Banlieue 13 (2004)

The French answer to Ong Bak coulda been the final word, with superior production values and a serviceable if not exactly profound story-line (how much story can you get in an 80 minute film that's 50% action though?). Unfortunately it's let down by "Hollywood style" over-editing of the action scenes. David Belle & Cyril Raffaelli have real skills, and showing them off is the raison de etre of the film - so why chop most of the best moves into 3 separate shots, so we can't really appreciate them?

It's a tribute to the performers and Raffaelli's choreography that they're still amazing to watch! I'd love to see a re-edit that simply removes the unnecessary insert shots and shows the moves in their full glory.

Despite this objection, I still rate the film 8/10 :)