Do you enjoy the work of Hollywood action directors such as John Woo, John Carpenter, Don Siegel and Walter Hill? Luc Besson, the main writer behind District B13, is a name brand to be trusted, and here he seems to be on a quest to prove the French can make exciting violent thrillers that equals or exceeds anything that comes out of Hollywood.

Which this does.

It's all here in an amazingly condensed 85 minutes of flat-out action. And I do mean flat-out. There isn't a dull moment. In fact, there's not even a romantic element. The woman who needs to be rescued is a sister, not a lover.

The main actors -- Cyril Raffaelli as Capt. Damien Tomaso and David Belle as Leito -- are stunt men. And the stunts they perform are -- and I hate to use this overused word, but I will -- awesome. One shot where our hero flings himself through a transom in an escape actually looks impossible. No CGI was used.

Some people should avoid this movie. That would be those who dislike subtitles. Otherwise, those who are not French-movie-hating yokels should sit back, pop some popcorn, crack a beer and get ready for fun.