District B13 [Blu-ray]

Director: Pierre Morel Pierre Morel

Overview

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 sector, 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 Le?to'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.

Product Details

Release Date:	01/24/2007
UPC:	0876964000734
Original Release:	2004
Rating:	R
Source:	Magnolia Home Ent
Presentation:	[Wide Screen]
Language:	English
Time:	1:24:00
Sales rank:	34,403

Special Features

The Making of District B13; Extended fight scene; Outtakes

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits

Cyril Raffaelli	Damien
David Belle	Leito
Tony D'Amario	K2
Bibi Naceri	Taha
Dany Verissimo	Lola
Nicolas Woirion	Corsini
MC Jean Gab'1	Nico the Black
Patrick Olivier	Le colonel
Samir Guesmi	Jamel
Dominuque Dorol	Cerbere Taha
Tarik Boucekhine	Yoyo
Ludovic Berthillot	Le gros mercenaire
Azad	Tarik
Marc Andreoni	Carlos Montoya
Roberto Gil	Pedro
Patrick Medioni	Le caissier
Nicolas Wan Park	Le Chinois
Bernard Grenet	M. Keijman
François Chattot	Kruger
Warren Zavatta	Para 3
Gilles Gambino	Garde 1
Alain Rimoux	Le commissaire
Lyès Salem	Samy
Christophe Maratier	Le chef des SWAT
Michel Estrade	Maton 1
Jérôme Paquatte	Garde yéti
Jeff Rudom	Yeti
Arnaud Klein	Policier/Policeman
Gadner Jerome	K2 Boy 1
Bastide Donny	Composer
Damien Roques	Composer
Da Octopusss	Composer

Technical Credits

Bibi Naceri

Luc Besson

Pierre Morel	Director
Bibi Naceri	Screenwriter
Luc Besson	Screenwriter,Producer
Bernard Grenet	Executive Producer,Producer
Mehdi Sayah	Producer
Virginie Allal	Special Effects
Matthieu Dallaporta	Sound Effects
Swan Pham	Casting
Maud Lombart	Sound Editor
Didier Lozahic	Sound Mixer,Sound/Sound Designer
Alexandre Hernandez	Sound Editor
Frédéric Ullmann	Sound/Sound Designer

Editorial Reviews

Throughout cinematic history, stunt work has provided some of the most exciting moments of big-screen thrills, which as France's District B13 proves, is just as true in the modern era as when Buster Keaton wowed audiences at the dawn of filmmaking. Both Jackie Chan and Thailand's Tony Jaa have excelled at death-defying theatrics leading up to this, but this Luc Besson production truly takes it to the next level. From the very first chase scene on, the speeds at which the actors and stuntmen risk life and limb for the camera are unparalleled. It helps that first-time director and veteran cameraman Pierre Morel knows how to keep things moving -- and boy do they ever under his skillful eye. The same can't quite be said of his action direction, which while competent, features the same kind of sped-up, cut frame-rate of many of its action contemporaries (thereby adding extra action within the camera instead of in front of it). Still, complaints are low with this action flick. Besson has supplied a smart script that confounds expectations as he pits his heroic characters in a sort of Escape from New York scenario with an anti-government twist. That said, the flick could have used at least one final showdown fight scene, though action-lovers should remember that it's the stunts that reign supreme here, not necessarily the foot-to-the-face contact.