District 13 sequel a success

In District 13: Ultimatum, the sequel to 2004's Parisian parkour action hit District 13, director Patrick Alessandrin works with the principle that if it ain't broke, don't fix it. Super cop Damien Tomasso (Cyril Rafaelli) and thug-with-a-heart-of-gold Leito (parkour founder David Belle) reunite to tackle the forces of corruption that, once again, threaten to wipe District 13, future Paris' walled off ethnic slum, off the map.

This time around, a construction company named Harriburton wants to blow up five buildings in District 13, home to warring ethnic gangs, so that the valuable real estate can be reclaimed for the middle class, and the impoverished residents and local drug lords can be disposed of. Tomasso is a good cop, who after being framed with heroin, is forced to work with the gang lords to save District 13. 

The moral struggle of a police officer forced to rely on criminals isn't highlighted as much as it could've been, but the plot mainly serves to put Leito and Tomasso back on the same team.  The film's real eye candy is the ultra-athletic parkour, which consists of leaping from buildings and other obstacles in the landscape, creating something that is part urban warfare, part chase scene, and part choreographed ballet.

District 13: Ultimatum succeeds in blending humor into its fighting without being cheesy. There aren't cliché car chases or Die Hard aping explosions here, but instead interesting combinations of fast paced parkour and old school martial arts action. District 13: Ultimatum is a film for those that like a sequel to be as good as the original and for fans of quick camera work. Techniques seen in The Matrix or Requiem for a Dream such as bullet time shots and 360 camera angles are used, yet it manages to stay unique.

With its stereotyped ethnic gangs and ridiculous fights, District 13: Ultimatum manages to have fun and not take itself too seriously. At one point Tomasso even fights off the Chinese mafia while dressed in drag, wearing lip stick and eyeshadow.  It is one of the many high tension moments in District 13: Ultimatum broken by a comedic action scene, boosted by a bumpin' European hip-hop soundtrack. Despite its status as a sequel, there is a flare for originality that makes this film worthwhile to watch.