District 13: Ultimatum

Reviewed by Drav3n

Format: Blu-ray

Release: April 27, 2010

Rated: R

Runtime: 96 Minutes

Forget about Riggs & Murtaugh, your new action duo is Leito & Damien!

The Movie:

Here's the sequel to 2004's hit District B13 (also known as Banlieue 13). It's been three years since Leito (founder of Parkour, David Belle) and Damien (Cyril Raffaelli) teamed up to save District 13 from corrupt government. Things haven't gotten any better in District 13 as the administration went through some changes and, therefore, didn't live up to their promises. And due to the death of Taha, the population has grown even more violent than it already is with the five rival gangs seeking to take the position that was previously held by Taha.

In comes Walter Glassman (Daniel Duvall), an aide to the President who wants to finally rid District 13 and all the people who live there. After Damien is set-up by Glassman and then arrested, he calls on Leito to help break him out and figure out what's going on. Together they re-team up, this time against the Department of Internal State Security, and go back to District 13 and to save it once again from being destroyed .

Some absentees this time around are Leito's sister, Lola (Dany Verissimo), who isn't even mentioned in the movie. Unfortunately, the actor that played K2, Tony D'Amario, died in 2005. And director Pierre Morel choose to go direct this small movie called "Taken" instead of coming back for the sequel. Still on board was writer Luc Besson (Léon, the Transporter series, The Fifth Element, Taken). Patrick Alessandrin had become the director for this sequel.

I was blown away the first time I saw all the action scenes in the first movie. Knowing those scenes and stunts were done by the actors themselves and not with wires or CGI, that made me a big fan of that movie and actually had me worried that the sequel wouldn't live up to the standards of the original because of Pierre Morel not returning to direct.

Eventhough the movie's storyline is similar to the first one, it still delivers! Fans of action movies, martial arts, and of course, the growing Parkour, will not be let down here. The movie has a slow start compared to the first one, but once Leito and Damien team up, then the action comes at you full force! My only complaint is the less amount of Parkour in this compared to the first movie. However, I will say that the story seemed to be told better in Ultimatum than it was in the first one.

The chemistry of Belle and Raffaelli is unbelievable. The comedy bits and the action scenes come together flawlessly. They really need to keep going with these movies, as long as Luc Besson is still writing and they have either Morel or Alessandrin directing. If you watch the special features you will see how well Belle and Raffaelli work together behind the scenes too!

Presentation:

The film is presented in full 1080p in a 2.35:1 aspect ratio.. I thought it looked good. Colors are very solid and standout. Images were clear and crisp. Facial Features and skin tones looked really good, especially with Tao's facial tattoo's. During the "darker" scenes, the image had a bit of an issue w/ shadows and blut but nothing major.

Audio:

You are given the choice between listening to it in French (which I always recommend with a foreign film) or with the English Dub. The good thing is both audio tracks are presented in 5.1 DTS HD Master Audio and the dialogue, soundtrack and sound effects come through clear and strong. My only complaint with the French audio track is that at times you can tell they are filming on a set because of the echo in the dialogue. Not necessarily a bad thing, but when you see the actors on the street, you shouldn't be able to hear that kind of an echo. Most people probably won't even notice, but the audiophiles will.

Bonus Material:

The sequel packs more additional content than part one.

• Making of District 13: Ultimatum (480p, Runtime 26:34) - An excellent featurette that covers how the fights are planned, car stunts, interviews with the director and the cast on their thoughts of a sequel and the production. The best part of this feature is watching Belle and Raffaelli setting up and executing the stunts. It is in French, but has English subtitles.
• Production Diary (480p, Runtime 34:32) - 19 diaries in total. Very entertaining to be able to observe the filmmaking. Only complaint is that each episode is too short. Just as you begin to enjoy one, it ends and the next one begins.
• Music Video (480p, Runtime 3:35) - "Determine" by French rapper Alonzo. Decent music video with scenes from the movie added in.
• Deleted and Extended Scenes (480p, Runtime 9:22) - Mostly additional bits of action w/ Leito and Damien.
• HDNet: A Look at District 13: Ultimatum (1080i, Runtime 4:43) - The only bonus feature shown in 1080p (not counting the trailers). Narrated by Robert Wilonsky, it was interesting to hear the comparison of the film to the 2005 events in Paris that led Jacques Chirac to declare Martial Law.
• Trailers (1080p) - Red Cliff , The Warlords, Ong Bak 2

Bottom Line:

If you haven't seen (or heard of) the first movie, see it! Fans of the first movie will be pleased with this sequel. People that enjoy action movies or martial arts movies will enjoy this movie alot! Although there isn't as much Parkour as in the first one, the Parkour scenes that are included are amazing to watch and you are probably going to want to rewind and rewatch those scenes several times. Good movie, great audio and picture, and good bonus features... Check this movie out!