| Rating: | ★★★★ |
| Category: | Movies |
| Genre: | Action & Adventure |
I have to admit, the action movie genre isn't one I'd automatically associate with French cinema, but there are few names to conjure with like that of Luc Besson , famous for (among others) Leon and the Fifth Element, and the scriptwriter of this little knees-up.
Banlieue 13 is a low(ish) budget action movie - think Escape from New York, transplanted to Paris in 2010. The plot is pretty flimsy - a neutron bomb somehow finds its way into the hands of a local warlord, and a police ninja has to team up with a local hero to get it back. Cue carnage. What made this film special for me was the superb action sequences, which are heavily influenced by freerunning (I think the French call it Parkour). If you 've never heard of freerunning, it's simply the most amazing and graceful modern sport ever invented, and it was created by (you've guessed it) the French (here's the
wikipedia article). The stunts these slim, dancer-like guys pull off (and the actors did all their own stuff, apparently) make the top-heavy heroes of Hollywood and their ludicrously better-than-life special effects look frankly tired.
There's also some nearly-intellectual dialogue which simply wouldn't have made it into a Superman movie - and if there are some glaring holes in the plot, then hey - it's an action film! So what? An excellent night out.
2 comments:
For me, one expensive movie. That includes lessons in French.
It's amazing how quickly you cease to notice that you're reading subtitles.
My one minor gripe was that I thought the baddies needed some bigger cars.
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