Yamakasi (2001)

I realise that the french are extremely anti-authoritarian, but this movie takes the cake. Not only are the cops ridiculous and racist, so are not only the politicians but also the doctors. ... doctors? While it is interesting to see the incredible divisions between genteel France and the immigrant 'cités', I see no reason to start bashing the Swiss. What the hell did they do to deserve such treatment? I'd like to point out that the sale of human organs is banned by the constitution (Art 119a) in Switzerland. Oh, and the movie is sexist too.

In conclusion, if you want to watch a ridiculous movie with a mixture of amusement, disgust and horror, go right ahead, but I suggest you watch it with the remote in hand and fast forward through all the scenes where no one is doing crazy acrobatics.

Fmovies: The action was fun to see, the stunts were interesting, especially after reading that they were supposed to be real... but it's a movie not really made for thinking people, since there are terrible flaws in the plot that renders the whole process ridiculous and casts a shadow on the hero's self righteous deeds.

Why is everyone (audience included) expected to blame the doctor for the price of the new heart! The movie attempts to show it as his fault! Or the fault of his social class! That's rediculous. He is simply stating the market price of the donor heart. It's probably being sold on the black market anyway, since I believe there are laws against such organ trading. It's then up to those RESPONSIBLE (and involved) to come up with the cash, if they want the transaction to go through. He does not make up this price, he is simply stating how much the people have to pay. - Think about it. What would happen if every doctor was made (forced / coerced) to pay the bill for patients requiring treatment? The price he quotes is the price that must be payed by those RESPONSIBLE for the boy's condition. Among those responsible were the terrible building climbing role models the boy was imitating in the first place. Which is why they got involved, right?

Also, all this intimidation and threats made to others is very much against the, apparently very superficial, chivalrous code that these climbers are supposed to embrace. They are made to appear hypocrites and their eventual deeds lower them below the status of the lower class, to the status of thieves, extortionists, and criminals. Which, I believe the film was not intended to do. What great role models they became to save the boy! Do they still want him to grow up to be just like them? Apparently.

Still there were some good suspense parts, like when they were stuck in the house and had to escape from the roof. One was left wondering how they were going to pull that off. Hopefully they didn't give too many burglars ideas. We don't need any more of that, thanks.

Similar movies include: Robin Hood and the Pink Panther, although these are both much more heroic thieves than the Yamakasi. Perhaps Kamakasi would have been a better name, given the film's great number of negative reviews.

Although I am not an arrogant french man, who "poo-poos" all movies except for "masterpieces" I do know entertaining cinema when I see it. Yamakasi is a very entertaining movie, written by Luc Besson (Fifth Element, Leon, The Transporter) The action sequences, stunts, and storyline are more than enough to keep the average movie buff happy. I enjoyed this movie quite a bit as I kept the mindset of an action movie. Don't go to action/adventure movies and expect "Lawrence of Arabia" or something as equally epic.

Very enjoyable

Yamakasi fmovies. Well, the movie is about some free running gang. So when i watched i didn't expect a great story, I just wanted to watch an entertaining action movie. At least - as i expected - the story wasn't great, sadly the action wasn't either. There are much cooler free running scenes with more spectacular stunts on the internet for free. And if you want to see some cool free running action within a real movie you should try Banlieue 13, it's nearly the same style but with more impressive and most notably more action scenes. So it's only 2/10 Stars, i didn't really enjoy it and it's got this one additional star, because there are quite worse movies :)

The movie had a good plot : what can we do to save a life without being an outlaw? In the movie, basically it's said that either you are rich and live or you are poor and you have to steal to survive. 2h of pursuit between the group of self-called "yamakasi" (the good ones who act illegally sometimes) and the police (the bad ones who act legally most of the time). The dichotomy is unfortunately not more subtle. The battle between the robbers and the police. Nothing new. I found that the major problem of that movie, or rather the main reason why I feel I've just wasted 2hours of my time, is that it raises more questions (not difficult ones...) than it gives answers - not in a philosophical attempt to make people think. When a hero saves a child, I like the hero to be likable, and the characters in the movie are complete jerks (the yamakasi and the police alike). The thing is although I have nothing against a movie which expose how our whole system is badly made and how stupid the police is, I find irritating when a group behaves violently and think they're cool (the movie is made so that the youth in France think well of the yamakasi characters although they act violently). More importantly maybe, they had the chance to offer a new look on Paris ghettos (the movie takes place in Paris, I'm from Paris myself and the characters are from the well-known little ghettos here) and it was just a lot of "clichés", so there again nothing new.

The movie could have been much more than what it simply is : an okay action movie. Don't expect anything else. Oh, as far as the movie as an art, there are a few enjoyable and well-filmed scenes, especially since the main actors are very good sportsmen and practice "parkour".

In the bright lighted side, we could see the yamakasis, these stuntmen of cities in the luc Besson movie. In the shadowed side, there is parkour, that is also called the art of movement, and that most of the public doesn't know about, and it is understandable: these spider-men's reputation grew, and other young people wanted to practice. David and Sébastien share their passion with anybody who wants to know. The news is spreading: from neighbour cities of noisy and sarcelles, young people move to evry to learn the parkour. The rumour works well, and the show 'notre dame de Paris' offers them to go on a tour, but David and sébastien refuse: a two years tour across France would cut them from their base, and above all they don't want to abandon the other young people who need their help. Then luc besson comes up with a script for yamakasi. They refuse that too. The scenario presents them as revolted boys from housing estates who trick the police and use their skills to steal. Seb explains: 'us, that we don't want, it's to prostitute our art' chilling incorruptible ones. For how long? Seven of the newcomers - including David's cousin give in the temptation and play in the movie. They separate from the group of evry, and rename themselves the yamakasis (strong man, strong spirit). Once famous, they claim to have invented the Parkour, betraying the true parkourists. David, Seb and the others (Stéphane Vigroux, Yoann Vigroux, Jérome ben Aoues, Rudy Duong, Kazuma and Michael Ramdami) rename themselves the 'traceurs'. Irritated by this story, they tell me that: 'to anyone who want to learn the art of parkour, it's welcome, but for the media events, we reserve us the right to choose: now we know who come to train when there's a TV near, and who's really got the passion'. We understand them.