crust
June 24, 2006
Kevin Crust, Los Angeles Times

The typically moronic plot simply gets in the way of what might have been a super-ambitious sneaker commercial. Full Review

Joe Morgenstern
June 22, 2006
Joe Morgenstern, Wall Street Journal

Real-life events have overtaken District B13, and they give this feverish, yet oddly flat French action adventure a whiff of substance to go along with its spectacular stunts. Full Review

Bruce Westbrook
June 2, 2006
Bruce Westbrook, Houston Chronicle

District B-13 is bad sci-fi, but it succeeds as mindless action. Full Review

Liam Lacey
June 2, 2006
Liam Lacey, Globe and Mail

The creator of films such as The Transporter, The Fifth Element and La Femme Nikita can be counted on for movies that are big, stupid and often just skillfully demented enough to be fun. District B13 ... Full Review

Tom Long
June 2, 2006
Tom Long, Detroit News

Who hasn't wanted to leap down a stairwell, bounce from rooftop to rooftop, do a backflip over a bad guy, give him a few chop socky blows and then take away his gun? Full Review

Terry Lawson
June 2, 2006
Terry Lawson, Detroit Free Press

When a film is this entertaining, it doesn't have to be all that original. Full Review

Robert Denerstein
June 2, 2006
Robert Denerstein, Denver Rocky Mountain News

A French import that dishes out comic-book complexity with the simple purity of a kick to the gut.

Lisa Kennedy
June 2, 2006
Lisa Kennedy, Denver Post

Terse, taut and willing to pack on some philosophical weight, District B13 wastes no time in shouting 'Action!' Full Review

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