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If you never saw 2004’s DISTRICT B13 (or BANLIEUE 13 as it’s known in France), you missed the first really big cinematic showcase for the art of Parkour. It starred David Belle and Cyril Raffaelli as a mismatched pair of badasses trying to bring down a psychotic bad guy and save a girl. I loved it, and so did pretty much everyone in the theater when I saw it. It was actually one of the earliest Bigfanboy.com reviews I posted in 2004. I assumed back then that David Belle would go on to appear in American films, and that Parkour would be heavily used in U.S. productions as well. While Parkour has seeped into select action movies here, Belle never seemed to make the transition. But now, a full decade later, he’s co-starring with Paul Walker and RZA in a remake of DISTRICT B13 called BRICK MANSIONS. This was Paul Walker’s last completed film before his tragic death a few months ago. The script is by Luc Besson, who co-wrote the original. While I’m happy to see Walker taking the lead in something as exciting as this, I sincerely hope people realize it’s a remake, and hopefully seek out the original (and its sequel) to see the source of it all. BRICK MANSIONS is directed by Camille Delamarre and opens next month. Take a look at the new trailer and tell us what you think in the comments.
In a dystopian Detroit, abandoned brick mansions left from better times now house only the most dangerous criminals. Unable to control the crime, the police constructed a colossal containment wall around this area to protect the rest of the city. Undercover cop Damien Collier (Paul Walker) is determined to bring his father’s killer, Tremaine (RZA) to justice and every day is a battle against corruption. For Lino (David Belle), every day is a fight to live an honest life. Their paths never should have crossed, but when Tremaine kidnaps Lino’s girlfriend, Damien reluctantly accepts the help of the fearless ex-convict, and together they must stop a sinister plot to devastate the entire city. With stylized action featuring thrilling Parkour stunts (David Belle is the co-founder of this physical training discipline), Brick Mansions puts an entertaining twist on the action genre.
BRICK MANSIONS opens in theaters nationwide on April 25, 2014
Born and raised in Dallas, Mark has been a movie critic since 1994, with reviews featured in print, radio and National TV. In 2001 he started the Entertainment section of the Herorealm website, where he contributed film reviews and celebrity interviews until 2004. After three years of service there, he started Bigfanboy.com, which has become one of the Dallas film community's leading information websites. Bigfanboy hosts several movie screenings in the Texas area, and works closely with film and TV studios and promotional partners to host exciting events and contests. The site also features a variety of rare celebrity and filmmaker interviews, and Bigfanboy.com regularly covers the film festival circuit as well. In addition to Hollywood reporting, Mark has worked for many years as an advertising and sci-fi/comic book artist. Clients have included Lucasfilm Ltd., Topps Trading Cards, The Dallas Mavericks and The Dallas Stars. From 2002 until 2015 he managed the Dallas Comic Con, Sci-Fi Expo and Fan Days events in the DFW area. He currently catalogs rare comic books and movie memorabilia for Heritage Auctions, and runs the Dallas Comic Show conventions, but remains an avid moviegoer and cinema buff. 
