Growler's Cool Movie Picks! (Volume One)

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Looking for a good story to watch? Check these out! A selection of quality supernatural, sci-fi, fantasy, action adventure, animation and period dramas that will entertain. Movies take us to another world and wash us with raw emotions and excitement. Let these films show you how far a creative imagination can take you. Sit back and enjoy.

Rawle Austin presents...

District 13 - A review

Quality movie! 

This was the first French language film I had seen and I’d heard the action was quite spectacular. Guess what? I wasn’t disappointed. Set in Paris of 2013 we’re introduced to an urban ghetto, which is so dangerous it’s sealed off from the rest of the country by a massive wall and has a border checkpoint manned by police. This ghetto is called District 13. It’s ruled by a local druglord Taha who sends his henchmen led by K2 (the man mountain) to keep order. The police are quite happy to keep a hands off role as long as the action stays behind the walls. Leito is one of the ghetto citizens who resists the druglord’s power and he and his sister, Lola, live a dangerous life of pure survival. He knows the town inside out.

Click here to check out the District 13 [DVD]

This has made him, shall we say, extremely resourceful and extraordinarily agile. He’s an honest man in a sea of corruption, determined to stay and redeem his hometown.

Damien is an elite police officer in the French Special Intervention Unit who only wants to serve his country and his people. He’s an expert in martial arts and a master at infiltration.

Quite simply, he’s the best there is at what he does. His badge is worn with pride and he jumps at the chance when he’s given 24 hours to stop a bomb going off inside District 13. A bomb so big it could kill thousands.

But all is not what it seems and some quality action adventure unfolds. And then Damien and Leito meet…

The film is based on an idea by the legendary Luc Beeson who is one of the giants of French cinema. Directed by Pierre Morel, he has crafted a strong vision which electrifies the screen with raw excitement. On being asked if this film was part of a trend of the stuntman becoming the actor, Morel replied “This is more than a trend. The public needs real heroes, not actors that are pretending. Action films now are less and less faked and the athletic stuntmen are now becoming the true stars. Audiences are more impressed by reality, especially young Europeans. They want to see more Chinese, Thai and Korean guys playing their true roles.” He wasn’t wrong. It’s all here with a bang. This is indeed a new breed of action film. More real, more dynamic and therefore more dramatic.

You feel the pain of every blow, every kick and every punch.

It’s as if someone has grabbed you by the shoulder and forced you to run for your life. As you sit watching you almost feel the adrenalin rush and wind on your face of this fast paced movie.

As a Marvel Comics fan watching this I couldn’t help but see the perfect Daredevil and the Punisher casting right there on screen.

And hey guess what? They meet, they fight and then they team up. Cool.

Cyril Raffaeli plays Damien. His fighting style is more direct and brutal. He gets the job done and you know when you’ve been tangoed by him.

Cyril got into the prestigious Annie Fratellini Circus School (named after the first female circus clown in France) at 14 and later joined the circus.

There, his passion for acrobatics led him to find work as a stuntman. His love for martial arts led him to become France’s Chinese Boxing Champion in 1998.

In 1999 however he decided to devote himself to his movie career. He was a stuntman in Ronin, Joan of Arc, Brotherhood of the Wolf and Kiss of the Dragon where he fought with Jet Li. He choreographs all his fight scenes. David Belle is Leito. His fighting style and movement is more agile and fluid than Raffaeli and is breathtaking to watch. A real blast of fresh air. When he was 15 years old he developed the street art of Le Parkour (or Free Running) with his co –founder Sebastien Foucan. This athletic art is soon to seen used in the pre – title sequence of the upcoming James Bond film Casino Royale.

David was introduced to his future co- star, Cyril Raffaeli by Luc Beeson who was impressed by his athletic talent. District 13 is David’s first major starring role in a movie.

Le Parkour is defined as the uninterrupted , efficient forward motion over, under, around and through obstacles (man –made and natural) in one’s environment. This movement can be in the form of running, jumping, climbing or other methods.

I guarantee you won’t have seen anything like it. And it’s all real action, no special effects! Jaw dropping!

If you enjoy watching a decent portion of ass-kickery and crazy action then you’ll love this movie. I did, and it’s well worth your time. So go see it. It’s released on 7 July 2006 by Momentum Pictures.

I give it 7 out of 10 for sheer entertainment.

District 13 is told in the French language with English subtitles.

See more about District 13 at it's website,

http://www.districtb13.com/

Running time: 85 minutes, certificate: 15

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