First of all, let's explore the meaning of action films. The so-called action films, also called thrilling action films, refer to the types of films that are centered on intense thrilling action and audio-visual tension. It has huge impact, sustained high-efficiency kinetic energy, a series of external thrilling actions and events, often involving chases (on foot and vehicles), rescues, battles, devastating disasters (floods, explosions, fires and natural disasters, etc.), Fights, escapes, constant movement, amazing rhythms and adventurous heroes, all core action sequences are set up to provide the audience with a pure escapist enjoyment. And "Block of Violence 13" fits that definition perfectly and is a veritable action movie.
The beginning of the film is a wonderful parkour movement. There are no stand-ins and no wire hanging. The camera can let the audience know from every angle that the chase is not necessarily a car that hits people on their backs to look good. Therefore, it firmly attracted the attention of the audience. The action of chasing and escaping the chase is dizzying and dizzying. The frequent switching between the shots of the film further renders the tension of the film and speeds up the rhythm of the film. Coupled with the combination of music and sound, the audience first fell into the shock of the action blockbuster and could not extricate themselves. Watching the male protagonist jump up and down on the balcony of the floor as light as a bird, the hearts of the audience are gradually immersed in this action blockbuster. Unlike Hollywood blockbusters that use a lot of stunts to attract the audience's attention, the two protagonists of this film, Leito and Damien, are the heroes of the show, and they are played by real rock climbers. Director Pierre Morey responded to the question of why special effects and stand-ins were not used: "Audiences now need real heroes, not imitations. Some extreme athletes today are becoming real stars. Those real action scenes are increasingly attracting audiences who are looking for new stimulation of extreme senses." So from this point of view, "Violence Block 13" is a film that is not too novel but definitely unique and unique.
Action movies mostly use exciting fights, and the fast pace of the film wins. It is often combined with other genres (such as sci-fi, thriller, crime and war, etc.) to produce various sub-genres and spin-offs. Generally speaking, action films often become box office darlings, but they are less likely to attract the attention of critics because of their oversimplified story structures and flat character distinctions. However, "Violence Block 13" is unconventional in this regard. There are no absolute good guys and no absolute bad guys. The police are afraid of criminals, the government is unreliable, hooligans are against the drug trade, and gangs must maintain regional stability. This is not a loss of values, but a truer reflection of today's society.
The story begins to unfold in two lines. And a main line around it is the 13th district in the film. The 13th arrondissement is a backward district of Paris separated by a wall. There are no laws, no institutions, and it is controlled by underworld groups. There is a drug trade, illegal activities everywhere. The evil forces have spread to every corner of the block, and even children have become the perpetrators of violence, and no one is immune from it. However, Leito, the leader of a small gang, wants to drive the drugs out of the hotbed of crime by himself. Unsurprisingly, his actions were severely attacked by underworld forces, and even his sister was betrayed by the police and controlled by criminals. Leito goes to jail for retaliation against the police, and then a second character appears. Damien, the elite of the police station, is a senior inspector of the special operations team, and a master of martial arts, very good at breaking into the enemy's interior. He is known for his speed, agility, and accuracy in completing tasks. Of course, this is what the director presented through a wonderful undercover action with Chinese martial arts. This time, the government handed him the toughest task of his career, a weapon of mass destruction -- a bomb that was about to explode in 24 hours. Stolen by the most ferocious gangster in the Thirteenth District. Damien's mission is to remove the explosive system of this WMD, for which he must cooperate with Reito, who is the only one who knows the inside story of the gang, and Reito also wants to rescue him from falling into the gang. sister in hand. So the two started their first cooperation between police and criminals. This collaboration is perfect. Of course, this seems to be commonplace in many Hong Kong movies, but the difference is that good and evil are clearly defined in Hong Kong movies, and the ending is usually that the gangsters change their ways, or obey the arrangements of the police, embark on the bright road of life or make peace with the police representatives Palmistry forgotten in the rivers and lakes. However, the ending in "Violence Block 13" is that the police representative realizes the untrustworthiness of the government and gets along peacefully with the gangsters. The two finally waved their hands gracefully and parted as if telling the audience to look forward to the sequel.
Usually, the greater the enemy, the greater the greatness of the person who defeated the enemy, so the screenwriter was very smart to have two powerful enemies for the two protagonists. One is a cunning and vicious gang leader, and the other is a police boss who symbolizes the power of the government. The film put a large part of the pen and ink on the last task, of course, fighting and dazzling skills are indispensable. But the most surprising thing is that the reason for the disintegration of the gang is the rebellion, and the truth of salvation is destruction. These two results turn a seemingly no-brainer action movie into a political intrigue. The film's climax, when the two protagonists scramble for control of the missile, is mostly intense. But the implications seem to be deeper. After watching the movie, I can't help but start to recall its profound meaning: there is no complete black and white, good and evil in the world. It has a grey transition zone, don't indulge in the illusion of absolute justice.
Of course, when it comes to action movies, we have to analyze the reason for its existence. First, from the inner human psychology, individuals have potential violent tendencies and the desire to kill. Violent killing means the satisfaction of an isolated and helpless individual, surpassing others and controlling their own destiny; second, from the outside. In the history of human development, the human experience full of wars, massacres, bloodshed and terrorist attacks has continued to this day, and has become more and more intense, becoming the most important living soil for thrilling action films; third, the development of modern technology and computer imaging technology Development, so that the traditional violent action films have a stronger sense of beauty and viewing. "Violence Block 13" fully caters to the above psychology and expresses it vividly with the help of high-speed cameras. In the film, the gang leader kills his subordinates for no reason, which highlights the violence of the film, and even the hero himself is a symbol of violence. On the other hand, although the director set the time of the story to 2010 to avoid the suspicion of insinuating reality, he can still experience a strong irony from it. The story is rooted in the soil of life in France and even in some of the world, which is full of bloody violence.
Finally, let's analyze the difference between "Violence Block 13" and Hollywood action blockbusters. It escapes the classic model of the Hollywood blockbuster "fist (violence) plus pillow (sex)" philosophy, with only one heroine who doesn't seem to appear much. The nature of salvation has also shifted from the hero's rescue of the beauties to the hero's self-rescue. It is a manifestation of the proliferation of personal heroism, but it is not personal heroism in the traditional sense. The fighting scenes are wonderful, and the protagonist's rescue operation is relatively easy and simple, and there is not even the heroic sacrifice that often appears in Hollywood movies. So it's a comedy by definition. Although it cannot get rid of some bad habits of commercial films, it lacks deeper literary and artistic connotations and even falls into some clichéd plots. But an action movie is an action movie, and with its rhythmic action and amazing stunts, it's still a great action movie.
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