Assault on Precinct 13 (2005)

Memorable, crazy movie

It's funny watching the elements come together in this complicated scam. On one hand, the set-up isn't quite as complex as it seems, but there's an easy sense of fun in every exchange.

The best films of this genre always show a path and provide a takeaway for being a better person.

The movie's not perfect, but it sticks the landing of its message. It was engaging - thrilling at times - and I personally thought it was a great time.

Assault On Precinct 13 is less of a remake of John Carpenter's balls out, guerrilla action treatise and more of a branch off into timeless, near western archetypes, as well as the good old siege thriller format. It's also one of the meanest, grittiest cop films of the last few decades, deserving a higher rung on the ladder of adoration than it has so far ascended to. Dark, merciless and full of yuletide gallows humour, it's a searing blast of gunfire and snowbound pulp starring a roster of fired up talent, starting with an intense Ethan Hawke and an unpredictable, predatory Laurence Fishburne. Fishburne is Marion Bishop, a legendary criminal kingpin wrapped tight in police custody and shipped off to a remote precinct on New Years eve with a busload of fellow prisoner transports. The station is run by a few relaxed cops, all preparing to punch that clock and get the New Year's festivities underway. Unfortunately, a gang of corrupt detectives have other ideas, descending upon the ill guarded outpost with the fury and firepower of animals set loose, determined to murder everyone inside and level the place to the ground in order to cover up their actions. Hawke is the veteran cop with a dodgy undercover past, blessed with the grit and gristle necessary to rally the troupes and self preserve til the morning light. Drea De Matteo, who's awesome and welcome in anything, is a tough female sergeant, Maria Bello the sharp police psychiatrist caught in the middle, Brian Dennehy the salty old dog, and a laundry list of rabid felons who pitch in to save their own asses, including Ja Rule, Aisha Hinds, Currie Graham and a wired up John Leguizamo. Together they all make a veritable wild bunch to hold down the fort, but the forces they're up against are tactical and terrifying. The opposition is headed up by a dangerously quiet Gabriel Byrne as deeply a corrupt Police Captain, doing a coiled viper rendition of a Christopher Walken villain, his work one of the strongest aspects of the film. Watch for Matt Craven and Kim Coates in brief cameos as well. The action is a ballistic blitzkrieg of firefights, standoffs and ditch efforts, scarcely giving the audience time to breathe, let alone tally up the casualties, of which there are many. This ain't no cakewalk, in terms of action films. It's down, dirty and has no time for quips, smart mouths or villains that monologue. Everyone involved in a caged animal prepared to go to extremes at the drop of a hat in order to achieve their goals, with kneejerk reactions and off the cuff violence that feels real, and cuts deep. If you are serious about your action films, and enjoy ruthless, non patronizing narratives that get as cold as the snow drifts surrounding the precinct and as casually indifferent as the bullets that ventilate it, this is your ticket.

This well-made siege-thriller features plenty of action, excitement and some interesting characters but it's also incredibly tense. The tension is created by the predicament that a small group of staff in a police precinct face when they come under attack from a far more powerful and well-armed group of assailants who are intent on killing them. The fact that the besieged staff can't contact anyone to get any help and are led by a psychologically-damaged station sergeant only makes matters worse. Furthermore, when they have to make some uncomfortable alliances and start to incur casualties, things get even more edgy.New Year's Eve is a significant time for Detroit's Precinct 13 because it's due to be closed down at midnight and the only staff still on duty are the officer in charge, Sergeant Jake Roenick (Ethan Hawke), veteran cop Jasper O'Shea (Brian Dennehy) and their secretary Iris Ferry (Drea de Matteo). Most of the contents of the building have already been removed and Iris is busy packing the few items that still remain. Jake is an ex-undercover cop who, eight months earlier, was involved in an operation that went wrong and resulted in the deaths of two of his fellow officers. Since that time, he's been consumed with guilt, reliant on painkillers and booze and has been placed under the care of police psychiatrist Alex Sabian (Maria Bello).Outside, a powerful snowstorm is raging and as the road conditions deteriorate, the guards who are transporting a bus-load of criminals nearby, realise that they won't be able to reach their destination and so divert to Precinct 13, where their prisoners can be locked up for the night. On board are notorious crime boss and cop killer, Marion Bishop (Laurence Fishburne), counterfeit goods dealer, Smiley (Ja Rule), Anna (Aisha Hinds) who claims to be innocent of everything she's been charged with and drug addict Beck (John Leguizamo). All four are duly secured in their cells and then some vehicles and a heavily-armed group of men surround the building and demand that Bishop be released. Jake naturally assumes that these are Bishop's men and so refuses their request. When he discovers that they are, in fact, a group of corrupt cops who have had a long business association with Bishop, it becomes clear that the lives of everyone in the building are in danger and the violent exchanges that follow, prove to be a fight to the death.With the well-choreographed action taking place in the dark and things becoming increasingly claustrophobic for the besieged group, the movie's atmosphere becomes really threatening. Ethan Hawke does a good job of showing how significantly his character has changed since the events that had such a powerful effect on his psychological state and Laurence Fishburne makes a powerful impression as the ultra-cool Bishop. Drea de Matteo is amusing as the secretary with a reputation for bedding "bad boys" and the rest of the cast also bring something interesting to the portrayals of each of their characters.

It was just an accident that I chose two Ethan Hawke movies in the same night. This had to be before he was chopped up in Sinister.Besides Hawke, we have Lawrence Fishburne, Drea de Matteo, Mario Bello, John Leguizamo, Brian Dennehy, and Ja Rule. There has to be someone in that mix that makes the film worth watching for you.Precinct 13 has a skeleton crew on duty New Years Eve because it is scheduled to close. A storm forces a police bus carrying a criminal named Bishop (Laurence Fishburne), Beck (John Leguizamo), a girl(Aisha Hinds) and Smiley (Ja Rule) to dump them off.Naturally, Bishop's men will try to break him out and we are witness to some real action. Only it isn't Bishop's men coming after him, and things really get dicey.

Assault on Precinct 13, which is the remake of John Carpenter's 1976 version of the same name is an entertaining action film with credible performances, cool action scenes, a nice story, and just gives you a fun time. It's not going to win any awards, but this is how you make a "B" film. I haven't seen the original so I can't compare, but this movie stands well on it's own.This film is about a cop named Jake and a few others who are about to shut down their station for good on New Year's, but when a gang of violent prisoners including a guy named Bishop arrive, they are attacked by an outside gang and these prisoners and cops must gang up together in order to survive the night.The acting is nothing special, but it's nothing bad either. Each actor gives a solid, credible performance. Ethan Hawke and Laurence Fishburne are two respected actors and I liked them in these roles often squaring off against each other.Overall, this is a solid action film. For a mid-January release, this movie is quite good. I don't know if fans of the original will like this, but action junkies will totally dig it. It's a good old-fashioned shoot-em-up. I rate this film 8/10.