My interest in Banlieue 13 arose from the particular sport it featured: free-running. By that I'm referring to the fast paced stunts that are getting more and more screen exposure in recent years (the latest and perhaps most famous being the the first half hour stunts in the Casino Royale, the latest Bond flick).
According to Wikipedia, Banlieue 13 stars some of the sports' most famous athletes. And since the film is produced by Luc Besson, I was expecting some grossly over-the-top stunts. In that aspect, I've to say I was somewhat disappointed at the shortage of long running sequences. That's not to say there aren't many action sequences - indeed, there's a boatload of them - but I was looking for specifically the fluid free-running sequence. Perhaps I should check out some sports videos instead.
That being said, the film is interesting enough to provide some good solid entertainment, Luc Besson style. While I'm not a huge fan of the charismatic French film-maker, his films that I've stumbled across are generally fun to watch, and this one is no exception. The plot is irrelevant, as usual, and just creates enough excuses for the protagonists to fight their way through all sorts of chaos. Most of the stunts are finely choreographed and well-executed, but my main complaint would be that truly memorable stunts are far and few between.
In the end, this film is simply good action entertainment, and it seldom pretends to be otherwise. Worthwhile watching.
7/10
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