Brick Mansions Review

Rated PG-13 (Frenetic Gunplay, Violence and Action Throughout, Language, Sexual Menace and Drug Material)

Running Time: 1 Hour & 30 Minutes

Cast-

Paul Walker-Detective Damien Collier

David Belle-Lino Dupree

Robert Fitzgerald Diggs/RZA-Tremaine Alexander

Catalina Denis-Lola

Ayisha Issa-Rayzah

Gouchy Boy-K2

Robert Maillet-Yeti

Carlo Rota-George the Greek

Frank Fontaine-Collier's Grandfather

Bruce Ramsay-Detroit's Mayor

Andreas Apergis-Berringer

Richard Zeman-Major Reno

Directed by Camille Delamarre

It's nice to see the late Paul Walker on the big screen but it doesn't change the fact that "Brick Mansions" is terrible.

Note: Screened on Wednesday, April 23, 2014 at AMC Loews 34th Street 14.

Heath Ledger tragically died from an accidental prescription drug overdose six months prior to the release of Christopher Nolan's "Batman Begins" sequel "The Dark Knight" in 2008 but the Australian actor—who was just twenty-eight years old at the time of his death—left behind an indelible mark on critics and audiences alike with his memorably unhinged performance as long-time Batman nemesis the Joker. Riding a wave of critical acclaim, Ledger was subsequently given a posthumous Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor, which his family accepted on his behalf. As cynical as this may sound, such accolades will not be given to Paul Walker, who was killed in a car accident last November after leaving a charity event with his friend Roger Rodas. Walker was in the middle of shooting "Fast & Furious 7," which was set to be released this July but was pushed back to next April as a result of his untimely death. Moviegoers who were hoping to see Walker on the big screen will have to make do with the Luc Besson-produced "Brick Mansions," a remake of Pierre Morel's well-received 2004 French action film "District B13." The only problem is that the remake—helmed by editor-turned-director Camille Delamarre—is absolutely terrible. Completely bereft of any discernable plot and saddled with mind-numbing and poorly edited action sequences, "Brick Mansions" is a forgettable D-grade action flick that is only notable for featuring Paul Walker in one of his final film roles.

In the year 2018, the crime-infested slums of Detroit, Michigan—known  as 'Brick Mansions'—have been walled off from the rest of the city by the Mayor (Bruce Ramsay) and his rich constituents, leaving the remaining residents in the rundown district to fend for themselves behind a forty-foot high concrete barrier manned by armed soldiers. With no schools, hospitals, or even basic human services, the people trapped within Brick Mansions turn to ruthless drug kingpin Tremaine Alexander (Robert Fitzgerald Diggs/RZA) to ease their daily suffering. Hoping to wipe away the urban plague in one shot, the Mayor targets the decaying district for demolition but his plans hit a snag when it is revealed that Tremaine has managed to acquire an experimental neutron bomb, which the drug lord inadvertently activated and is set to go off in twelve hours. To disarm the weapon, the Mayor sends in hardnosed undercover detective Damien Collier (Paul Walker), who is eager to settle a score with Tremaine as he killed his police officer father decades earlier. Damien finds himself paired with Lino Dupree (David Belle), a freedom fighter living in Brick Mansions. Lino has his own reasons for going after Tremaine as the drug lord is holding his ex-girlfriend Lola (Catalina Denis) hostage. Using their unique fighting skills, Damien and Lino dive headfirst into the belly of the beast in order to save a city that's tearing itself apart.

Given a limited release in 2006 and 2010 in North America, Pierre Morel's "District B13" and Patrick Alessandrin's sequel "District 13: Ultimatum" went on to receive positive reviews from critics (80% and 74% on Rotten Tomatoes, respectively) and is notable for introducing the acrobatic martial art known as 'parkour' to a wider audience. David Belle, one of the founders of parkour, reprises his role of Leïto—renamed Lino—in Camille Delamarre's remake "Brick Mansions" and although it's been ten years since Morel's film came out (it was first released in France in 2004), his rooftop-jumping and wall-scaling stunts still get the adrenaline pumping. Unfortunately, these moments are few and far between in Delamarre's version and what we're left with are a bunch of generic action scenes that are choppily edited together. The story isn't any better because there isn't any. Written by Luc Besson and Bibi Naceri, the script feels like a rough draft that was hastily hashed out in a lazy afternoon as it squanders its dystopian premise (which is closer than you think given Detroit's current economic situation), with the film itself made borderline unwatchable thanks to the ugly visuals from cinematographer Christophe Collette. As it if that wasn't enough, the writers see fit to shoehorn in a social inequality theme that's at best, insulting, and at worst, racist since almost everyone living in the Brick Mansions district is a minority. I would respect Besson and Naceri more if they had just stuck with making a straightforward action film instead of forcing in some out-of-nowhere social commentary in a lame attempt to provide their picture with 'meaning.'

With its laughably atrocious story and the dialogue faring even worse, this just leaves the action as the sole saving grace for "Brick Mansions." Sadly, novice director Camille Delamarre bungles this as well as outside of Belle's few parkour sequences, the fight scenes and car chases are damn-near incomprehensible. Any given shot lasts approximately thirty milliseconds and much of the violence ends up being diluted because Delamarre always cuts at the point of impact. When the action scenes in your action film fail to excite and cause headaches because they're indecipherable, you have a major problem on your hands. Additionally, Walker's untimely demise casts an uncomfortable pall over the numerous high-speed car crashes given his cause of death.

Like the story, there are no performances, just a bunch of people shouting when they're not busy punching or shooting at each other. Paul Walker was never a great actor to begin with; at best, he's watchable but in "Brick Mansions," he might as well be a brick. Walker's pairing with David Belle allows for some moments of levity, with the actor staring with an incredulous look on his face whenever he witnesses Belle perform an acrobatic feat. Although Belle shines in the parkour scenes, his performance is marred by some rather terrible ADR dubbing. Faring the worse is rapper Robert Fitzgerald Diggs, popularly known by his stage name 'RZA.' He really needs to stop trying to be an actor because frankly, it's painful to watch. Rounding out the rest of the cast is Catalina Denis, who spends much of the film chained to a rocket in a barely-there waitress uniform. She and Ayisha Issa, who plays Tremaine's second-in-command Rayzah, provide the film's sole pleasure: a cat fight.

Released on April 25, 2014, "Brick Mansions" has received predominantly negative reviews with 29% on Rotten Tomatoes, a far cry from the 80% for "District B13." Calling it 'choppily edited and largely bereft of plot,' critics wrote off the film for wasting its 'likable cast on a pointless remake.' Despite the enthusiastic response at the advance screening (I'm not even surprised anymore at the modern moviegoers' crappy sense of taste), "Brick Mansions" failed to make much of an impression at the box office as it grossed only $9.5 million during opening weekend. It's a real shame that the film is just so bad considering the lead actor's recent passing. I feel like I'm disrespecting him even though I'm not. At least we have "Fast & Furious 7" next year. That should be a much more fitting tribute to Paul Walker.

Final Rating: 1.5 out of 5

"Revenge and justice is not the same thing. They never are."