District B13 (2004)

In the ghettos of Paris in 2010, an undercover cop and an ex-thug try to infiltrate a gang in order to defuse a neutron bomb.

Director:

Pierre Morel

Writers:

Luc Besson, Bibi Naceri

Stars:

Cyril Raffaelli, David Belle, Tony D'Amario

1 win & 1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Cyril Raffaelli	...	Capt. Damien Tomaso
David Belle	...	Leïto
Tony D'Amario	...	K2
Bibi Naceri	...	Taha Bemamud (as Larbi Naceri)
Dany Verissimo-Petit	...	Lola (as Dany Verissimo)
François Chattot	...	Krüger
Nicolas Woirion	...	Corsini
Patrick Olivier	...	Le colonel
Samir Guesmi	...	Jamel
Jérôme Gadner	...	K2 boy 1
Tarik Boucekhine	...	Yoyo (para 1)
Grégory Jean	...	Para 2
Warren Zavatta	...	Para 3
Dominique Dorol	...	Cerbère Taha
Ludovic Berthillot	...	Le gros mercenaire

Storyline

In the near future, the worst ghettos of Paris, France are literally walled off and among the worst is District B13. Controlled by the ruthless crime lord, Taha, a young righteous punk named Leïto is determined to bring him down. When the boss retaliates by kidnapping his sister, Lola, a rescue attempt by Leïto is destroyed by betrayal that gets him arrested and Lola kept in the clutches in Taha. Six months later, a crackerjack undercover cop named Damien is given a urgent mission: a neutron bomb has been stolen by Taha in District B13 which has an automatic timer function engaged and set to detonate in less than 24 hours. Now with time running out, Damien and Leïto must work together to find and stop the bomb, but there is far more to this crisis than any of the field players realize.

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Plot Keywords:

time bomb | france | near future | kissing | man wears a wig | 

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Taglines:

Welcome to District B13 Welcome to the future

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Genres:

Action | Crime | Sci-Fi | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for strong violence, some drug content and language

Did You Know?

Trivia

In the scene where Leito (David Belle) is being chased near the beginning of the film, the way in which he does it in is in fact an activity called Parkour and was invented by Belle himself, influenced by his father Raymond Belle. There weren't any special effects (wirework, computer graphics...) used in 90% of the Parkour scenes.

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Goofs

(at around 50 mins) When Keijman leaves the Ministry he gets into a Mercedes with license plate "654 EGT 75". In the next shot, the license plate has changed to "388 EGU 75".

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Quotes

[first lines]
Title Card: Paris, 2010 / As crime spirals out of control, the government constructs a wall around highest risk housing projects.

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Crazy Credits

The Europacorp logo turns into a writing on a stone wall at the beginning of the movie.

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Connections

Referenced in Parkour in Rome (2012)

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Soundtracks

Hip-Hop Supermarché
Written by Fred Dudouet, Franck Mantegari and Ismaïla Diop
Performed by Fred Dudouet, Franck Mantegari and Ismaïla Diop
©2004 EuropaCorp / EMI Music Publishing France

User Reviews

GREAT action movie

People people people...anyone expecting Citizen Kane out of this movie needs to have their head examined. BUT...if you were looking for a thrilling, fast paced roller-coaster, that's what you will find.

For the past year, I have been seeking out alternatives to American cinema because it has become so formulaic and awful. I troll IMDb and eBay to see what else is happening in the world. Sure, B13 is derivative, but it is certainly more exciting than another "re-imagining" of a 70s cop show.

The opening sequence took my breath away. I was half-way through the film before I felt it was sage to dart to the kitchen for a drink. I said to my wife "THIS is the movie I've been searching for." Even the subtitles were good. The verbiage and spelling were very authentic and slang-conversational. It did not feel forced as many foreign films do. It was definitely subbed with the British market in mind, as some of the banter evoked thoughts of Lock, Stock or Layer Cake or Football Factory.

If I want a truly compelling story, I'll look elsewhere, but check out B13 for the some great fight scenes, excellent scenery and mind-blowing athleticism.

Details

Country:

France

Language:

French Spanish

Release Date:

2 June 2006 (USA)

Also Known As:

District 13

Filming Locations:

Romania

Box Office

Budget:

EUR12,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$410,000, 4 June 2006

Gross USA:

$1,200,216

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$11,169,386

Company Credits

Production Co:

EuropaCorp, TF1 Films Production, Canal+

Technical Specs

Runtime:

84 min

Sound Mix:

DTS-ES Dolby Digital EX

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1