Assault on Precinct 13

Review by Clint Morris

If the original Assault on Precinct 13 (1976) was a steady and easily-likable but broken down 3-bedroom weatherboard house, then the remake is the modern two-storey years down the track; renovated, refurbished and adorned with fancy new polished floor boards.

The original film, a pre-horror effort from Michael Myers old man John Carpenter, was an infinitely well written, action-packed and character-swimming low-budgeter that still holds up well today.

But how much better is an old car with a new CD player, hey?

It's the same bag with Jean-François Richet's retool, only we've got a much more notable cast than Carpenter's original did upon release, and he's given the film a much needed sprucing, making it look much more Die Hard and far less Moonlighting.

The story: Precinct 13 is scheduled to close forever at midnight. On their final shifts at the post are burnt-out cop Jake (Ethan Hawke), veteran copper Jasper (Brian Dennehy) and randy secretary Iris (Drea de Matteo).

It's New Years Eve and there's a couple of loud explosions heading their way about midnight. Big-time underworld kingpin Bishop (Laurence Fishburne), as well as a bunch of other crooks, has been dumped at the Precinct for the night.

But that's not the cracker: a swarm of coppers have surrounded the building, and they're out to pop a poison dart in Bishop's cranium - he knows too much about their crooked past - and they're not concerned about offing the rest of the folks huddled up in the Precinct.

Solution? Crooks and Cops team together and do what they can to protect their "Alamo" from the shady enemy outside.

Slick, suspenseful and crammed with the kind of character definition we don't get often enough, Precinct 13 is a divine genre effort [and a gift to movie critics everywhere - Ed]. The performances are much better than they'd usually be for an action thriller, the script takes risks, and the pacing is needlepoint fine.

There are a couple of plot holes along the way (you'll see them yourself, no need to spill anything here), but Assault on Precinct 13 is far from a bumpy journey. Highly recommended.

3.5 out of 5

Assault on Precinct 13
Australian release: Thursday 31st of March, 2005
Cast: Ethan Hawke, Laurence Fishburne, John Leguizamo, Drea de Matteo, Maria Bello, Ja Rule, Brian Dennehy, Gabriel Byrne, Matt Craven.
Director: Jean-François Richet.
Website: Click here.

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