When remaking a movie that is considered a classic, even if it's a lesser one, the filmmakers face an uphill battle to appease the fans of the original while winning over new converts, bringing something new to the story while honoring the first film.
"Assault on Precinct 13," a remake of the 1976 John Carpenter film of the same name, manages to do just that, giving some new life to the tale, although it does not supersede the original.
It's New Year's Eve in Detroit, and during the middle of a snowstorm the Precinct 13 police station is gearing up for its last night before shutting down forever. Sgt. Jake Roenick (Ethan Hawke), a burnt-out cop still feeling guilty for the deaths of two fellow officers during a sting operation, is watching over the dilapidated station, located in a rundown industrial area. He is assisted by fellow officer Jasper O'Shea (Brian Dennehy) and secretary Iris Ferry (Drea de Matteo). Also on hand is Roenick's court appointed psychologist Alex Sabian (Maria Bello), caught in the storm after their session.
However, their routine night becomes complicated when a bus transporting prisoners is forced to take shelter at the station. Aboard are drug addict Beck (John Leguisamo), gang member Anna (Aisha Hinds), scam artist Smiley (Ja Rule), and worst of all, notorious murderer and crime boss Marion Bishop (Laurence Fishburne).
Inconvenience becomes terror. Bishop is a former crime partner with crooked police officer Marcus Duvall (Gabriel Byrne). Duvall, fearing that Bishop will drop dime on him to the prosecutor, plans to have him killed. In order to get to Bishop, he has to go through the people inside. Deciding no witnesses is the best policy, Duvall orders his men to storm the station and wipe out everyone. Faced with the reality that they're all targets, the police, criminals and civilians inside Precinct 13 decide to work together to ward off the invading force.
"Assault" manages to be an action packed B-movie as well as being suspenseful, and features quite a few likable characters placed in a melting pot about to explode. However, for every thing the movie does to improve on the original there are an equal number of things that act as a detriment.
Director Jean-François Richet, making his American film debut, manages to nicely invoke Carpenter's gritty claustrophobia and cranks up the action to full-scale war at times, with a few brutal deaths to shock audiences. He directs with remarkable economy, using tight shots and unnerving silence to focus on the despair. He also effectively uses the winter setting, which gives the movie a desolate and foreboding feel that seems like a nod to another Carpenter film, "The Thing."
The acting department helps liven things up as well. Hawke manages to take a routine character and invest personality into him, showing his chops as a leader in a difficult situation. Indie star Bello and "Sopranos" alum de Matteo aren't "damsels in distress," and play their roles with a nice touch of conviction. Dennehy is less realized but is an accomplished enough performer that he gets the job done.
The real star here is Fishburne, who brings a Zen-like calmness to his character Bishop, honed from his work in the "Matrix" movies. He's smooth on the surface but a caged lion underneath, and commands attention in every scene. Byrne seems to be channeling his character from "The Usual Suspects," and does no wrong here. The only real fifth wheel here is Ja Rule and Leguisamo, providing the movie's odious comedy relief. To their credit though, they're not as annoying as they could have been.
Where "Assault" missteps is in its modernization of the attackers. In the original movie, the invaders were a nearly mindless, suicidal street gang. Here the attackers are an efficient paramilitary force, which really makes the possibility of the victims surviving a little ludicrous. But the film doesn't discount reality too much, and there is a genuine feeling of uncertainty here over who will and won't survive.
The violence is also genuinely shocking and harsh, the producers choosing to aim for a "hard R" rating. It catches you off guard, and doesn't play deaths just for thrills. It also gives extra weight to some of the kills, which is a rarity for most action movies these days.
Odds are, this new version won't be well-remembered 30 years later, but it still manages to be an entertaining diversion. The only unforgivable sin committed here is leaving out the original's synthesized theme song. It's enough to make me want to storm the fort as well.
