Movie Review: Assault on Precinct 13

Assault on Precinct 13

Although a movie by the same name was made back in the mid-1970's, those who created the new Assault on Precinct 13 are quick to say that theirs is not a remake but rather a movie "inspired by" the earlier film. I've not seen the earlier film, so I can't vouch for what's changed and what's stayed the same. I can tell you, though, that this new movie does just fine standing on its own.

Precinct 13 is an old police precinct located in Detroit. All of its officers and functions are in the process of being transferred to a new locale, and on New Year's Eve, the few people remaining in the building are there merely to finish up some packing. Sergeant Jake Roenick (Ethan Hawke) is one of the three spending his holiday at work. Eight months after an operation that killed two of his people, he's still working on his emotional recovery though he's disinclined to think he needs any help in that regard. Police psychiatrist Dr. Alex Sabian (Maria Bello) shows up to keep an appointment with him just before heading out to a party; she tries to point Roenick in the right direction, but his flippancy doesn't let her get too far before she has to leave.

Meanwhile, secretary Iris Ferry (Drea DeMateo) and officer Jasper O'Shea (Brian Dennehy) put up a few decorations and bring in a few bottles to hold a small celebration as the three acknowledge the New Year as well as the final shift at the station. Their small party is just getting underway when a prison transfer bus shows up at their door. Blizzard conditions have made it too dangerous to continue driving, so a pair of police officers and their four prisoners have decided to hole up in Precinct 13 for the night. Among the prisoners is Marion Bishop (Laurence Fishburne), a notorious drug lord and murderer. Shortly after the prisoners are locked up in holding cells, Dr. Sabian walks in the front door. It seems her car has broken down, and she's returned to the precinct to wait for a tow truck.

Even with the company, the evening is a relatively quiet one until some men with guns show up on the premises apparently determined to get their hands on Bishop. O'Shea thinks the attackers are members of Bishop's gang come to break him out, but Roenick discovers the men outside are fellow police officers. After a talk with Bishop, Roenick learns that police vice squad leader Marcus Duvall (Gabriel Byrne) is on the take, and that Bishop could testify to enough damaging material to take him and a number of his men down with him. Duvall isn't about to let that happen, and so he and some of his team members take matters into their own hands. Recognizing he's got a shortage of manpower, Roenick decides to let the prisoners out of their cells and give them weapons to help with defense. But with the bad guys on the inside and the outside, and Roenick's own guilt over making what he perceives as bad decisions once before, there's some doubt as to whether or not any of the people trapped inside Precinct 13 will survive the night.

Ethan Hawke is a good actor who excels in this kind of role. Riddled with self doubt, you can see on his face when he decides to pull himself up by his own mental bootstraps and get the job—whatever it is—done. Laurence Fishburne is terrific. Without raising his voice or a weapon, he never-the-less takes command and intimidates anybody who questions him. He's smart, capable, and utterly ruthless, and you can get all that merely from the look in his eyes and his body language. Brian Dennehy, of course, is always capable, as is John Leguizamo as one of the prisoners. Gabriel Byrne seems quite flat here, but that could very well be because he doesn't get enough screen time to really flesh out his character much. I don't really buy Maria Bello as a psychiatrist, but she's good, particularly when the stress levels inside the building rocket sky high. As for Drea DeMateo, she's fine, but does this woman only have one character in her repertoire?

The script is exciting, and the direction very good. The editing is terrific, the shooting scenes very well choreographed and executed, and the set completely believable. The movie isn't a long one, and that's probably a good thing. Once a little background is established, the suspense and energy begin, and it doesn't let up until the closing scenes of the film. I don't know that any awards are going to be won by actors or screenwriters for Assault on Precinct 13, but it's no small thing to say that I was on the edge of my seat for much of the movie or that it took a short while for my heart rate to slow down after the thrill ride was over.

POLITICAL NOTES: The assumption that the authorities are always good and the bad guys are always, well, bad, is one that too many people make. Wearing a badge—or holding a political office or an appointed position—doesn't necessarily mean you're doing a good job or the right things. Unfortunately, the immunity that those things give some people in the minds of others are as much a hurdle to overcome in the freedom movement as are finding and keeping good and decent people in authority to begin with.

FAMILY SUITABILITY: Assault on Precinct 13 is rated R for "strong violence and language throughout." No kidding. While the language is probably not something the average 13 year-old hasn't heard more than once if not used himself, the violence is pervasive and extremely graphic. I can't recommend that anyone under 16 see this movie. For those who aren't too fainthearted at the sight of blood and some very cold-blooded killings, though, Assault on Precinct 13 offers a diverting—to say the least!—time in the theatre.