Fantastic Fest 2009

District 13 is once again in trouble. The gangs are restless, promised changes have not come to pass, poverty and crime are as rampant as ever. And, just in case things weren't difficult and complex enough in the anarchic district, it appears as though it has a new enemy, a powerful and well financed enemy determined to bring the wrath of the establishment down upon the people and willing to kill to do so. In the face of lawlessness and rising violence there can be only one response: by-the-book supercop Damien and free roaming -- free running, I should say -- vigilante Leto must once again join forces to bring peace to District 13.

 

When Pierre Morel's District B13 burst on to the scene in 2004, prescient timing and clever marketing allowed the film to tap into the bubbling awareness of a new extreme sport, parkour. By casting parkour's co-creator David Belle as Leto and then building the film around his unique skills the film delivered something people had never before seen on screen, a dazzling combination of speed, strength, grace and fearlessness. Largely on Belle's back the film became a huge international hit and so producer Luc Besson did what smart producers always do in cases like these: he took his original formula, shifted the focus slightly and made a sequel.

 

While the original District B13 was very much Belle's coming out party this second installment casts its eye largely on his partner, French martial artist Cyril Raffaelli.  Though you may not think of France as a hotbed for martial arts, Raffaelli is so good that he has been hired to choreograph fight films in Hong Kong and his performance as Damien is loaded with raw energy and charisma, his flying fists and feet dazzling to watch on screen. If the first B13 provided a taste of what Raffaelli was capable of, this second provides a full course meal. Fill out the cast with charismatic characters heading the competing gangs -- Black's MC Jean Gab'1 plays a key role -- and District B13 Ultimatum proves that sometimes you really can go back again. (Todd Brown)