Action heroes can sprint through traffic and jump off roofs, but sometimes not even those feats of athleticism are enough to catch the bad guy and save the world. When the hero's movement needs to be faster, more flexible, and cooler, there's parkour, a discipline that allows people to move as quickly and efficiently as possible.
Though the discipline was invented in the late 80s, it wasn't until the 90s and 00s that parkour was popularized. The surge in attention that it received was in no small part thanks to the numerous action films in which it featured. The movements of many of the most popular modern action heroes were forever changed by parkour. Here are some of the discipline's greatest moments in film.
10 Captain America: The Winter Soldier
The titular hero's affection for parkour is evident in the film's opening fight sequence on the boat and throughout the movie. Captain America vaults, flips and slides to bring himself into close enough quarters to deliver the brutal blows that will put his enemies on the ground and get the mission done.
Captain America: The Winter Soldier is a Marvel film, not a parkour one, but the big-budget comic book action acts as a phenomenal set piece to showcase the extraordinary athletic abilities of the stars and their stunt doubles. Captain America's brand of high-impact, athletic combat sets him apart from the other heroes and is a pleasure to watch.
9 Casino Royale
Over the decades, Connery, Lazenby, Moore, Dalton, and Brosnan have all played the world's most dashing spy, but when Daniel Craig slipped into the suit it was obvious that something was different. Craig brought a raw physicality to the role that other Bonds simply lacked.
Casino Royale is an excellent showcase of parkour, demonstrating its power and utility in a conventional environment: a construction site. In the opening chase scene, Bond chases his target up heavy equipment, across girders, and over precarious platforms. Bond's movements are heavier, more brutish, but no less effective, while his target's movements are cleaner and more acrobatic, showing two sides of the discipline.
8 Freerunner
Freerunner's plot is neither good nor original. That's fine. Freerunner has one strength: an abundance of actual, quality parkour. Indeed, the film has so much of it that if the thing an audience is looking for is parkour action at the expense of everything else, Freerunner is one of the best films in existence.
Whereas other films supplement the movements of their actors and stunt people with wires or CGI, Freerunner does its best to present an authentic version of parkour. Even if the rest of the film is a hodgepodge of unrealistic action tropes, the parkour at least is realistic and enjoyable.
7 Prince Of Persia: The Sands Of Time
Video game adaptations often struggle with their transition to film. Taking a choice-driven medium and making it linear tends to rob the original piece of what made it great, even if the adaptation is a good one. Prince of Persia wasn't free of this curse, but its fast-paced action drew parkour fans nonetheless.
As a testament to its commitment to parkour, Prince of Persia enlisted David Belle, the discipline's inventor, as a consultant. With his guidance, and a bit of movie magic, Jake Gyllenhaal was able to perform flips, leaps, and wall runs that could've been pulled straight from the video game. These physical feats may not be as mind-blowing as rewinding time, but they're more than most mere mortals could accomplish.
6 Yamakasi
What do parkour and The Fifth Element have in common? Luc Besson. Yamakasi was the famous director's foray into the athletic discipline, and the effects of his unique directorial eye are obvious. Of all the action films that include parkour as a major element, Yamakasi may be the one that does the best job of highlighting a critical element of the discipline that often gets lost in the scrum: fun. Even if the characters don't always look like they're enjoying themselves, it's hard for the audience to not feel the surge of excitement and pleasure that the athletes do as they perform.
5 Tracers
A common trend in action movies featuring parkour is to only show the hero fully formed. Audiences see the action star cartwheeling past goons and tumbling off roofs without a scratch, and these stunts are depicted as natural, if not effortless.
Tracers is a glorious exception. It shows the actual learning process, featuring a satisfying montage in which Taylor Lautner's character gradually grows in confidence and ability. Like any activity that requires expertise, the expectation of instant mastery would only discourage one from pursuing parkour. Watching Lautner build his skills little by little until he's flying through the city is a rare and exciting moment.
4 The Tournament
Chase scenes are a hallmark of action films, whether by car, motorcycle, boat, or even plane. Foot chases are common too, but The Tournament includes a special brand: a man chasing a car on foot, using parkour to pull it off. Sebastien Foucan's chase scene is frantic, unrealistic, and absolutely riveting.
However implausible its real-life application might be, viewers have no problem suspending this disbelief for the moment thanks to the fluidity and strength of Foucan's movements. Parkour in action isn't always synonymous with action parkour, but here it is.
3 The Protector
Jackie Chan is widely and rightfully regarded as one of the greatest movie stars of all time in terms of movement and physicality. The Protector didn't get the attention or love from critics that Rush Hour did, which is a shame because it's an excellent demonstration of Chan's skills.
Is it right to consider Chan's movements in the film parkour, given that the film debuted in 1985, three years before the discipline was invented? Yes. Just as many stories are rightfully regarded as surreal despite predating the surrealist movement, this is parkour by another name. Those who doubt this need only watch the way Chan climbs the sheer face of shipping containers in this film.
2 District 13
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The phrase "poetry in motion" is overused like any cliché, but it's the first phrase that comes to mind when thinking about the apartment complex chase scene in District 13. Performed by parkour founder David Belle, these are three minutes of the finest parkour action to ever appear in a feature film.
Belle is elegant, even when sending goons plummeting to their deaths, powerful, even when slipping through the narrowest gaps. The direction and cinematography have the good sense to let the character's movements take center stage. This is action that needs no additional gloss to sell it: it's among the very best as it is.
1 District 13: Ultimatum
There will be those that argue the original District 13 is superior to its sequel, District 13: Ultimatum. More than anything, it's a matter of taste. Whether one prefers the claustrophobic corridors and stairwell of the signature chase scene in the first film or the open rooftops and marketplace of the chase scene in the second, Davis Belle's exceptional talent is indisputable.
Good parkour is never boring, and this film, written and produced by Luc Besson, is the perfect encapsulation of what makes the discipline so watchable. District 13: Ultimatum is a favorite of parkour enthusiasts for good reason.