DISTRICT 13: ULTIMATUM- When District 13 was released in 2004, it seemed to come out of nowhere, introducing American audiences to the French sport of parkour and establishing Pierre Morel (Taken) as one of the best action film directors in the business. Written by Luc Besson (The Professional, The Fifth Element), the story wasn’t the most original, following an undercover cop (Cyril Raffaelli) and an ex-thug (David Belle) attempting to infiltrate a gang in the ghettos of Paris in order to defuse a neutron bomb. But the action was spectacular, with scenes of Belle leaping from balcony to balcony to descend a high-rise building setting the stage for the sport’s mainstream exposure in the James Bond films.
The sequel? Unfortunately, not so much. Besson’s script, which reunites Belle’s Lëito and Raffaelli’s Capt. Tomaso for a mission to bring peace among five rival gangs before a corrupt Secret Service leader convinces the President to nuke the whole district, seems outdated in its sociopolitical skewering. There’s virtually no parkour action to speak of, which puts all of the emphasis on plot and performance, which was never the original’s strong suit. Patrick Alessandrin isn’t quite the director Morel is: his editing lacks punch, his cinematography lacks style, and his storytelling lacks dramatic tension.
The actors do the best they can with what they’re given, making what could’ve been an unmitigated disaster into a decent direct-to-DVD flick. Still, Ultimatum winds up being more of the same… only less. (D) –BRET LOVE
(originally appeared in INsite Magazine)
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