Directed by:
Patrick AlessandrinScreenplay:
Luc BessonCinematography:
Jean-François HensgensComposer:
Damien RoquesCast:
David Belle, Cyril Raffaelli, Elodie Yung, MC Jean Gab'1, Philippe Torreton, Laouni Mouhid, Daniel Duval, Moussa Maaskri, Salim Boughidene, Soufiane Guerrab (more)Plots(1)
French action sequel written and produced by Luc Besson. The death of gang overlord Taha Bemamud (Bibi Naceri) at the end of the first film has left a power vacuum, and a battle for total control of the area is now raging between five rival territorial gang lords, all of whom want to step into Taha's position. David Belle and Cyril Raffaelli reprise their roles as Leito and Damien, who return to the ravaged District 13 on a mission to bring peace to the sector before the Parisian secret services take drastic measures to solve the problem. (Entertainment One)
(more)Reviews (4)
It’s an absolutely seamless action ride, in which the only person who will be able to handle the phantasmagoric plot is the person who keeps hoping that Luc Besson will ever get his act together after an unknown stroke. The contact fights are clear to see, imaginative, and funny, with countless parkour stunts. If the director knew how to edit (specifically, how to work better with gradation and smarter location changes), I wouldn't hesitate to jump up a balcony higher.
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These boys are still really good at this, David Belle is a fight master and Cyril Raffaeli is his skilled secondant. The story is a different matter. It’s really far-fetched with a hackneyed message that there’s strength in unity and when there’s no fighting going on, the picture is jam packed full of dead spots. Now it clearly shows what a blessing Morel was for part one.
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I am surprised that the Belle-Raffaelli duo did not catch on in the USA, or in any major commercial projects. In my opinion, they easily outdo Jason Statham and similar actors. This sequel is simpler, both in terms of plot and technically more comprehensible and faster and it has benefited from the change in director. Unlike his predecessor, Patrick Alessandrin is not trying for the hardest full-contact action, but for a brisk and entertaining audiovisual mix, where the important thing is the sound of bass rather than the precision of the moves. Normally, I would like it the other way around, but in this peculiar pop culture story of a strange concept, the opposite is true, which is exactly what I had the chance to see. Without higher ambitions, but overall okay.
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It's not much worse than the first installment; rather, it seemed very similar to me. It plays on the idea that there isn't a completely bad concept here, and the overall screenplay is well-executed. It has humor, especially the opening scene, which is great, and of course, there's the well-executed and quite intense action. But even this time, it didn't really manage to excite me.
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