Assault On Precinct 13

"Assault on Precinct 13" marks the return of the R-rated action movie. It is the dark and savvy remake of John Carpenter's 1976 cult classic of the same name, which in turn was inspired by Howard Hawks' 1959 Rio Bravo. French Director Francois Richet's American filmmaking debut has done right by the cult favorite about a ragtag group of cops and criminals trapped in a police station. The thrill of this dark action flick is rightly focused on the characters, eerie setting, and tons of stripped down action and gunplay that truly brings this old school throw-down to life.

The driving force of the film lies within the chemistry of the ensemble cast. In "Precinct 13" there is a fine line between the good-guys and the bad-guys, as the cops and criminals have to team up against more cops who are in fact, the bad-guys. Ethan Hawke plays Jake Roenick, a young sergeant battling the demons of his past, who is forced to team up with Bishop, a local crime lord and cop killer who is masterfully portrayed by Laurence Fishburne. Also, John Leguizamo gives a scene-stealing performance as Beck, the paranoid but articulate junkie. Platinum selling rapper Ja Rule adds a few laughs as Smiley, the counterfeiter; and actress Drea de Matteo adds a touch of sexiness to the dark film. As for the antagonist, Gabriel Byrne gives his usual grim performance as Marcus Duvall, the crooked head of Detroit's racketeering and organized crime department out to kill everyone inside of Precinct 13. Although, the surface of the story is the eclectic bunch of cops and criminals fighting to survive the onslaught of Duvall's army; the heart of the movie is the relationship between the young sergeant Roenick and the cop killer Bishop who do not trust each other, but, must fight together to survive the night in the eerie precinct 13.

The film is set on a wintry night in Detroit on New Year's Eve. The cell phones are jammed and the phone lines

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