Back to B13

David Belle and Cyril Raffaelli are back again as Tomasso and Leito in District 13: Ultimatum. We thought the original District B13 (or Banlieue 13 en francais) was one of the best action movies ever, and the sequel didn't disappoint.

It's 3 years after the last movie. All the hooey about the walls around Banlieue 13 turns out to have been politics as usual. David Belle goes around blowing up pieces of the wall, but the crimelords who run B13 want him to stop - they think the wall is to keep cops out. Top cop Cyril Raffaelli is undercover, busting drug dealers in drag. Meanwhile, some bad guys are stirring up trouble in the banlieue and some kids have filmed it on their phones. It's the future, remember?

So Raffaelli gets framed and put in prison, and Belle has to bust him out, and, really, I've said too much about the plot anyway. That part of the movie is fine, for filler. The real meat is the action, chases and stunts. As expected from Belle and Raffaelli, these are amazing.

As a bonus, Belle and Raffaelli are buff, good looking and fine actors. I can see either of them in straight roles with no running and jumping. They have gotten better since the last one. However, I can't say this movie beats the original, for action, plot or camerawork. But it's not far behind.

In conclusion, evacuate Banlieue 13!