District 13 – Ultimatum (2009)
Director: Patrick Alessandrin
Movie review
From Time Out London
Paris, 2013, and the ghetto of ‘District 13’ is still ruled by gangs – until, that is, property developers in cahoots with police decide to act. In this sequel, writer-producer Luc Besson’s conceit is for the developers to stoke unrest so the government demolishes the place. Not, of course, if free-running Leïto (David Belle) and his ally on the force Capt Tomaso (Cyril Raffaelli) have their way. Fair enough, Besson’s story at least maintains that the French constitution and the ’hood are worth fighting for, but while the repeated explanation of the plot is tiresome, the film’s real problem is building momentum from its action set-pieces. Belle’s agility and Raffaelli’s fleet footwork are fine, but the parade of rent-a-thugs toppling like ninepins isn’t very exciting.Author: Trevor Johnston
Time Out London Issue 2041: 1-7 October, 2009
Cast & crew
Director: Patrick Alessandrin
Cast: David Belle, Cyril Raffaelli, Philippe Torreton
Genre(s): Action/Adventure
Duration: 100 mins
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