District 13
Breathtaking action sequences make this futuristic caper worth a look.
Escape From New York' is the obvious touchstone for this action adventure, which finds the most violent areas of 2010 era Paris walled off, leaving the criminals to fight it out amongst themselves. A stolen nuclear device is going to be detonated inside District 13 and it's up to a cop (Raffaelli) and a local (Belle) to save the day. Hailing from the Luc Besson stable, the film's main selling point is its use of the free running discipline, Parkour (Belle was its co-founder), which showcases outrageous feats of physicality as exponents throw themselves up, down and around buildings and walls. The story is perfunctory, and nothing quite matches the breathless chase scenes, but a liberal dose of gunplay and head-kicking mean it's never less than exciting. [Paul Greenwood]