Parkour in Film

Parkour, born in Paris in the 1990s, is a sport in which urban acrobats scramble over the scenery to get from point A to point B. ("Freerunning" is parkour with a bit more flair.) See it in action in 'Brick Mansions' – and in these earlier movies.

DISTRICT 13 (2004)

Alternatively known as 'District B13,' this French blockbuster – which would later be remade as 'Brick Mansions' – stars David Belle, parkour's actual creator. A sequel, 'District 13: Ultimatum,' was released five years later.

CASINO ROYALE (2006)

It took James Bond to properly introduce parkour to the mainstream. One of the movie's highlights features French freerunning pioneer Sébastien Foucan as a terrorist who leads Daniel Craig on a breathtaking chase in Madagascar.

PRINCE OF PERSIA: THE SANDS OF TIME (2010)

Jake Gyllenhaal - helped out by a few stuntmen and lots of CGI - performs quite a bit of dusty freerunning in this adaptation of the hit video game series. The parkour choreography is courtesy of David Belle of 'District 13.'

BREAKING AND ENTERING (2006)

Parkour isn't just for action flicks: in this drama, Jude Law's architect bonds with the young Serbian freerunner who steals from him – and is then drawn towards the boy's mother (Juliette Binoche). It was director Anthony Minghella's final film.

THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN (2012)

Spider-Man was doing parkour way before it was cool. In the 2012 reboot of the superhero saga, most of Spidey's stunts involve traditional acrobatics, but some scenes – in particular a daring rooftop chase – are parkour-inspired.

PAUL BLART: MALL COP (2009)

Even this Kevin James comedy got in on the parkour game. Here stuntwoman Natascha Hopkins shows off her skills as a member of a ring of credit card thieves up against the slightly less nimble Paul Blart.

BABYLON A.D. (2008)

France's passion for parkour is insatiable; in this French co-production, Vin Diesel and Michelle Yeoh of 'Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon' lead an international cast. David Belle once again provides the parkour choreography.

COP OUT (2010)

What is parkour? Tracy Morgan spells it out to his partner Bruce Willis as they stake out a house and watch with amazement as an agile thief (Seann William Scott) scurries along the rooftops.

COLOMBIANA (2011)

'The Hunger Games''s Amandla Stenberg plays the younger version of Zoe Saldana in this thriller about an assassin (Saldana). Stenberg – or, rather, a pint-sized stuntwoman – makes a parkour-rific escape in the film's early minutes.

YOU DON'T MESS WITH THE ZOHAN (2008)

Adam Sandler's action comedy opens with a wild freerunning scene in which Sandler, as an Israeli counter-terrorist, chases down the bad guys – shortly before he decides to move to New York and become a hairdresser.

YAMAKASI - LES SAMOURAÏS DES TEMPS MODERNS (2001)

This French feature – the first movie to focus on parkour – takes its name from the gang of Parisian street athletes who invented the sport. Many of the original Yamakasi members appear in the film.

RUMBLE IN THE BRONX (1995)

Let's face it: Jackie Chan was hopping over walls and leaping from building to building while the parkour guys were still in diapers. We could name any one of dozens of movies here, but 'Rumble in the Bronx' is a favorite.