Banlieue 13 (2004)

Genre: Crime/Action

Starring: Cyril Raffaelli, David Belle, Tony D'Amario, Bibi Naceri, Dany Verissimo

English Title: District B13. Paris, 2010. Crime rate in the city is sky-rocketing and in order to curb it, the government built a massive wall around the cities most shady area, Banlieue 13 aka Borough 13. Leito (Belle) a resident of the area steals heroin from the local gang lord, Taha (Naceri). Taha's sidekick K2 (D'Amario) kidnaps Leito's sister Lola (Verissimo) and uses her as a slave and manages to get Leito arrested by the police. A nuclear bomb is stolen from the government by Taha and Capt. Damien (Raffaelli) of the French Police has been assigned the task to recover it. Leito is freed and is made his assistant and guide to navigate his way around the area. The movie has a very average and predictable plot, but what makes it fun to watch is the superior action. The crisp moves of Raffaelli and Belle steal the show and leave you craving for more. Sure, some scenes are a bit overdone and seem like a video game, but they can be easily overlooked for a better overall picture. Great action flick which is short and precise.

Thumbs up: Amazing action and chase sequences

Thumbs down: Unexciting plot

Rating: 7.4/10