The 2005 version of John Carpenter's "Assault on Precinct 13" is the epitome of the good cop/bad cop action genre. In this case, however, it is good cop versus bad cop versus gangsters.
The story follows Sergeant Jake Roenick (Ethan Hawke) as he struggles with the decisions he's made in his past and the dead end that he sees in his future. Eight months earlier, Roenick was a head undercover agent for the Detroit Police Department when he lost his two best friends in a botched sting attempt. He holds himself responsible for giving the orders that led to his friends' deaths.
Though he only suffered a bullet wound, Roenick then chose to hide behind his injury and keep a desk job at Precinct 13, afraid of the responsibility that would come with a field position.
And that is where we find our hero on Dec. 31, manning the front desk at the run-down Precinct 13, a station that is due to be shut down the very next day. Roenick works the New Year's Eve shift with a few other officers including grizzled veteran cop Jasper O'Shea, wonderfully portrayed by Brian Dennehy, who is planning to retire after this last shift, and Iris Ferry (Drea de Matteo), the saucy secretary who takes a shine to her bad-boy inmates and constantly teases the officers with too-short skirts and too-high-heeled leather boots. As a blizzard moves into Detroit, the three hunker down with their vodka and noisemakers to ring in the New Year and the end of Precinct 13.
Coincidentally, a legendary gangster, the ruthless Marion Bishop (Laurence Fishburne), and three other criminals are being transported that same night across town to a holding facility to await a bail hearing. Due to the storm, their bus cannot make the trip, and the prisoners must be held at Precinct 13 until the weather clears. But no sooner does Bishop's cell door clink shut than a shadowy band of anonymous attackers begins an invasion to get him out - or is it to get even?
Either way, Roenick and the rest find themselves trapped in the crossfire, and what unfolds is not the typical "good cop saves the innocent and punishes the sinners"; instead, the gentle twists and turns keep "Assault on Precinct 13" interesting despite its relatively clich?©d storyline.
Originally written by John Carpenter (who in turn adapted his film from Howard Hawks' "Rio Bravo"), this latest version of "Precinct" is adapted by James DeMonaco, writer of the 1998 thriller, "The Negotiator." There are common threads seen in both of DeMonaco's films: corrupt cops, explosions, and plenty of heavy artillery. What is so brilliant about "Assault on Precinct 13," however, is that it breaks the mold and refuses to follow the formula - at least cinematographically - for cops-'n-robbers movies.
Director of photography Robert Gantz' tight camera angles and murky lighting allow viewers not only to visualize the claustrophobia of those under siege inside the precinct, but to actually feel the stress and fright of fish in the barrel, waiting to be killed.
"Assault on Precinct 13" provides more than simply an exciting escape from reality through high-octane action. It goes beyond that, just as Ethan Hawke's previous film, "Training Day" did, to spice up the typical police drama with diverse characters and suspenseful directing. The supporting cast features a bevy of intriguing cameos, including an overly-hyper junkie (John Leguizamo) and his cell-mate Smiley (Ja Rule), who ironically never smiles.
When it comes right down to it, a film like this can only be as good as its plot. In which case, it must be said that "Assault on Precinct 13" is not much more than a stupid action movie; it has never presented itself any differently.
It is, however, a very clever and well-done stupid action movie. As you watch Gabriel Byrne, the classically cold-blooded villain, glare through his night-vision goggles at his next target, or watch the faceless assailants in head-to-toe black storming a decaying building holding a motley crew of heroes, you realize that you've seen this somewhere before.
And you have. But just not like this. Not as beautifully shot or as carefully orchestrated. The yin of the mindless action and the yang of the mindful cinematography combine to create an American film much like its Japanese samurai counterparts, where the beauty is just as important as the horrific violence and slightly predictable plot.
