When Luc Besson produced the small hit movie Yamakasi, he intended to have the biggest “parkour” (urban running) star to feature in this movie: David Belle. He is one of the founding fathers of this particular acrobatic style where everyday (urban) obstacles are used to be jumped and climbed over in a very spectacular way. Regrettably, he fell out with the actors he initially introduced to this ‘sport’ and Yamakasi was shot without him. Belle continued to work on his career until Besson approached him anew for another action movie where urban running and acrobatics would form the basis of the film.

The title of the movie is a direct reference to the French suburbs (banlieues) and specifically the northern suburbs of Paris, the infamous neuf-trois (93) and “92″ area. These suburbs also starred in the strongly political masterpiece La Haine (this movie is steadily becoming my Leitmotiv, haha) and are symbolic for all the tension that is connected with immigrants and angry youth. The story takes place in the very near future of the year 2013 and depicts a grim picture where these suburbs – fittingly called Banlieue 13 – have become an outlawed enclave, sealed off from the rest of civilisation by a big wall. Within this wall it’s a free haven for criminals and those cast aside by society. Here we find Leïto (Belle), who rages a one-man war against the ruling drug lords. After he is betrayed by the corrupt police and his sister is taken hostage by the criminals, he teams up with super cop Damien to retrieve a nuclear bomb which has been stolen by the main drug lord. They have little time to disarm the bomb and liberate Leïto’s sister before Banlieue 13 is reduced to ash.

The story sounds quite cheesy and seems to borrow a lot from movies like Escape From New York, La Haine and of course Yamakasi. The action sequences are truly amazing and allow phenomenon David Belle to strut his incredible stuff and unique acrobatic abilities. I was already familiar with this guy’s skills and that makes watching his stunts only more amazing: he does them all by himself. Also Cyril Raffaelli who plays Damien is an incredible action star and tremendously versed in martial arts. The fighting is strongly reminiscent of that other amazing martial arts hit Ong Bak (which also has a strong French connection). The way the action is shot by means of some amazing camera work and nifty computer animation is a real treat to the eye. This is really an entertaining movie, made with a lot of enthusiasm. Nevertheless, it is more than just a lot of fun mindless action around a corny story; if you look just a bit past that you’ll see a serious message. In essence it tells a similar story as La Haine did: describing the desolate future of the social groups inhabiting these suburbs and the growing tension that comes with it. The metaphors of a wall around a problem area and a big bomb are only too familiar and send a powerful political message, albeit in a seemingly carefree package.

To learn more about Parkour and David Belle, check this site
For the movie’s site, check here

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