Eight out of ten stars. What the movie lacks in originality and sometimes believability, it makes up for with interesting characters and a genuine desire to shock and entertain the audience, all of which sets it apart from most studio output.
"Assault on Precinct 13," a remake of the 1976 John Carpenter film of the same name, manages to do just that, giving some new life to the tale, although it does not supersede the original.
It's New Year's Eve in Detroit, and during the middle of a snowstorm the Precinct 13 police station is gearing up for its last night before shutting down forever. Sgt. Jake Roenick (Ethan Hawke), a burnt-out cop still feeling guilty for the deaths of two fellow officers during a sting operation, is watching over the dilapidated station, located in a rundown industrial area. He is assisted by fellow officer Jasper O'Shea (Brian Dennehy) and secretary Iris Ferry (Drea de Matteo). Also on hand is Roenick's court appointed psychologist Alex Sabian (Maria Bello), caught in the storm after their session.
However, their routine night becomes complicated when a bus transporting prisoners is forced to take shelter at the station. Aboard are drug addict Beck (John Leguisamo), gang member Anna (Aisha Hinds), scam artist Smiley (Ja Rule), and worst of all, notorious murderer and crime boss Marion Bishop (Laurence Fishburne).
Inconvenience becomes terror. Bishop is a former crime partner with crooked police officer Marcus Duvall (Gabriel Byrne). Duvall, fearing that Bishop will drop dime on him to the prosecutor, plans to have him killed. In order to get to Bishop, he has to go through the people inside. Deciding no witnesses is the best policy, Duvall orders his men to storm the station and wipe out everyone. Faced with the reality that they're all targets, the police, criminals and civilians inside Precinct 13 decide to work together to ward off the invading force.
"Assault" manages to be an action packed B-movie as well as being suspenseful, and features quite a few likable characters placed in a melting pot about to explode. However, for every thing the movie does to improve on the original there are an equal number of things that act as a detriment.
Director Jean-François Richet, making his American film debut, manages to nicely invoke Carpenter's gritty claustrophobia and cranks up the action to full-scale war at times, with a few brutal deaths to shock audiences. He directs with remarkable economy, using tight shots and unnerving silence to focus on the despair. He also effectively uses the winter setting, which gives the movie a desolate and foreboding feel that seems like a nod to another Carpenter film, "The Thing."
The acting department helps liven things up as well. Hawke manages to take a routine character and invest personality into him, showing his chops as a leader in a difficult situation. Indie star Bello and "Sopranos" alum de Matteo aren't "damsels in distress," and play their roles with a nice touch of conviction. Dennehy is less realized but is an accomplished enough performer that he gets the job done.
The real star here is Fishburne, who brings a Zen-like calmness to his character Bishop, honed from his work in the "Matrix" movies. He's smooth on the surface but a caged lion underneath, and commands attention in every scene. Byrne seems to be channeling his character from "The Usual Suspects," and does no wrong here. The only real fifth wheel here is Ja Rule and Leguisamo, providing the movie's odious comedy relief. To their credit though, they're not as annoying as they could have been.
Where "Assault" missteps is in its modernization of the attackers. In the original movie, the invaders were a nearly mindless, suicidal street gang. Here the attackers are an efficient paramilitary force, which really makes the possibility of the victims surviving a little ludicrous. But the film doesn't discount reality too much, and there is a genuine feeling of uncertainty here over who will and won't survive.
The violence is also genuinely shocking and harsh, the producers choosing to aim for a "hard R" rating. It catches you off guard, and doesn't play deaths just for thrills. It also gives extra weight to some of the kills, which is a rarity for most action movies these days.
Odds are, this new version won't be well-remembered 30 years later, but it still manages to be an entertaining diversion. The only unforgivable sin committed here is leaving out the original's synthesized theme song. It's enough to make me want to storm the fort as well.
Eight out of ten stars. What the movie lacks in originality and sometimes believability, it makes up for with interesting characters and a genuine desire to shock and entertain the audience, all of which sets it apart from most studio output.