''Yamakasi – Les Samouraïs des temps modernes'' is a 2001 French movie featuring the

Yamakasi The Yamakasi ( ln, ya makási) are the original group of '' l'art du deplacement'' (parkour) practitioners from Lisses, France. The nine original members were David Belle, Sébastien Foucan, Châu Belle Dinh, Williams Belle, Yann Hnautra, Laure ...

. The 2004 film ''

Les fils du vent ''Les fils du vent'' ("The Sons of the Wind", also known as ''The Great Challenge'' and ''Sons of the Wind: Bangkok Ninjas'') is a 2004 French action film featuring the Yamakasi. It is a semi-sequel to the Luc Besson–produced 2001 film ''Yamakas ...

'' is a semi-sequel playing in Bangkok.

Plot

The

are a group of young thrill seekers of different

ethnic An ethnic group or an ethnicity is a grouping of people who identify with each other on the basis of shared attributes that distinguish them from other groups. Those attributes can include common sets of traditions, ancestry, language, history, ...

backgrounds who are all dedicated to

parkour Parkour () is an athletic training discipline or sport in which practitioners (called ''traceurs'') attempt to get from point A to point B in the fastest and most efficient way possible, without assisting equipment and often while performing a ...

. They live in France in a

banlieue In France, the term banlieue (; ) refers to a suburb of a large city. Banlieues are divided into autonomous administrative entities and do not constitute part of the city proper. For instance, 80% of the inhabitants of the Paris Metropolitan Are ...

, a

ghetto A ghetto, often called ''the'' ghetto, is a part of a city in which members of a minority group live, especially as a result of political, social, legal, environmental or economic pressure. Ghettos are often known for being more impoverished t ...

especially designed for paupers and traditionally inhabited by immigrants from former French colonies. The motley group uses their sport to enjoy themselves without

drugs A drug is any chemical substance that causes a change in an organism's physiology or psychology when consumed. Drugs are typically distinguished from food and substances that provide nutritional support. Consumption of drugs can be via inhalat ...

and to gain recognition in a peaceful way. One morning, they are reported buildering the east side of the Bleuets building and evading the police after that. While they consider themselves good examples for youths in the banlieue, the local

chief of police Chief may refer to: Title or rank Military and law enforcement * Chief master sergeant, the ninth, and highest, enlisted rank in the U.S. Air Force and U.S. Space Force * Chief of police, the head of a police department * Chief of the boa ...

feels otherwise. From his point of view, they are reckless and dangerous individuals prone to become criminals while one of his men, Inspector Vincent Asmine believes they are dangerous only because children could hurt themselves by trying to emulate them. On this occasion each single member is introduced through his birth name and alias to the spectators of the film too: Zicmu (Ousmane Dadjacan), Tango (Jean-Michel Lucas), Rocket (Abdou N'Goto), the Spider (Bruno Duris), the Weasel (Malik N'Diaye), Baseball (Oliver Chen), and Sitting Bull (Ousmane Bana). Following this meeting, two pupils enjoy themselves by climbing in a tree. A third little boy named Djamel who is with them suffers with an inborn

cardiovascular disease Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is a class of diseases that involve the heart or blood vessels. CVD includes coronary artery diseases (CAD) such as angina and myocardial infarction (commonly known as a heart attack). Other CVDs include stroke, h ...

. When he tries to join them, he has a cardiac arrest after falling from the tree. In the hospital, his mother and eldest sister, Aila learn an immediate heart transplantation is imperative. The chief physician suggests to save the child by buying a

heart The heart is a muscular organ in most animals. This organ pumps blood through the blood vessels of the circulatory system. The pumped blood carries oxygen and nutrients to the body, while carrying metabolic waste such as carbon dioxide t ...

from a shady broker. He stresses that this is the only solution but not supported by their

health insurance Health insurance or medical insurance (also known as medical aid in South Africa) is a type of insurance that covers the whole or a part of the risk of a person incurring medical expenses. As with other types of insurance, risk is shared among ma ...

. He demands from the boy's family to pay 400,000 Francs within 24 hours. The head physician advises the family to ask their friends, neighbors, and family for support. This includes the Yamakasi who go and visit Djamel in the hospital and promise to train him to be a Yamakasi member once they have found a way to help him survive his upcoming operation. Then, they go and talk to the head physician himself and ask why a child is supposed to die only because his parents are poor. They insist he would contact the hospital's board of directors. When he refuses to phone either of them, they steal the list of names and decide to walk in the footsteps of Robin Hood. They split up into 3 groups which each robs one or two houses of the board of directors. The first two robberies are successful, however one of the groups gets chased out of a house by

Doberman The Dobermann (; ), or Doberman Pinscher in the United States and Canada, is a medium-large breed of domestic dog that was originally developed around 1890 by Louis Dobermann, a tax collector from Germany.ghettoblaster A boombox is a transistorized portable music player featuring one or two cassette tape recorder/players and AM/FM radio, generally with a carrying handle. Beginning in the mid 1980s, a CD player was often included. Sound is delivered through ...

* Jean-Michel Lucas a.k.a. "Tango" (played by Laurent Piemontesi), the

's Fred Astaire" * Abdou N'Goto a.k.a. "Rocket" (played by Guylain N'Guba-Boyeke), able to outrun police at incredible speed. *Bruno Duris a.k.a. "the Spider" (played by Williams Belle), who is very inventive in regards to abseiling * Malik N'Diaye a.k.a. "the Weasel" (played by Malik Diouf) * Oliver Chen a.k.a. "Baseball" (played by Châu Belle Dinh), a gifted

pitcher In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throws ("pitches") the baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of retiring a batter, who attempts to either make contact with the pitched ball or draw ...

who works in a supermarket and once stopped a

shoplifter Shoplifting is the theft of goods from an open retail establishment, typically by concealing a store item on one's person, in pockets, under clothes or in a bag, and leaving the store without paying. With clothing, shoplifters may put on items ...

by pitching a

tin can A steel can, tin can, tin (especially in British English, Australian English, Canadian English and South African English), steel packaging, or can is a container for the distribution or storage of goods, made of thin metal. Many cans re ...

* Ousmane Bana a.k.a. "

Sitting Bull Sitting Bull ( lkt, Tȟatȟáŋka Íyotake ; December 15, 1890) was a Hunkpapa Lakota leader who led his people during years of resistance against United States government policies. He was killed by Indian agency police on the Standing Rock I ...

" (played by Charles Perrière), a construction worker who loves heights and a wide view * Maher Kamoun as Inspector Vincent Asmine, and Sitting Bull's cousin * Bruno Flender as Michelin, a fat strong guy * Amel Djemel as Aila * Afida Tahri as Fatima * Nassim Faid as Djamel (credited as Nassim Faïd) * Pascal Léger as Commissaire Orsini * Frédéric Pellegeay as Fretin * Gerald Morales as Chief doctor Le Tronc (credited as Gérald Morales) * Chloé Flipo as Claire * Perkins as Nicolas * David Tissot as Gaultier * Isabelle Moulin as Bourgeoise * Stéphane Boucher as Parano * Camille Cottin

References

External links

* * *
Yamakasi (film) on filmsdefrance.com
{{Portal bar, France, Film 2001 films French action drama films 2000s French-language films Parkour in film Films directed by Ariel Zeitoun 2000s French films

Plot

See also

References

External links