2000s action film science fiction film martial arts film action thriller

District 13

Banlieue 13

2004 · France · 84 min

Director: Pierre Morel
Screenplay: Luc Besson, Larbi Naceri
Producer: Luc Besson
Editing: Frédéric Thoraval

What the critics say

82 % Rotten Tomatoes positive reviews70 Metacritic /100

Cast

La Fouine

David Belle

Dany Verissimo

Cyril Raffaelli

Ludovic Berthillot

Alain Rimoux

Tony D'Amario

François Chattot

Larbi Naceri

Lyes Salem

MC Jean Gab'1

Marc Andréoni

Patrick Olivier

Samir Guesmi

Warren Zavatta

What it is about

Paris, 2010. The poorer suburbs have fallen into the hands of gangs, and a area known as District 13, home to two million people, has been sealed off by a wall that cuts it off from the rest of the city. Inside, residents live without schools, basic utilities or police protection. Leïto, a young man who fights the criminal groups of the neighbourhood, sees his sister dragged into a cycle of revenge. Meanwhile, undercover officer Damien Tomaso is given an urgent assignment: enter the district and locate an explosive device with a deadline of just 24 hours. To complete it, he will have to team up with someone he least expected.

How it was made

Luc Besson produced the film, and he co-wrote the screenplay with Bibi Naceri, who also plays Taha. Pierre Morel directed, and Frédéric Thoraval edited. The shoot put parkour at the centre of the action, with David Belle, its best-known practitioner, sharing the lead with Cyril Raffaelli. The chase sequences were filmed without wires or CGI, an approach that led critics to compare the film with the Thai action movie Ong-Bak. Tony D'Amario, who plays K2, made this his final film before his death in 2005. The result is a lean action story built around a physical style that the camera makes highly visible.

Reception and legacy

Outside France the film received mostly positive reviews, with an 81% score on Rotten Tomatoes and a Metacritic average of 70 out of 100. Reaction at home was somewhat cooler, with French critics pointing to its resemblance to Escape from New York and Ong-Bak and to its thin plot. Reviewers across the board praised the action scenes and stunt work. Its success led to a sequel, Banlieue 14, retitled District 13: Ultimatum during post-production and released in 2009, and to an English-language remake, Brick Mansions, set in Detroit and released in 2014 with Paul Walker.