Assault on Precinct 13

Assault on Precinct 13 (Director: Jean-Francois Richet)

This is Richet's American debut after a couple of French films. This is a remake of the 1976 John Carpenter film, which I have not seen yet. Screenwriter James DeMonaco adapts the Carpenter original; DeMonaco's last credit was 1998's The Negotiator.

This is an excellent action thriller, and how it came to be released in the wasteland of January is beyond me, but perhaps it will serve this movie well. I highly enjoy action films that take place in one area, like Die Hard. It lends the story characters who need to strategize and think without mindless blasting.

Ethan Hawke plays Jake Roenick, a former undercover cop who works as a sergeant at the closing precinct 13, which will lead to a desk job at another precinct. He is haunted by his last undercover job gone bad, which led to the deaths of his partners, and is getting some therapy from Alex Sabian (Maria Bello). The final night of precinct 13 takes place on New Year's Eve, expected to be a cushy night during an extreme winter storm, but a prisoner transfer is redirected to the place to make things a little more exciting. On the bus is well-known gangster and cop-killer Marion Bishop (Laurence Fishburne). Shortly after, we find out that some dirty cops want Bishop dead because he could finger them in court, and thereby the assault begins.

Who is masterminding this assault? None other than Gabriel Byrne, playing ultimate bad chief Marcus Duvall, who is apparently in town to start getting tough on gangsters, but we all know that's for the press. On the good side, joining Hawke, are Jasper O'Shea (Brian Dennehy) and secretary Iris Ferry (Drea de Metteo, formerly of "The Sopranos"), along with a stranded Bello. Bad guys who later help out include Smiley (Ja Rule), conspiracy nut and druggie Beck (John Leguizamo), and I-didn't-do-it girl Anna (Aisha Hinds).

Yeah, the bad guys eventually have to be trusted with weapons, which is a good wrinkle and adds more tension to the fight, since no one trusts each other, but it's a necessary evil. Roenick and Bishop have a couple of scenes where they agree that they have to work with each other, but know as soon as it's over, Roenick's a cop out to catch bad guys, and Bishop is a gangster who kills cops. Fishburne is quite mesmerizing in this as Bishop. It's a calm, understated, experienced outlaw--and one I'm led to believe is the most dangerous kind.

There are, of course, surprises--none of which will be too surprising if you've ever seen an action thriller, but it's a minor qualm. Another minor qualm is that you really don't see a lot of planning on the Duvall side. This serves a "what will they do now?" kind of plot, which can be exciting, but I think I prefer to see the villain thinking and plotting, while the hero does the same. You know, like a chess match with guns and riot gear.

Overall, an extremely early entry for 2005's "Best of the Year," which of course won't last, and considering the competition thus far, isn't saying much. But it's a good movie.