District B13 [Blu-ray]

MOVIE DESCRIPTION:

A nuclear weapon has been stolen by the most powerful gang in Paris' treacherous, walled-in ghetto, and it's up to a determined cop and a vigilante criminal in search of his sister to infiltrate the sector, save the girl, and get the bomb out of the bad guys' hands in an action-packed tale produced by Luc Besson and directed by cinematographer Pierre Morel. The year is 2010, and a massive wall has been erected to keep the violence of the Paris ghetto confined to District B13. Within these walls, gangs rules the streets and law enforcement is powerless. This time the gangs have gone too far, though, and when the authorities realize that a nuclear weapon has been smuggled into the district, specially trained policeman and martial artist Damien is assigned the task of retrieving the weapon of mass destruction before Paris goes up in flames. He's not going to be able to do it on his own, though, and when Damien learns that breakaway bad guy Leïto's sister has been abducted by the very same gang, the pair soon forges a tentative partnership that merges the power of law enforcement with the anything-goes attitude of the criminal element. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

DVD FEATURES:

• Number of Discs: 1
• Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1 (Cinemascope)
• Screen: Color, Enhanced Wide Screen Letterbox for 16x9 TV
• Subtitle: Spanish
• Features:
  • • The Making of District B13
    • Extended fight scene
    • Outtakes

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:

• Director:

  Pierre Morel

• Producer:

  Luc Besson

• Screenwriter:

  Bibi Naceri, Luc Besson

• Cinematographer:

  Manuel Teran, Thierry Guilmard

• Composer (Music Score):

  Da Octopusss

• Editor:

  Derderic Thorval

• Production Designer:

  Hugues Tissandier

• Executive Producer:

  Bernard Grenet

• Set Designer:

  Hugues Tissandier

• Costume Designer:

  Alexandre Andre Rossi, Martine Rapin

• Sound/Sound Designer:

  Didier Lozahic, Frédéric Ullmann

• First Assistant Director:

  Stephane Gluck

• Casting:

  Swan Pham

• Production Manager:

  Thierry Guilmard

• Sound Mixer:

  Didier Lozahic

• From Idea By:

  Luc Besson

• Sound Editor:

  Alexandre Hernandez, Maud Lombart

REVIEW:

• Throughout cinematic history, stunt work has provided some of the most exciting moments of big-screen thrills, which as France's District B13 proves, is just as true in the modern era as when Buster Keaton wowed audiences at the dawn of filmmaking. Both Jackie Chan and Thailand's Tony Jaa have excelled at death-defying theatrics leading up to this, but this Luc Besson production truly takes it to the next level. From the very first chase scene on, the speeds at which the actors and stuntmen risk life and limb for the camera are unparalleled. It helps that first-time director and veteran cameraman Pierre Morel knows how to keep things moving -- and boy do they ever under his skillful eye. The same can't quite be said of his action direction, which while competent, features the same kind of sped-up, cut frame-rate of many of its action contemporaries (thereby adding extra action within the camera instead of in front of it). Still, complaints are low with this action flick. Besson has supplied a smart script that confounds expectations as he pits his heroic characters in a sort of Escape from New York scenario with an anti-government twist. That said, the flick could have used at least one final showdown fight scene, though action-lovers should remember that it's the stunts that reign supreme here, not necessarily the foot-to-the-face contact. ~ Jeremy Wheeler, Rovi