District B13

Plot

Set in the ghettos of Paris in 2010, an undercover cop and ex-thug try to infiltrate a gang in order to defuse a neutron bomb.

Release Year: 2004

Rating: 7.1/10 (29,841 voted)

Critic's Score: 70/100

Director:
Pierre Morel

Stars: Cyril Raffaelli, David Belle, Tony D'Amario

Storyline
In the near future, the worst ghettos of Paris, France are literally walled off and among the worst is District B13. Controlled by the ruthless crime lord, Taha, a young righteous punk named Leïto is determined to bring him down. When the boss retaliates by kidnapping his sister, Lola, a rescue attempt by Leïto is destroyed by betrayal that gets him arrested and Lola kept in the clutches in Taha. Six months later, a crackerjack undercover cop named Damien is given a urgent mission: a neutron bomb has been stolen by Taha in District B13 which has an automatic timer function engaged and set to detonate in less than 24 hours. Now with time running out, Damien and Leïto must work together to find and stop the bomb, but there is far more to this crisis than any of the field players realize.

Writers: Luc Besson, Bibi Naceri

Cast:

Cyril Raffaelli
–

Capt. Damien Tomaso

David Belle
–

Leïto

Tony D'Amario
–

K2

Bibi Naceri
–

Taha Bemamud

(as Larbi Naceri)

Dany Verissimo
–

Lola

François Chattot
–

Krüger

Nicolas Woirion
–

Corsini

Patrick Olivier
–

Le colonel

Samir Guesmi
–

Jamel

Jérôme Gadner
–

K2 boy 1

Tarik Boucekhine
–

Yoyo (para 1)

Grégory Jean
–

Para 2

Warren Zavatta
–

Para 3

Dominique Dorol
–

Cerbère Taha

Ludovic Berthillot
–

Le gros mercenaire

Taglines:
Welcome to District B13 Welcome to the future

Release Date: 10 November 2004

Filming Locations: MediaPro Studios, Bucharest, Romania

Box Office Details

Budget: €12,000,000

(estimated)

Opening Weekend: $411,544
(USA)
(4 June 2006)
(151 Screens)

Gross: $6,920,731
(France)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

84 min

Did You Know?

Trivia:

Visa d'exploitation en France: #110308

Goofs:

Audio/visual unsynchronized:
In the English dub, when the code is being typed into the bomb, Tomaso reads it as "D13", but types "B13", due to the translation of Banlieue as District.

Quotes:

[first lines]

Title Card:
Paris, 2010 / As crime spirals out of control, the government constructs a wall around highest risk housing projects.

User Review

GREAT action movie

Rating: 8/10


People people people…anyone expecting Citizen Kane out of this movie
needs to have their head examined. BUT…if you were looking for a
thrilling, fast paced roller-coaster, that's what you will find.

For the past year, I have been seeking out alternatives to American
cinema because it has become so formulaic and awful. I troll IMDb and
eBay to see what else is happening in the world. Sure, B13 is
derivative, but it is certainly more exciting than another
"re-imagining" of a 70s cop show.

The opening sequence took my breath away. I was half-way through the
film before I felt it was sage to dart to the kitchen for a drink. I
said to my wife "THIS is the movie I've been searching for." Even the
subtitles were good. The verbiage and spelling were very authentic and
slang-conversational. It did not feel forced as many foreign films do.
It was definitely subbed with the British market in mind, as some of
the banter evoked thoughts of Lock, Stock or Layer Cake or Football
Factory.

If I want a truly compelling story, I'll look elsewhere, but check out
B13 for the some great fight scenes, excellent scenery and mind-blowing
athleticism.