rating:
(out of
4 stars)United States, France; 2005
Directed by Jean-François Richet; produced by Pascal Caucheteux, Jeffrey Silver, Stephane Sperry; screenplay by James DeMonaco
Starring Ethan Hawke, Laurence Fishburne, Gabriel Byrne, Maria Bello, Drea de Matteo, John Leguizamo, Brian Dennehy
Below you will find a temporary review for this film. The real (better, more complete) review will be online very soon.
'Assault on Precinct 13', a remake from a John Carpenter film with the same
name, delivers what it promises. If you like action this is the kind of film
to enjoy. We start on new year's eve, a very stormy night, in precinct 13.
It is a precinct that will shut it doors at midnight. Ethan Hawke is Sgt.
Jake Roenick and together with another cop (Brian Dennehy) and a secretary
named Iris (Drea de Matteo from sitcom 'Joey') he has to spend the evening
there. Jake is seeing a psychiatrist named Alex (Maria Bello) because he got
a couple of his men killed. The storm causes her to stay as well.
We have already met Bishop (Laurence Fishburne), a criminal who is arrested
and together with some other inmates (including Ja Rule and John Leguizamo)
he has to be transported on the stormy night. Of course they never make it
to their final destination; they end up at the precinct, together with two
other cops. Then the precinct is attacked by many for reasons I will not
reveal, causing the cops, the secretary, the psychiatrist and the prisoners
to work together if they want to stay alive. Although the sequences that
follow have their predictable things, the film has some surprises for us;
one even comes as a small shock. That the actors all do a good job and
director Jean-François Richet gives us a pretty good idea where everyone
finds himself during the attack is very helpful.
The ending is too conventional, predictable in an annoying way, therefore
disappointing. It plays on a location that should not be there at all, since
we have seen the entire location in a shot earlier in the movie. Nevermind,
the film works well enough to recommend it. It may not be great, it is
entertaining for those who like action.