Parkour

I've been sitting on this one for months, as other topics have bubbled to the top. But now that the new Bond movie is out, with a 5 minute parkour sequence after the opening credits featuring Foucan, it's time to release this one into the wild.

Parkour is the art of running, jumping and climbing all over the urban landscape like a monkey on crack. The name is based on the French word for "obstacle." Invented by childhood friends Sebastien Foucan and David Belle in France, it has become a philosophy, an art (in the way martial arts are an art) and the subject of tons of amateur videos. You can find dozens by searching on "parkour." Here are a few for your amusement.

Nike Commercial with Sebastien Foucan

I like this one. There is an earlier BBC commercial with David Belle, but I haven't found it available on the Net.

Playing time: 1:04

Chase Scene

This has what many parkour videos are lacking, a motivation for running around. It's from a French movie. Probably one of the best I've seen.

Playing time : 2:59

The Dvinsk Clan

Because of all the stopping to do back flips off things and what not, this is not considered true parkour, which features smooth movement naturally adapting to the landscape. I include it because it is the first video of the genre that I saw about a year ago. These Russians develop a mood, but I could do without the psychotic video editing.

Playing time: 8:24