Action
District B13 (Banlieue 13) (2004)
Rating: 
This is a great action film. Here’s the synopsis from Amazon.com:
For eye-popping kinetic thrills, District B13 tops the class. In the near future, the worst ghettos of Paris have been walled in and left to rot. When a neutron bomb gets stolen by a criminal kingpin in seedy District B13, Damien–a cop who specializes in deep cover assignments (Cyril Raffaelli, a stuntman turned actor)–has to team up with Leito (David Belle), who grew up in the district and has his own reason for going back: the kingpin kidnapped his sister (tough yet adorable gamine Dany Verissimo). The plot takes a few preposterous turns, but it’s beside the point–every turn serves only to maintain the relentless flow of sheer physical prowess. Belle is one of the inventors of a sport called parkour, which treats a city’s architecture like an obstacle course; while running from gun-toting thugs, Leito leaps, bounds, and scrambles up and down buildings with astonishing grace. The fight sequences are just as down-to-earth yet over-the-top as Damien whirls, kicks, and crunches through armies of bad guys. Just as important is the tongue-in-cheek tone that never turns smirky; the movie doesn’t take itself seriously, but doesn’t mock itself or its basic cinematic pleasures. Anyone looking for a break from the overbearing CGI and self-important pomp of Hollywood action movies should watch District B13. –Bret Fetzer Click here to get the DVD.
La Femme Nikita (Nikita) (1991)
Rating:
The original film that spawned an American remake and a popular television series. Here’s the synopsis from Amazon.com
French director Luc Besson (The Fifth Element) broke the commercial taboo against female-driven action movies with this seminal, seductively slick film about a violent street punk (Anne Parillaud) trained to become a smooth, stylish assassin. Though it amounts, in the end, to little more than disposable pop, the film has a cohesiveness in style and tone–akin to the early James Bond films–that gives it a sense of integrity. Parillaud is compelling both as a wild child and chic-but-lethal pro (trained in good manners by none other than Jeanne Moreau). Tchéky Karyo is also good as the cop mentor who develops feelings for her. –Tom Keogh
Besson is one of the most talented directors working in film today, and the action genre is his canvass of choice. If you haven’t seen this movie yet, it is highly recommended.