The French seem to have a real talent for producing kick arse, low calorie action flicks, especially when Luc Besson is involved. District 13 has a plot with the depth of a chocolate biscuit, but that's not the point of the movie. The whole point is the breathless, fast-paced and inventive action set pieces, all of which have been given the Parkour treatment.
Parkour, or "free running", has become the new extreme sport craze of the last decade, as evidenced in the James Bond revamping Casino Royale, and Electronic Art's game Mirror's Edge, and being a French invention it was only a matter of time before we got a spiffing little action movie out of it.
Step forward District 13, set in a near-future dystopian Paris where troublesome districts of the city have been walled-off and left to rot. Throw in a couple of tough-guy free runners having to stop a bomb going off in the titular district, and that's about it really.
It's brief, light on your brain, fast and carefree entertainment. It's like an energy bar, no roast beef Sunday dinner, but it doesn't half give you a boost.
that simile you end with is awesome!
ReplyDelete