 B13
Starring:
David Belle, and Cyril Raffaelli
Directed by: Pierre Morel
FRENCH
w/ Subtitles
Bluntly
speaking? B13 is all about the kick-ass Parkour! What's
Parkour my unknowledgeable leedle readers beg? Well, it's a kind of fluid form
safety net and wire free martial-arts-hip hoppin'-street kickin'-action-stunt
movement that's sweeping the European world - and B13 stars one of its
originators, David Belle, aside super stunt choreographer Cyril Raffaelli in pretty
good urban French escape homage in the vein of an Escape From New York. Story
goes…it's the near future - France Circa 2013 - and the suburb of Paris,
known as, B13 is behind walls. The crime is so bad the government has decided
it's better to just walled up the hoodlums and post a few guards at the border… Within
the Lord of the Flies underworld created by the separation, drugs and violence
rule. But there are exceptions. For example, Leito (David Belle). He is a good
guy stuck in the muck of a city of Sin - and there's no cool casino shows to be
found here kids. Leito is trying to change his hood by taking down a shipment
of drugs - not a great idea. He steps over the line with the head bad guy and
gets framed into prison…and he kills a police chief - accidentally - en route
to his downfall… Meanwhile,
over in the swanky borough of Paris elite forces officer Damien (Cyril Raffaelli)
has just completed another mission impossible with his stellar physical abilities.
He's beckoned to the commandant for his next deadly job. Damien is assigned to
recover a nuclear bomb ( a weapon of mass destruction) that was hijacked and is
believed to be in B13, and - of course - in the wrong hands. They'll
need convict Leito to escort Damien into B13 as there's no way a cop can get in
and get out alive… The
story's a bit over dramatic and heightened into that realm of disbelief of sub
cultured worlds, with a twinge of reality reminiscent of the way Germany ghetto'd
off "undesirables," in a 1940 Germany, and the whole government
power ruling wrongly deal. You're much better off finding a niche for your viewing
interests elsewhere - cause the story is moot. But, being a mindless action film
that borders on absurd, it does have choices for avoiding the plot faux pas! You
can watch handsome David Belle aka Leito the Agile scurry about net free as the
reigning master of Parkour. Or relish in stuntman cum actor, Cyril Raffaelli -
a much better looking version of a Vin Diesel sort - as he positively strikes
awe in your imagination as he fluently ricochets his body to and fro. Or
take a moment to look around the hoopla and discover Pierre Morel the director
who comes from the School of Parkour via Luc Besson's University of Kinetic HIgh
Octane Man Films! In fact, the beginning of B13, as created by Morel, is
one of the most wonderful openings this Wellesian film snob has ever seen in an
action film; it guides you and tells a story in one (trick of the eye long shot..
The edits and the point of view refreshing and telltale while maintaining an artistical
freshness.
The trio's talents are the reason to see B13. And, the
Parkour stunts and action are gonna make your jaw drop - and this David Belle
(Parkour's co-creator) is positively a mansteak extravaganza, pardonnez-moi, David
Belle - who looks as if John Cusack and Jeremy Northam splashed DNA in a South
Park laboratory - is l' homme extrêmement beau avec un corps de rêve.
He has it all; talent, looks and just enough pout to keep him interesting…and
the film is a must see for Parkour fanatics. Enjoy. Snack
recommendation: Nibbling chocolate fondue-dipped strawberries, while you purr
the refrain, "Voulez-vous coucher avec moi (ce soir)?" inviting Mr.
Belle's attentions. 
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