Starring: Ethan Hawke, Laurence Fishburne
Director: Jean-Francois Richet
Rated: MA15+
THE evocative title of Assault on Precinct 13 brings to mind the classic thriller written and directed by John Carpenter in the mid-1970s.
As with so many new versions of an older film, the recent film-makers prefer to use, instead of remake, the words re-imagining or homage.
This is justified in this case as the present version has the blessing of Carpenter who, it is said, suggested that the street gang members who besieged the precinct become crooked police.
He thought it more relevant to today’s questioning of all authority figures.
The film opens intensely with a drug deal and a tour-de-force display by Ethan Hawke.
We are in Detroit, in winter, New Year’s Eve, heavy snow and a skidding police bus which has to detour to shelter its prisoners in the decrepit precinct building which is about to close down.
In charge is the traumatised sergeant, played by Hawke, with subordinates played by Brian Dennehy and Drea de Matteo.
The sergeant’s counsellor, played by Maria Bello, is forced to shelter because of the weather.
The principal prisoner is a local gangster, played by Laurence Fishburne.
The group is unwilling to take in the gangster but when masked gunmen open fire and they find that it is a corrupt police squad led by Gabriel Byrne, the forces unite for a very long night.
This is an effective blend of action and character studies, quite exciting and a powerful reminder about our violent responses when we are forced into self-defence.
The director is French, an enthusiast who admires the work of American action directors. He pays homage to them as well as to John Carpenter.
He gets strong performances from his cast and the screenplay is far grimmer and less romantic than what we might expect.
Not bad at all for its type.
