i know the French are good at a lot of things.... one of them being the gift of ticking off Americans.... but i can see past all that with their filim industry.... and with the recent crop of amazing French horror films, i figured it was about time to give them another shot at their action films as well.... and this one came recommended.... yes, it's subtitled and yes, that makes it just a hair harder to follow the action if you're a slow reader.... but don't let that sway you from seeing this kick ass piece of cinema.... you've got likable characters, amazing stunts, a great storyline.... and that's just scratching the surface.... i saw in awe during the entire movie at what i was seeing unfold.... and most, if not all of it, was due to it's writer and producer Luc Besson ('The Fifth Element', 'The Professional').... he put a lot into this movie and it did so well that it's even spawned a sequel now.... (which is in my queue....) it's the near future in France.... and the government has decided to wall up the ghetto's in an effort to control the crime and keep everyone seperate.... the worst of these being District B13.... and that's where our story begins.... with one of our hero's getting rid of an amazing amount of drugs and soon being chased by a huge gang of thugs, which leads to one of the most incredible foot chase scenes i think i've ever seen.... they do things that just don't seem humanly possible.... after we see the outcome of the chase which switch to outside the walls where we meet our other hero.... who is a police officer who's notorious for going deep undercover and his amazing skills in combat.... after both introductions are complete we learn of an overall plot that brings the two together.... it would seem that the government has a test weapon that is capable of a clean sweep of an area through a surgical explosion of a bomb.... and somehow it's been stolen by some thugs in B13 who plan on selling it to the highest bidder or destroying a big chunk of France.... this is the point where the action goes from kick ass to m-f'ing jaw dropping....
i was amazed at the two leading men's performances.... both acting and action wise.... it's a wonder they're not popular in the states.... perhaps they're France's best kept secret.... and i'm so glad i was let in on the secret too.... granted if i never had seen this movie then i never would have been the wiser.... but after seeing it, i don't know what i ever did without it.... this is a movie made for adrenaline junkies.... and fans of gunfights, car chases, martial arts moves and lots of ass kicking.... the plot is enough to carry the movie.... it may not be breaking too much new ground but it still feels fresh.... and it makes me want to take the time to rent the sequel.... the original is available OnDemand right not.... and i hope some of you check it out tonight.... and let me know what you think.... if you're an action fan at all, there is no way you won't like this movie....
4 out of 5 stars for this.... and yet again another possible addition to the library of films that i own.... if for nothing else than just the fight scenes alone.... but it's so much more than that.... i highly recommend this movie and will be renting the sequel here in the next week or two.... and i'm sure i'll post a review of that too.... why not....? it's what i do....
if you like this, check out: 'Chocolate', 'The Professional' and 'The Transporter'
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