Review
ASSAULT ON PRECINCT 13
Starring Ethan Hawke, Laurence Fishburne and Drea de Matteo
Directed by Jean-François Richet
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A remake of John Carpenter’s 1976 film of the same name, Assault on Precinct 13 is a surprisingly enjoyable, action-packed showdown drawing much of its juice from its classic western setup. Like the original, Assault on Precinct 13 follows the tense showdown between a ragtag group of cops, civilians and prisoners who are besieged in a decrepit police station on New Year’s Eve. Rife with explosions, extravagant escapes and non-stop gunfire, the film makes the most of its solid setup and throws in a few welcome updates as well.
A classic cowboys-and-indians scenario, Assault on Precinct 13 marked Carpenter’s second feature as a director and, to an extent, was one the films that put him on the map. Inspired by westerns like Rio Bravo, the movie worked its inventive plot to impressive ends, despite low production values. But, in the 2005 version, everything from the cast to the stunts is top-notch.
The film opens with a harrowing scene that looks as if it was lifted from a grittier, more intense movie. Jake Roenik (Ethan Hawke) who appears to be a verbose junkie drug dealer, is seen bargaining with two stiff-lipped foreigners. When the pair get wind that Roenik is a cop, the bullets fly and the chase is on. After this botched undercover drug bust, Roenik moves from L.A. to Detroit to take a middling desk job.
Although the rest of Assault on Precinct 13 is never as taut and gripping as it is in that opening scene – which is shot in grainy digital video and has a jumpy, nervous style – the film achieves a welcome, steady rhythm throughout. When the most notorious crime boss in the city, played by Laurence Fishburne, is apprehended, Detroit’s organized crime unit, full of dirty cops, knows that the top criminal is a major threat to their well being. To solve this problem head out into the snowy night to assassinate him before he ever has the opportunity to testify against them.
The initial convict transport scenario could be the silliest thing about the film. Going across town in a rickety old school bus, along with a few petty criminals and two cops, they soon have to pull off the road to seek sanctuary from the dirty cops at Roenik’s rundown precinct. The easy ambush is then set, as the organized crime unit’s top cop (Gabriel Byrne) and his boys in blue descend on Precinct 13.
With Fishburne hamming it up as a ruthless but charismatic Mafia don – at one point he teaches a secretary (Drea de Matteo) how to render an attacker defenseless by crushing his Adam’s apple – and entertaining supporting turns from John Leguizamo and Brian Dennehy, Assault on Precinct 13 is mindless popcorn cinema. The-old fashioned scenario proves fertile ground for a revamped hip-hop-style remake, replete with flamethrowers, Uzis and a nail-biting showdown in the snow. All in all it amounts to good, bloody fun. |
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