Assault on Precinct 13 (2005)

User Rating:

6.3/10   

Director:

Jean-François Richet

Writers (WGA):

John Carpenter (earlier film)
James DeMonaco (screenplay)

Release Date:

19 January 2005 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Drama | Crime | Thriller

Tagline:

Unite and fight.

Plot:

A police sergeant must rally the cops and prisoners together to protect themselves on New Year's Eve, just as corrupt policeman surround the station with the intent of killing all to keep their deception in the ranks.

Plot Keywords:

New Year's Eve | Police | Police Station | Prisoner | Deception

Awards:

1 win & 2 nominations

Cast

Ethan Hawke	...	Sgt. Jake Roenick
Laurence Fishburne	...	Marion Bishop
Gabriel Byrne	...	Capt. Marcus Duvall
Maria Bello	...	Dr. Alex Sabian
Drea de Matteo	...	Iris Ferry
John Leguizamo	...	Beck
Brian Dennehy	...	Sgt. Jasper O'Shea
Ja Rule	...	Smiley (as Jeffrey 'Ja Rule' Atkins)
Currie Graham	...	Mike Kahane
Aisha Hinds	...	Anna
Matt Craven	...	Officer Kevin Capra
Fulvio Cecere	...	Ray Portnow
Peter Bryant	...	Lt. Holloway
Kim Coates	...	Officer Rosen
Hugh Dillon	...	Tony

Also Known As:

Assaut sur le central 13 (France)

MPAA:

Rated R for strong violence and language throughout, and for some drug content.

Runtime:

109 min

Country:

USA | France

Language:

English | Serbian

Color:

Color (DeLuxe)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital

Certification:

Germany:16 | Brazil:16 | Malaysia:18SG | Portugal:M/16 | Spain:18 | Argentina:13 | Australia:MA | Canada:13+ (Quebec) | Canada:18A | Canada:18A (Alberta/British Columbia/Manitoba/Ontario) | Finland:K-15 | France:-12 | Hong Kong:IIB | Iceland:16 | Ireland:16 | Netherlands:16 | Norway:15 | Peru:14 | Philippines:R-13 | Singapore:M18 | Singapore:NC-16 (cut) | UK:15 | USA:R (certificate #41325) | Ireland:18 (video rating) | South Korea:18

Filming Locations:

Detroit, Michigan, USA

Company:

Rogue Pictures

Trivia:

At least 7 people get shot in the head.

Goofs:

Continuity: During the initial sequence of lasers and shots aimed inside the station, characters close the Venetian blinds. However, in subsequent shots, the blinds are open again.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Jake Roenick: Listen to me. What are we talking about, really? Getting high? No. We're talking about a journey, man. A subconscious safari. A mental expedition, OK, a mind trek. This planet has been raped, pillaged and fucked! And the mind is the only uncharted territory
[picks up cocaine]
Jake Roenick: And this shit is the ship. It's the Nina, the Pinta and the Santa Maria and you... are fuckin' Magellan.
[spills a little bit of cocaine]
Jake Roenick: Oh fuck... I spilled some.
[laughs hysterically]
Jake Roenick: So what do you say my Serbian motherfucking friend? Do you want to take a trip or do you want to sit on your ass?
Marko: Yeah, OK, Napoleon... let's see what you got.

Movie Connections:

Featured in "HBO First Look: Assault on Precinct 13: Caught in the Crosshairs (#12.2)" (2005)

Soundtrack:

You're Nobody 'til Somebody Loves you

Not a pleasant "Assault" but still watchable

The story has appeared many times over the decades in increasingly violent and less stylistic forms. John Wayne was in two, the more famous of which was "Rio Bravo" (1959). A seasoned veteran has to command a few loose cannons in order to fend off an invasion. John Carpenter made the stylish and violent "Assault on Precinct 13" (1976) before his landmark horror "Halloween" (1978). Now we've arrived at this 2005 remake.

Directed by Jean-Francois Richet, Ethan Hawke is the pill-popping alcoholic Jake Roenick who must round up his troops on the last day at Precinct 13 on New Year's Eve in Detroit. When a group of prisoners, including Bishop (Laurence Fishburne, in Morpheus mode) make a stop-over at Precinct 13 because of a highway accident, thugs in ski masks lay siege to it trying to get Bishop. Thinking fast, Roenick gathers up everyone, including cops and prisoners, to fend off a vicious attack.

This doesn't quite live up to its predecessors in a lot of ways. It lacks true suspense and often treads the line between cool and cliché way too often. A number of plot-twists are made too, but do little to lend any weight to satisfaction. No Oscar-worthy performers, though John Leguizamo does a nice turn as a hot-headed junkie.

6/10