District 13 – Ultimatum

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.