Assault On Precinct 13 (2005)

[Ash]

Just returned from seeing this and I have to say that I wasn't disappointed, but I wasn't blown away either.

Many of you know that this is a remake of Carpenter's 1976 classic.
I will tell you now that it is quite different from the original.
It has a plot twist to it that I found to be downright disappointing.

I won't give anything away but let me just say this:
When the movie reveals who is assaulting Precinct 13 and why, you may hear yourself groan out loud.
It's one of the most crappy cliches ever.
And it wasn't cool.
If you can look past that however, you may enjoy it.



Other than that, the film is a success on many levels.
The tension gets ratcheted up pretty nicely and the gunshots are both loud and numerous.

One thing I noticed though....if you go to see it, count how many times you see any given "good guy" character stand right in front of a shot out window with at least 2 snipers on the prowl outside.
I kept wanting to yell out loud, "Get away from the window you morons!"
It's one thing to crouch down and take a peek outside without exposing much of your head, but these guys stand full on straight & tall right in front of the windows!
"Get down dammit!"

Also, I don't think Lawrence Fishburne was the right choice to play the vile gangster Marion Bishop.
To me and many others, Fishburne has been permanently typecast as Morpheus.
I simply cannot watch him in any new film without thinking that he's gonna spout out some cryptic talk about Neo being 'The One'.


John Leguizamo is terriffic in the supporting role of a junkie taken prisoner and then given a gun to defend himself alongside the other cops.

Ethan Hawke is by far the strongest actor in this cast.
He was great in this!  I never doubted his character for a second.

Like Elektra, this film is also visually very dark.
The film has a muddy, murky look and feel to it...which works in some scenes, but not in others.


I give this film 2 1/2 stars out of a possible 4.

Not bad....but not totally kickass either.



Post Edited (01-19-05 14:15)

[Mr_Vindictive]

I'm still holding out all hope for this film.  I'm hoping to go into it without ANY reservations and hope for it to be entertaining.

Gabriel Byrne is a favorite of mine, so I'll definently be checking it out.

[BoyScoutKevin]

No offense to anyone, but I make it a practice not to see remakes, especially a remake of one of the most extraordinary films I've ever seen (i.e. the original "Assault on Precinct 13." )

I do make exceptions to the above rule, as I am going to see the remake of "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory." It is not so much that I think I will enjoy it. It is just that when director Tim Burton and actor Johnny Depp get together for a film, what they create together is always worth watching.

[blkrider]

The thing is, it's a remake, but Carpenter's film was bascially a remake of various Howard Hawks westerns.  So it's hard to get too offended by this new film.

[BoyScoutKevin]

True. That is a point in a favor. I still don't like most  remakes, though.

[Yaddo 42]

Is the secret of who's assaulting the station, and why, different from the what's in the trailer? Unless they pull a bait and switch, the trailer gives away a lot in that area like so many modern trailers do.

I might catch this one at the bargain theater. The cost might match my expectations.

I've always considered the original "Assault" kind of like John Carpenter's calling card of his techniques and style. Not my favorite film of his but an important film. The Howards Hawks influence on his films was so strong that the siege film was a Carpenter trademark.