Assault on Precint 13 (2005)
3.5/4
Starring: Ethan Hawke, Laurence Fishburne, Maria Bello, Gabriel Byrne, Drea de Matteo, John Leguizamo, Brian Dennehy, Ja Rule
Rated R for Strong Violence and Language Throughout, and for Some Drug Content
"Assault on Precinct 13" was a thriller directed by John Carpenter. Yes, that John Carpenter, although this was made two years before he made Michael Myers a name no one would forget ("Halloween" was his next film). I haven't seen it, but it's considered to be something of a cult classic. This remake, starring the always reliable Ethan Hawke and Laurence Fishburne, is a thriller of the first order.
It's New Year's Eve. Precinct 13 is going to be closed and torn down after many loyal years of service. The building's last workers, ex-undercover officer turned desk worker Jake Roenick (Hawke), sexy secretary Iris Ferry (de Matteo) and old timer Jasper O'Shea (Dennehy) are packing up the last of boxes before they celebrate the new year. Occurring at the same time is the transfer of ruthless crime lord Marion Bishop (Fishburne), who has just been arrested, but can't be let out on bail due to the holiday. A traffic accident and a blinding snowstorm has forced them to take refuge at Precinct 13, much to Jake's displeasure. But things are going to get much, much worse. A bunch of corrupt cops armed with impressive firepower have laid siege to the station intending to eliminate Bishop, and to cover it up, everyone else. Roenick and his co-workers are going to have to team up with Bishop and the three other low-lifes that are spending the night in the Precinct if they want to have a chance for surviving.
The word "grim" comes to mind when describing director Jean-Francois Richet's approach to the story. It's not as bleak as say, "Pandorum," but it comes close. Richet makes good use of the atmosphere. The storm is ever so threatening and we can feel the intensity of the blinding snow. The cops outside are ruthless and have the upper hand, and their leader, a vicious cop by the name of Marcus Duvall (Byrne), will kill without question.
The performances are effective, but every member of the cast that I've seen before has done better work elsewhere. Hawke is always a welcome presence on the screen (even in crap like "The Purge"), and it takes less than a minute for us to get on his side. Laurence Fishburne radiates cool, malice and intelligence. Maria Bello is great as Jake's shrink, and Drea de Matteo is certainly sexy (and can act just as well). Gabriel Byrne is truly chilling. Reliable character actors John Leguizamo and Brian Dennehy give solid performances as well. Special mention has to go to rap star Ja Rule, who has some amusing moments as Smiley, a small-time fraudster who refers to himself in the third person.
Suffice it to say that this is not a happy movie. Richet has no compunctions about showing violence in all its brutality, nor does he shy away from dispatching characters we care about. He doesn't dramatize death and bloodshed in this movie. It's realistic and intense. When someoen dies, there's no dramatics with it. Boom, dead.
If you're like me, and love this kind of uncensored and highly-charged kind of action movie, this is not one to miss. And maybe it's time I check out John Carpenter's original.
Starring: Ethan Hawke, Laurence Fishburne, Maria Bello, Gabriel Byrne, Drea de Matteo, John Leguizamo, Brian Dennehy, Ja Rule
Rated R for Strong Violence and Language Throughout, and for Some Drug Content
"Assault on Precinct 13" was a thriller directed by John Carpenter. Yes, that John Carpenter, although this was made two years before he made Michael Myers a name no one would forget ("Halloween" was his next film). I haven't seen it, but it's considered to be something of a cult classic. This remake, starring the always reliable Ethan Hawke and Laurence Fishburne, is a thriller of the first order.
It's New Year's Eve. Precinct 13 is going to be closed and torn down after many loyal years of service. The building's last workers, ex-undercover officer turned desk worker Jake Roenick (Hawke), sexy secretary Iris Ferry (de Matteo) and old timer Jasper O'Shea (Dennehy) are packing up the last of boxes before they celebrate the new year. Occurring at the same time is the transfer of ruthless crime lord Marion Bishop (Fishburne), who has just been arrested, but can't be let out on bail due to the holiday. A traffic accident and a blinding snowstorm has forced them to take refuge at Precinct 13, much to Jake's displeasure. But things are going to get much, much worse. A bunch of corrupt cops armed with impressive firepower have laid siege to the station intending to eliminate Bishop, and to cover it up, everyone else. Roenick and his co-workers are going to have to team up with Bishop and the three other low-lifes that are spending the night in the Precinct if they want to have a chance for surviving.
The word "grim" comes to mind when describing director Jean-Francois Richet's approach to the story. It's not as bleak as say, "Pandorum," but it comes close. Richet makes good use of the atmosphere. The storm is ever so threatening and we can feel the intensity of the blinding snow. The cops outside are ruthless and have the upper hand, and their leader, a vicious cop by the name of Marcus Duvall (Byrne), will kill without question.
The performances are effective, but every member of the cast that I've seen before has done better work elsewhere. Hawke is always a welcome presence on the screen (even in crap like "The Purge"), and it takes less than a minute for us to get on his side. Laurence Fishburne radiates cool, malice and intelligence. Maria Bello is great as Jake's shrink, and Drea de Matteo is certainly sexy (and can act just as well). Gabriel Byrne is truly chilling. Reliable character actors John Leguizamo and Brian Dennehy give solid performances as well. Special mention has to go to rap star Ja Rule, who has some amusing moments as Smiley, a small-time fraudster who refers to himself in the third person.
Suffice it to say that this is not a happy movie. Richet has no compunctions about showing violence in all its brutality, nor does he shy away from dispatching characters we care about. He doesn't dramatize death and bloodshed in this movie. It's realistic and intense. When someoen dies, there's no dramatics with it. Boom, dead.
If you're like me, and love this kind of uncensored and highly-charged kind of action movie, this is not one to miss. And maybe it's time I check out John Carpenter's original.
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