| District 13: Ultimatum | |
|---|---|
French promotional poster |
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| Directed by | Patrick Alessandrin |
| Produced by | Luc Besson |
| Written by | Luc Besson |
| Starring | David Belle Cyril Raffaelli |
| Studio | EuropaCorp TF1 Films Production Canal+ |
| Distributed by | Magnet Releasing |
| Release date(s) | February 8, 2009 (EFM) February 18, 2009 (France) |
| Running time | 106 minutes |
| Country | France |
| Language | French |
| Budget | € 12,000,000 (estimated) |
| Box office | € 13,500 000 |
District 13: Ultimatum (French: Banlieue 13 Ultimatum)[1] is a 2009 French film also known as Banlieue 13, District Thirteen 2, District B13: Ultimatum, and B13-u.[2] The film, directed by Patrick Alessandrin, is the sequel to the 2004 French action film District 13. District 13 Ultimatum stars David Belle and Cyril Raffaelli reprising their original roles of Leïto and Damien, respectively. Luc Besson, who co-produced and co-wrote District 13, is the screenwriter and producer.[3]
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Three years after the events of the original film, the authorities are attempting to return law and order to ravaged District 13. The death of gang overlord Taha Ben Mahmoud has left a power vacuum, and total control of the area is now being fought over by five rival territorial gang lords who want to step into Taha's position. After taking out a major drug dealer, Damien is framed for drug dealing and arrested, but manages to make a call to Leïto.
Meanwhile, corrupt government agents from the Department of Internal State Security (DISS), led by Gassman are bent on destroying the five tower blocks at the heart of District 13 with tactical precision bombing, and building luxury flats after the area is cleared. In order to spark conflict with the district's gangs, they shoot several cops, dump their car in District 13, and prompt several gang members into gunning down the vehicle. The footage of the incident convinces the President to carry out the strike. However, a group of teens videotaped the agents as they shot the cops themselves. The DISS agents soon come after the teen to arrest him and seize the recording, but the youth manages to slip his memory card to Leïto.
Leïto escapes the cops in District 13 and goes to rescue Damien. After freeing Damien from his cell, they discuss the events and further plans, resolving to gather enough proof to expose the DISS agents. While Damien distracts the guards, Leïto breaks into Gassman's office to steal his hard-drive for the evidence that they need. Once they escape and return to District 13, Damien and Leïto convince the five gang lords to band together to prevent the destruction of the district. While the French president struggles with the decision to destroy District 13 even with the area evacuated, a large number of gang members storm parliament. When they eventually reach the president and show him the information that they acquired, Gassman takes the president hostage and tries to force him to carry out the mass demolition. Leïto, Damien, and the gang lords succeed in freeing the president and incapacitating Gassman, earning the president's thanks and a promise to fund District 13's restoration.
With the conflict over and District 13 completely evacuated, the gang lords then decide that it would be better to rebuild District 13 anew rather than try to patch up its remnants. The movie ends with the president authorizing the strike and breathing a sigh of relief.
At the credits, there is a short clip showing the president, the gang lords, Damien and Leïto all joking around and smoking cigars together.
The film holds a "Fresh" rating of 74% on Rotten Tomatoes.[4] It holds a similar rating on Metacritic, with a score of 64 out of 100.
The original French language version District B13 Ultimatum was released in France on February 18, 2009.[5] The English language version of District 13: Ultimatum was released in the United Kingdom on October 26, 2009,[2] and it premiered in the US in a free screening in New York on January 28, 2010.[6]
The DVD/Blu-ray was released in France on August 19, 2009. The Region 1 version was released on April 27, 2010.