In 1976, John Carpenter paid homage to Howard Hawks' superlative western RIO BRAVO with his second full-length feature film, ASSAULT ON PRECINCT 13. Now it's Carpenter's turn to experience some cinematic adulation, with this remake of the film from director Jean-François Richet. Set in Detroit, Richet's film focuses on police Sergeant Jake Roenick, whose failed career as an undercover cop has lead to a New Years Eve stint in charge of the dilapidated Precinct 13. As a snowstorm rattles the windows and doors of the rundown station, Roenick exchanges some festive banter with police psychologist Alex Sabian (Maria Bello); curvaceous secretary Iris Ferry (Drea de Matteo); and retiring veteran Jasper O'Shea (Brian Dennehy). But their merriment is interrupted when a diverted prison bus escapes the ravages of the storm, seeking a temporary haven for its peccant passengers in Precinct 13. Criminal mastermind Marion Bishop (Laurence Fisburne) is on board, along with a junkie, Beck (John Leguizamo), and two young felons, