A Review by Phil Calabro
2005, Rogue Pictures, Dir. Jean-François Richet - Starring Ethan Hawke, Laurence Fishburne, Mario Bello, Drea de Matteo, Gabriel Byrne, Ja Rule, Brian Dennehy, Matt Craven, Aisha Hinds, John Leguizamo, Peter Bryant, Tig Fong, Kim Coates, Courtney Cunningham
I fall easily for action movies, at least most of them. I enjoy watching explosions, wildfire battles, and screen villains as much as a serious film - most directors know how to keep an audience on edge without ever being original. Some critics complain about the loss of originality in action films, yet I find myself so absorbed in the plot that I never seem to care - I guess the director's doing something right. 'Assault on Precinct 13' is just another one of those pieces. It's based on the original 1976 movie 'Assault on Precinct 13', which I have never seen, but the plot seems to be skewed over into a super-comtemporary setting this time around. The execution leaves several spaces for possible twists, making it more exciting for the average audience member to watch. It kept me busy watching each little plot element, trying to crack the ending myself.
It's New Year's Eve in Detroit, and the ancient Precinct 13 building is about to be shut down for good. Sgt. Jake Roenick (Hawke) is in charge of the building, and is expecting just an ordinary night of celebrations, along with boardmates Jasper (Dennehy) and oversexed secretary Iris (de Matteo). But on the other side of town, another dilemma must be dealt with. Crime lord Marion Bishop (Fishburne) has just been arrested, and is being transported along with three other criminals (Hinds, Leguizamo, Ja Rule) to Precinct 13 for the night. But then the unexpected happens - a group of crooked cops run by officer Marcus Duvall (Byrne) set up a siege against the precinct in order to kill Bishop. Jake finds out that Bishop and Duvall have been partners in crime, and that Duvall wants him killed in order to collect all the leftover money. But if Bishop is killed, all must be killed - leaving it up to Jake to unite with the prisoners to stomp out the opposition.
None of the acting jobs are all that amazing, so I'll just give them all one big thumbs up. Ethan Hawke's character is probably supposed to be complex for most audiences, but no effort is put into the development by the screenplay. He's supposed to be a confused cop who feels responsible for everybody around him, which puts him in a difficult situation during the siege. Maria Bello plays his totally unnecessary shrink, who is stuck in the precinct after her car breaks down in the parking lot. She must've been set up for a romantic subplot, but it never gets off its feet anyway. Laurence Fishburne and Gabriel Byrne both give solid performances are soulless killers, with different consciences. Fishburne's Bishop character is very stolid - he spends the first quarter of the movie saying little to nothing, but gives a wholehearted act for the remainder of the time. The supporting criminals, played by Leguizamo and Ja Rule, are nothing more than elements that carry along the plot. They're not uninteresting or anything, just sort of necessary.
There is seemingly no chance for any of our 'heroes' to stop this opposing force, but then we're taken back - we have to remember that this is an action flick. Something good has to come of it. There are a few mild surprises that don't usually take place in the average movie, but they are easily passable. The cinematography is very reminiscent of a war film, then again, this is sort of a civil war in itself. The action is surprisingly gory, so don't be expecting a whole lot of gunshots - impalings galore happen. The final half of the movie focuses on the methods that Duvall's team use to to finish off their mission. It provides good chunks of mindless action without pause, and works sufficiently.
'Assault on Precinct 13' is sort of a new-age homage to 'Die Hard' and 'Con Air', but passes off as an original film in itself. In the gloomy months of January and February, it's a good thing to know that at least some movies can manage to entertain us without being hackneyed....or making us care about its quality. (*winks*)
