District 13: Ultimatum

While much of the action that fueled 2004's District B13 is also found in this sequel directed by Patrick Alessandrin and written by encore screenwriter Luc Besson, District 13: Ultimatum suffers from the law of diminishing returns. Promises from the government to improve the titular neighborhood—ruled by feuding warlords and so crime-ridden that it's literally walled off from the rest of Paris—haven't been kept. Returning hero Leito (David Belle, master of parkour, the “art of flight” discipline that has him vaulting over walls and bouncing off objects) wants the ghetto reintegrated with the city, while undercover cop Damien Tomaso (Cyril Raffaelli) is still apparently the only honest policeman left and a favorite of France's humanist president. When a malevolent government aide concocts a plot to blow up District 13 and gentrify it (bringing huge profits to himself), Damien is thrown into the clink on a trumped-up charge. Fortunately, Leito finds out what's up and breaks Damien out of jail, whereupon the duo go into District 13 to persuade the rival thugs to unite and save the 'hood. The misfits not only foil the dastardly plan, but also convince the thankful head of state in a preachy denouement to rebuild the area “with parks and jobs.” So long as it sticks to the stunts, District 13: Ultimatum is fun, but when it delivers its heavy-handed masses-against-the-man message, it stumbles—and that, unfortunately, is far too often. A strong optional purchase. [Note: DVD/Blu-ray extras include a production diary (35 min.), a “making-of” featurette (27 min.), deleted and extended scenes (10 min.), the “HDNet: A Look at District 13: Ultimatum” featurette (5 min.), the music video for “Determine” by Alonzo, and trailers. Exclusive to the Blu-ray release is the BD-Live function. Bottom line: a solid extras package for an uneven film.] (F. Swietek)