District 13

Le Parkour or Free Running emerged as an urban extreme sport in France so it was only fitting for a French film to be the first to incorporate it into a movie. Step up Luc Besson to write and produce the futuro ghetto gung-ho District 13 starring top ‘runnner’, David Belle. To his credit Besson fashioned an entertaining Escape from New York-lite story and fits the running into it, rather than just creating a promo video. Didn’t stop it still being an excuse for some dazzling stunts and limb-fracturing fights, packing an unexpected punch at the box office.

Momentum Pictures obviously recognise where the interest still lies for anyone now looking for a D13 DVD, omitting a commentary track and instead giving us more insight into Le Parkour and the action. If this is for you, there’s certainly enough to keep you pleased.

A fairly comprehensive, chaptered ‘making of’ uses sliced and diced interviews with director Pierre Morel and the main cast. They’re quite revealing and entertaining, especially everyone admitting that comedian Bibi Naceri (who plays druglord Taha and co-wrote the screenplay with Besson) is a non-stop motormouth they couldn’t shut up on the promo tour bus. Belle waxes simply about his Parkour past and his desire for District 13 to be a platform to jump to more movies. Cyril Raffaelli impresses with his resolve and the extent to which he plans and co-ordinates all his own stunts. There’s plenty of exposition of his and Belle’s relationship and virtuoso physical feats.

Unfortunately there’s only reference to Luc Besson’s involvement and no actual input from the man himself.

The extended extra bruising action scene from Raffaelli, adds to the whoa-ouch factor in the bone-crunching casino scene where he kicks multiple badass butt (and head, legs, chests, etc), while the outtakes are a relatively short selection of laughing and accidental bruising.

Stephane Vigroux doc, Also included is a handheld camera documentary - Le Singe Est De Retour (The Monkey Is Back) - on David Belle’s prodigal son, Stephane Vigroux, who demonstrates first how he began training with the Belle before coming into his own as one of the foremost free runners. Vigroux is an incredible alternative athlete who seems to hold Le Parkour in an almost Buddhist, Zen-like esteem that at times might seem hard to buy, but his commitment is never in doubt.

There is also a Parkour vision documentary in which some of the sport’s keenest protagonists demonstrate their skills whilst elaborating on their developed Parkour ‘vision’, seeing gymnastic routes around and through the commonplace landscape. Interesting enough, but it has a tendency to play like one of those urban skateboarding video montages of old.

In the trailer department there are the original theatrical releases, two in French and one in English. There are also a number of trailers for other movies, some continuing the theme of films featuring the extraordinary talents of their stars, such as Tony Jaa. Most cult appealing is Born to Fight, starring half a dozen Thai champion athletes, possibly coming across as a kick-ass Escape to Victory.