District B13

The first collaboration by the writer and director of Taken is a French-language action film that doesn't take itself too seriously. It's quite short at only 80 minutes and really has very little story to speak of, but the more violent aspects have a nice style to them that makes it a fun, quick watch. We've seen parkour get infused into various movies more and more like Casino Royale, but this is the only one I know that stars the founder of the discipline. David Belle is a rebellious figure inside a poor district of France that has been abandoned and walled off by the government and taken over by crime lords. After a cop is informed that a bomb has been stolen and accidentally activated inside the district, he and Belle team up to deactivate it and also rescue his sister.

What follows is a string of fight sequences and free running chases that are still fresh and entertaining five years after release, and do well enough to make the movie worth watching for action fans despite the meager plot and lack of big special effects. Everything, or most everything is done without wires or computer assistance, and it proves that you don't need explosions to be exciting. Luc Besson made a couple really good films before he apparently decided it was easy enough just to script a bunch of basic action flicks, but at least this one delivers on its promise of creative entertainment better than say, The Transporter. I enjoyed it.