District 13: Ultimatum

J: We reviewed the original District 13 back in issue six, now we’re here four years later reviewing the sequel.

A: And both the leads look exactly the same as they did in the first film. David Belle’s hair was identical.

J: There’s the same heart-warming patriotism as the first film – a focus on the national character of France shining through.

A: It’s very French, almost like a propaganda film. But at the same time, it is a very simple action film with a very enjoyable storyline. An ex-special forces policeman and a free-running resident of District 13 team up to take down a corrupt organisation and save the community.

J: Like the original, it’s great fun. David Belle’s parkour in the first film was very impressive, but in this film, not so mind-blowing. I think maybe we’ve seen too much free-running in cinema recently – everyone from Bond to Bourne has had it. Belle had an opportunity to set the bar even higher, but he didn’t deliver.

A: In the first film it felt new, but this just didn’t measure up.

J: But Cyril Raffaelli as the fighting super-cop was absolutely fantastic. I couldn’t wait for him to get back on screen – he’s a real action star.

A: He does have a certain magnetism. Even with the cheesy lines, he made them plausible and delivered them with sincerity. He’s as athletic as Jackie Chan or Jet Li, but with an extra element of brutality.

J: He’s not in the league of Tony Jaa.

A: He reminded me of Jason Bourne in terms of efficiency, but Bourne was better. However, Raffaelli was the making of the film. It whips along at a good pace and lets the action scenes dominate. I massively enjoyed it.

J: The opening sequence was great, and they play a really good trick on the audience, which reminded me that Luc Besson can deliver clever set pieces when he wants to. With the different gangs coming together there was a definite allusion to The Warriors too. Like The Warriors, these gangs were very much linked to the politics of the film.

A: The ‘liberté, égalité, fraternité’ message was very clear.

J: You’ve got all the French people standing up against injustice, but there was also a very obvious correlation with contemporary events, namely Iraq. There’s a very shady company at the heart of the film called ‘Harriburton’, which is typical of Besson recently – trying to shove his message right in your face.

A: Plus David Belle’s character even explicitly states at one point: “This is just like in Iraq!”

J: Yeah, this element was a little off-putting and a bit behind the times. It just came across as a cheap and redundant pop at a faceless corporation; that’s been done before.

A: And if he’s got a political drum to beat, why is he doing it in this type of action romp?

J: We talk a lot about simple films that are just pure entertainment, you don’t have to think that much, and that’s fine, but the key to it is to just get the basics right. Don’t ruin a lot of good work with shit dialogue or gaping plot holes.

A: Very true: don’t screw-up the dialogue, don’t screw up the plot, don’t fill your film with shitty shaky-cam which is ruining a lot of films at the moment, don’t fill it with budget special effects. I think if you enjoyed the first one and enjoyed the ride, then this is as good. The parkour, not quite as good, but this maintains the same level of fun as the first film. I’d give it a 3,4,3.

J: 3,4,4.

Jonathan Williams and Adrian D'Enrico