District 13: Ultimatum (2010)

the leading man is my tpye

Not even bad in a good way

It's fun, it's light, [but] it has a hard time when its tries to get heavy.

When a movie has you begging for it to end not even half way through it's pure crap. We've all seen this movie and this characters millions of times, nothing new in it. Don't waste your time.

This film tells the story of a policeman and a district 13 resident, who investigate the reasons for strange clashes and unreasonable arrests."Banlieue 13: Ultimatum" has a very impressive beginning. I was so imposed by the birds eye view of district 13, panning from the sky the the ground, flowing at different speeds. The camera work and the contents of the scene are all very impressive, taking viewers on a trip inside the lawless ghetto. There's constant action in the film, and the duo manages to show off very cool moves. The characters all have very distinct images and personalities, making them interesting. If this film was a stand alone film, it would have been great. However, as a sequel, it lacks the jaw dropping, awe inspiring parkour action. I still enjoyed it though.

I was a bit disappointed with B13 Ultimatum, and I'm judging it against the first installment of B 13. I expected it to be on par if not better than the original but I found it slower, flatter and far less dynamic. Somewhat similar to Matrix and Matrix Reloaded, the 1st being fresh and dynamic and the 2nd being more polished and elaborate, though I thought the latter was still very good. B13 Ultimatum is plagued by some bad scripting and cartoonish and ridiculous characters - like the face-tattooed Tao - and lost credibility as the film progresses, becoming a mediocre Hollywood action flick. One detail that I found amusing and ridiculous was the amount of gun-less cops that were mowed over by the two protagonists, yet when they did use guns, the shower of bullets seemed useless against the seemingly bullet-proof little Citroen or Renault get-away car.. Hollywood, eat your heart out.

DISTRICT 13: ULTIMATUM is very much a lesser sequel to the first film, which was an unexpected hit that brought humour, martial arts and Parkour to the screen in a fresh, inventive way. This time around, the freshness is gone along with director Pierre Morel, who went and made the excellent TAKEN with Liam Neeson instead.Don't get me wrong, this isn't a bad film, it just doesn't have the edge that made the original so good. The filmmakers try too hard to repeat the formula without adding anything new. So the bomb plot is a tired rehash of what came before, and the Parkour scenes in particular have lost their appeal. It's more obvious here that many of the stunts are staged, and that particularly hurts during the opening sequence's balcony flip. I would have thought the filmmakers would have done everything in their power to top what came before, but they just don't have the guts to do so.One area the film excels in is the action, and in particular the fight scenes involving the excellent Cyril Raffaelli. There are brutal, efficient and slick, incorporating Hong Kong-style stunts and action all the while and never disappointing. The fight with the Van Gogh painting and the corridor battle with the police are both highlights of the movie, although it's a shame that the movie never features a decent opponent for our hero. The supporting cast barely get a look in, although Elodie Yung's tattooed gang boss makes for an arresting presence. Watch this for the action but don't go in expecting quality approaching DISTRICT 13's.

This French film is the sequel to the equally French film, District 13 (2004), which, unfortunately, I have not seen. The setting is Paris in the not too distant future, 2013 according to the subtitles, where District 13 has been walled off from the rest of the French capital. It seems that the government has forgotten the people that live there who have split into factions and live outside the law.A cop, Capt. Damien Tomaso, has been framed by a government run unit called DISS, headed by the rather nasty Walter Gassman. There is a plot to evacuate District 13 so a new development can be built for the rich. The plot is uncovered by Damien's friend, Leïto, who helps him escape from police custody. Now on the run, the pair has to unite the factions in District 13 in order to thwart the governments plan. But time is running out.As I said at the beginning, I have not seen the original film, District 13, so I can't judge whether this is better or not. It's certainly well made with some really exciting fight sequences and some really great free running. Good performances from all of the major cast, Cyril Raffaelli as Capt. Damien Tomaso, David Belle as Leïto, Philippe Torreton as Le président de la République and Daniel Duval as Walter Gassman.Quite an enjoyable film to watch, but it did seem to lack a little depth. A lot of the characters seemed a bit one-dimensional. If nothing else, it's worth watching for the fight sequences and the free running, some of this stuff is really outstanding. I hear the first film is better but I'll be able to judge when I've seen it. Over all, pretty entertaining although the story line is a little simplistic, but still, recommended.My score: 6.8/10