Damien Tomasso

Context

Tomasso is one of the protagonists of 2004 action movie Banlieue 13 (District B13 in most Anglophone markets). He’s played by Cyril Raffaelli. The movie’s not unlike Escape from New York, setting-wise.

This high-octane, vaguely futuristic film was a fan favourite. This is mostly due to the remarkable acrobatics and fight choreographies of the leads. Both are known for their physical prowess and parkour experience.

This character profile only covers the first movie in the series.

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Background

Powers and Abilities

Damien is a supercop. He’s both a decent detective and a highly skilled fighter, with incredible skill in kung fu and acrobatics.

He’s resourceful, and exceptionally fast and agile. In a fight he often seems to fly across the room, and his répertoire of jumping kicks is impressive. He’s also very good at disarming opponents with extra-fast, lashing kicks.

At close range, his technique tends to become suddenly more linear and realistic. Thus, he often takes down opponent who are within arm’s length with brutal strikes at the joints and limbs. He seems to know a lot of muay thai.

Damien is not as good as Leito at using his environment, but is still very resourceful in that aspect. Especially when it comes to turning things — or even people — around him into cover against gunfire.

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History

By 2010, the French government had walled off many of the most uncontrollable, decaying urban project areas in the country. The amount of violence and crime within was uncontrollable. The most infamous of those ghettos was District B13.

Capitaine Damien Tomasso was part of a military police unit. Although a maverick detective, he was acknowledged as being highly successful. Tomasso had arrested a number of major criminals in extremely difficult situations.

After he brought down one more kingpin within an illegal casino, he was called in to defuse his biggest crisis so far. A neutron bomb had been accidentally hijacked by the major gang in B13, led by Taha ben Mehmoud. It would explode in 24 hours.

Ticking bomb scenario

Told to enlist B13-born vigilante Leito as his contact, Damien used his usual tricks. He pretended to be a prisoner with a murderous hatred toward Taha, who escaped a police van along with Leito. Leito soon spotted the act, however, and got rid of Damien for a short while.

Leito and Damien eventually decided to ally with each other in face of the mounting pressure. But their differences were not entirely resolved and the situation soon took a turn for the worse.

Description

Damien is an edgy young man with shaved balding hair and a whipcord-like tension to his body. He generally dresses in a practical, casual urbanwear typical of the undercover detective. His body language is explosive and military-like. This immediately led Leito to the conclusion that he was not a street type.

Video

HD version of the trailer for the first movie. With the dialogues in French, but it’s… not meant as a dialogues-heavy film.

Personality

Damien is a maverick supercop archetype. Although his police unit is hardly distinguishable from the military, he does things in his own way. And he hates taking orders that do not match with his preferred way to work.

He normally conducts long missions. He’ll study the situation for weeks and take months to get in, undercover. This is because he specifically target high rollers and big players, and has little interest in thugs and henchmen. He may even allow minor criminals to go free in order to concentrate on his target.

Damien truly believes in his mission to serve and protect, and in the values of the French Republic. He resents anybody who does not share his respect for the law and his strong conviction that it should protect everyone equally.

On one hand he prefers subterfuge, stealth and deception. He will stick to this as his primary and most efficient modus operandi. On the other, he has no problem going for direct assault when tension rises or when the situation suddenly breaks down.

Still, despite being a combat monster, he’s entirely aware he’s only made of flesh.

Video

A compilation of gymnastics training, parkour practice, movie stunts work, etc. of Cyril Raffaelli.

Quotes

Damien: “Carlos Montoya, you are under arrest. You have the right to remain silent. Everything you will now say can be used for prosecution purposes. Any sudden gesture at this point, by anybody in this room, can be interpreted as a refusal to comply and would result in nearby police officers acting in self defense. Is that clear ?”
Carlos: “What does this shit all mean ?”
Damien: “This means that if you wiggle but one ear, I’m repainting the place red with you.”

“I’m not fighting for the government, Leito. I’m fighting for values. And we share the same ones.”

“I’m military. I have a mission, and I will ACCOMPLISH it not matter what.”

“Hey, this is an emergency decree from the Parliament. They have to actually do it. It’s the law. And there always will be arseholes like me around to make sure the law works.”

By Sébastien Andrivet.

Source of Character: Banlieue 13 (aka District B13) movie.

Helper(s): Exact models of Glocks identified by imfdb.org .