Assault on Precinct 13 Review
by Robin Clifford (robin AT reelingreviews DOT com)January 19th, 2005
"Assault on Precinct 13"
It's New Year's Eve and Detroit Police Sergeant Jake Roenick (Ethan Hawke) is the man in charge on the last night of his station house as a going law enforcement concern. He and his skeleton crew of retiring cop Jasper O'Shea (Brian Dennehy) and secretary Iris Ferry (Drea de Matteo) begin celebrating as a snowstorm cripples the city, forcing a shipment of prison inmates to be diverted to the station's empty holding cells. One of the prisoners is the notorious drug lord Marcus Bishop (Laurence Fishburne) and his presence sparks an "Assault on Precinct 13."
In 1976, John Carpenter directed his homage to Howard Hawks's "Rio Bravo" about a closing police station under siege and pushed a lot of non-PC buttons at the time when he showed a little girl gunned down by a gangster. You don't get that kind of edginess anymore in this politically correct world but the remake of "Assault on Precinct 13" does have corrupt cops, a troubled former undercover officer living with the memories of a gone-bad sting operation, a crime lord as the target for the bad cops' attack…and a New Year's Eve party.
Everything sets up in the first few minutes of "Assault" as we watch Jake's earlier drug sting go wrong to deadly results. Eight months later, he's in command of the defunct Precinct 13 and is just waiting for the clock to tick down to midnight. Meanwhile, Marcus Bishop confronts a member of a corrupt police crime unit, kills the man, is caught and, because of the holiday, can't make bail until the next day. He, along with three other prisoners, are bussed to a prison jail, but, because of the storm, are diverted to Precinct 13 for the night. The bus is closely followed by a mysterious, black SUV.
The set up is quickly and efficiently established as the film's other players are introduced with drug addict Beck (John Leguizamo) sucking up to crime lord Bishop. Con-man Smiley (Jeffrey ‘Ja Rule' Atkins) and maybe-innocent Anna (Aisha Hinds) round out the inmates cooling their heals in the holding tank for the night. Then, the proverbial crap hits the fan and the attacks begin. Shocked at the brutal assault, the tiny police force believe that the intruders are gangsters trying to free their boss, Bishop – until the corpse of one of the attackers is found with a police badge. Suddenly, Precinct 13 is isolated and without hope of rescue from the outside. The cops and the inmates must join forces to survive.
There is nothing special in this cowboy and Indian remake of Carpenter's original film but director Jean-Francois Richet does a dependable job with an updated script by James DeMonaco. He moves his players by the numbers as the story unfolds in near-predictable manner. The craftsmanship before and behind the camera helps to keep the film from being routine by injecting creative energy in what could have been a just OK actioner.
Ethan Hawke is first among equals as the focal character for this drama, Jake Roenick. The young, smart cop took the easy way out after being seriously wounded during his calamitous undercover sting and farmed himself out to run the defunct Precinct 13. He has decision-making issues and is being treated, even on New Year's Eve, by police department shrink Alex Sabian (Maria Bello). Jake has a back story that Hawke builds upon as he must make life and death decisions, once again, but comes to understand The Law and what it really means. Hawks gives convincing dimension to Sergeant Roenick.
The rest of the principle ensemble is well cast, too, with Laurence Fishburne giving an arrogant, menacing and practical turn as gang boss Marcus Bishop. He is smart enough to know that the tiny, outgunned band of cops and prisoners is his only chance to keep from getting capped and does everything he can to cooperate and help. He is also canny of every opportunity to escape the entire conflict. Fishburne gives charismatic presence to the smart, tough crime boss.
Drea de Matteo, once again, uses her sexiness as an integral part of her character, Iris, just as she did in the TV series "The Sopranos" and "Joey." She is provocative but, as the crisis mounts, capable, too, and strikes back with gun-toting fervor. Brian Dennehy is serviceable as the cop who is hanging up his gun and badge when the precinct shuts down and plays the part of skeptical nay-sayer to Jakes life-and-death decisions. Maria Bello, as the dedicated psychiatrist is sexy, smart and brave, despite her inner fears.
The inmates jailed with Bishop are well presented by John Leguizamo, Ja Rule and Aisha Hinds. Hinds, in particular, looks cool as heck brandishing a vintage Tommy gun against the bad guys. Leguizamo gives a manically energetic spin as a junkie who is cut off from his fix and almost lets his paranoia and mistrust of the cops get the better of him. Gabrielle Byrne, as corrupt crime unit chief Marcus Duvall, is on auto pilot and given little to do but send in his faceless, heavily-armed clowns against the determined Precinct
13 garrison.
Techs, given that much of the action is at night, are crisp and clear and, overall, well shot by lenser Robert Ganz. I have a problem with confused, rapid fire action sequences that were shot too close and edited too fast in a way that seemed to try to duplicate the visceral excitement of the assassin tango scene in "The Bourne Supremacy" without success.
Good production design by Paul D. Austerberry makes precinct station a flawed fortress that is only protected by the wits and will of its occupants.
"Assault On Precinct 13" is up there with such quality, early 2005 films as "Coach Carter" and the kid-friendly "Racing Stripes" for decent winter blahs movie entertainment. This is a surprise at a time when the studios usually dump their dreck on the poor, film-starved winter movie-goer. I give it a B-.
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