District B13

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.

This movie will be a hit with action fans and no one else. I happen to enjoy movies with action and cool stunts, even if the plot is terrible or completely over-the-top, so I thoroughly enjoyed this movie, although the end left me wanting more (or something different). Basically, if you liked the Transporter movies, you'll like this one too.

The acting is actually better than I anticipated. The characters are one-dimensional as you might expect, but the script is decent and the dialogue isn't too corny. In fact, if you look really hard, there is also a trace of a socio-political message in the film.

The action met my expectations, but didn't surpass them by much. There are a lot of moves that remind me of Onk Bak: The Thai Warrior. If you can handle one person fighting an armed gang of a dozen or more and winning (or escaping, as the case may be) then you will be entertained by this movie.

This is a genre movie that will be surprisingly similar to the vision you have of it in your head before you see it. But it's worth a watch. You won't be bored by any means.

7 out of 10

I don't know quite what I just saw. I'll have to watch it at least a few more times before I make a proper review, but for NOW, let me just attest that the action was so intensely awesome that I forgot to breath; I actually found myself short of breath more than once just from watching.

I have followed eastern action cinema for years and have been continuously intrigued and impressed with their inventiveness and physical expression, but without doubt this film has not just raised the bar for western martial arts/action movies but for the entire Action Movie genre.

The stunt work is flawlessly executed, and utterly amazing.

These guys are insanely talented, and whilst they do what they do best, you just cannot but sit in awe.

I was so excited after watching this film I felt sick!

This film takes everything that has been learned in the last 100 years about how to make an action movie and distills it into a perfect 85 minutes.

The stars are true athletes, including David Belle, the co-founder of the sport of Parkour. He has spent 18 years perfecting his skills, which means that most of the spectacular stunts are real, not done with special effects.

The plot is action-movie perfect as well: A criminal kingpin, a damsel in distress, an honest cop, a noble criminal, corrupt officials, double crosses, nearly superhuman enemies. And at stake: honor, truth and the lives of millions.

There are hardly any extraneous elements, few scenes that don't make sense, no characters that do something really stupid when they should have known better. Every loose end is wrapped up in a very satisfying way. And there's even meaningful social commentary. All (though I said it before) in 85 minutes.

Why do other action movies drag on for two or even three hours and have long slow spots? Why do other action movies have plot holes big enough to walk through? Why do some of them lack drama, get silly and end up feeling like a waste of time? Why can't they all be as taut and tightly written as this one?

Because it's hard. It's hard to reach this level of perfection. It's hard to make a movie in which every scene counts. It's hard to get the plot, the acting, the action and the emotions right.

It's so hard it took 100 years. But here it is. Don't miss it.

The French answer to Ong Bak coulda been the final word, with superior production values and a serviceable if not exactly profound story-line (how much story can you get in an 80 minute film that's 50% action though?). Unfortunately it's let down by "Hollywood style" over-editing of the action scenes. David Belle & Cyril Raffaelli have *real* skills, and showing them off is the raison de etre of the film - so why chop most of the best moves into 3 separate shots, so we can't really appreciate them? It's a tribute to the performers and Raffaelli's choreography that they're still amazing to watch! I'd love to see a re-edit that simply removes the unnecessary insert shots and shows the moves in their full glory. Despite this objection, I still rate the film 8/10 :)