by Jeffrey K. Lyles

I had "Assault on Precinct 13" pegged as a boring urban shoot-em-up in the vein of "Never Die Alone" or "Half Past Dead" only dragging poor Laurence Fishburne into its generic action and poor story line. Worse, it’s a remake of an acclaimed 1976 John Carpenter film so it’s not like it’s going to get any better than the original, right?
Instead, Fishburne’s ultra-suave demeanor lends just the right touch of class to a surprisingly effective action thriller.
Ethan Hawke ("Before Sunset") stars as Capt. Jake Roenick, an undercover cop still dealing with a failed sting operation eight months ago that left his fellow officers dead.
It’s New Year’s Eve – talk about just missing the boat for release dates - and Roenick is among a small detail closing down the soon to be abandoned precinct 13 as most of the police department has already moved into its brand new headquarters.
To help Roenick ring in the New Year is the police secretary Iris (Drea de Matteo, HBO’s The Sopranos"), grizzled veteran Jasper O’Shea (Brian Dennehy, "She Hate Me") and Roenick’s psychiatrist Alex Sabian (Maria Bello, "The Cooler") whose car stalled. There seems to be some sexual tension between Alex and Roenick that seems sure to be developed as the night continues.
A heavy snowstorm forces a police escort to layover at the precinct with its prisoners.
The prisoners are an eclectic group including a smooth-talking thief Smiley (hip-hop star Ja Rule), Beck, the junkie (John Leguizamo, "Spun"), Anna (Aisha Hinds, "Neo Ned") who claims she’s never committed a crime and Marion Bishop (Fishburne) a noted mob boss.
Things get infinitely more interesting when a group of masked goons led by Marcus Duvall (the always welcome Gabriel Byrne, "P.S.") storm the precinct in order to kill Bishop but upon having their identities revealed, attempt to kill all of the precinct’s occupants.
With a cast as strong as this, it’d be hard for a film to stumble to mediocrity but it’s been done in the past (i.e. "The Whole Ten Yards") so it’s refreshing to see that the film doesn’t waste its more than capable cast.
Screenwriter James DeMonaco ("The Negotiator") smartly crafts his script like a teen slasher flick, which allows for some genuinely funny moments as the events transpire.
DeMonaco’s characters have little quirks to them such as Smiley referring to himself in the third person, Alex’s obsessive compulsive disorder and Beck finding a government conspiracy in everything.
Additionally, the characters more or less react to the situation, just like the teens in a horror film idly waiting on the next one to get killed by the homicidal maniac.
I did have issue with Duvall’s strategy though if he was so insistent on watching out for his men’s wellbeing. If he just wants to kill off everyone in the building, why not just start a couple fires and pick them off one by one as they exit or just blow up the old police station that’s going to be shut down anyway?
That wouldn’t have half the dramatic impact though or make for a very long movie so I’ll let it slide I suppose.
Director Jean-Francois Richet has a good feel for establishing the pace of the film so it’s never too much action that you become desensitized to it and every gunfight actually has meaning besides thinning out the cast.
"Assault" is one of those movies that lends itself to "audience participation," meaning that you shouldn’t be surprised if someone in the audience feels the need to offer up wise words of wisdom to the characters or their feelings on a particular course of action. In action and horror movies, that kind of movie interaction is a good indication that the audience is connecting with the movie as opposed to a drama where it’s just annoying.
Halfway through the film, the lighthearted tone gets tossed for a major shot of realism, not usually seen in these type of action films, as the body count starts rising and characters who would normally walk off into the sunset as the credits roll don’t make it through the night. It’s a bold move and certainly makes the movie feel less Hollywood but for those looking for a neat, "happy" ending, you may be disappointed.
With a great cast, smart script and intense action, "Assault" is a welcome treat and one of the best action films I’ve seen in a long time. Don’t miss it.