Brick Mansions Movie Blurb by Shale April 25, 2014 This was the movie I had to see this weekend, admittedly just to pay homage to the late Paul Walker in this last completed movie in which he performed. (Fast & Furious 7 will be finished by next year - with Paul's brother Cody coming on set) But this was a great action movie, starting with the most beautifully choreographed, running Parkour fight scene I have seen on screen with David Belle who actually helped developed that style of physical training. David Belle - Parkour Fighter Now the aggregate reviewers at Rottentomatoes only gave this movie a 29% fresh rating and only 63% of audiences liked it, so it will probably be the Paul Walker fans who will be giving this movie any support. The criticisms were mainly from those who compared it to the 2004 French movie District 13 of which this is a remake and in which David Belle played the same character. However, I did not see that movie and even some critics said that this one only failed in comparison to that better made movie, so I stand by my assessment that this was a great action movie. The plot takes place in a dystopian, 2018 Detroit where the crime got so out of control that they walled in the worst neighborhood, called the Brick Mansions. Running the drug trade in this ghetto is Tremaine Alexander (RZA - what kinda name is that?). And fighting him with commando raids, destroying his drug stash is Lino (David Belle) an ex-military citizen hero with special skills. To capture or kill Lino, Tremaine grabs his ex girlfriend Lola (Catalina Denis). Meanwhile, outside of Brick Mansions is undercover cop Damien Collier (Paul Walker) who has a revenge motive to go after Tremaine himself. When Tremaine steals a nuclear device that has automatically started a countdown to detonation, the cops call in Damien to go after him, with the help of Lino whom they have in custody for killing a cop. Naturally, there is some friction in this pairing. Lino and Damien Get Acquainted After more fights, car chases and off-the-wall parkour action, our two heroes are captured by Tremaine's forces (for just a while you know). Damien & Lino meet Tremaine Of course they get loose and get with Lino's ex who is not the helpless girl we saw abducted. Lola Helps in the Action If you are a fan of Paul Walker and you like this kind of action you should probably go see this movie. Altho, I have to admit that David Belle seemed to be the lead actor and Paul supporting. Expect to see him in more action movies involving Parkour fighting. Again, this French-Canadian movie isn't getting so many bad marks on its own, just everyone saying it is not as good as the original French movie. Also, I tend to agree with those critics who didn't like the character changes in the last act. However, I did enjoy it.
At the end credits was a mention: Dedicated in Loving Memory to Paul Walker To tell the truth I did not watch any of the Fast and Furious franchise movies because there was so much on street drag racing and that is not amusing to anyone living in a city where the dead bodies are literally lying in the street due to hit and run drag racers. (I saw one old lady's crumpled body with her groceries strewn about the street in front of my home on Miami Beach due to early morning drag racing) Even with the disclaimer and public service messages, there is always gonna be some young male fool who thinks he can get away with drag racing, until some slow old woman appears on his hood. That said, I now have all the Fast and Furious movies on DVD and do enjoy them, (suspending disbelief required). I particularly enjoyed seeing Paul Walker in them and even got another movie in which he starred, Into The Blue. It was also after his death that I learned he started and ran a charity that helped ppl in the wake of natural disasters like earthquakes and tsunamis. Apparently the Fast and Furious franchise as well as this movie are helping support that charity. From Reach Out World Wide: Good will makes a difference in the lives of everyone - especially those affected by disaster. To further Paul Walker's legacy of good will, the team behind Brick Mansions Movie has made a contribution to Reach Out Worldwide. Team ROWW is committed to fulfill Paul's legacy with excellence and is grateful for everyone's support. Thank you!
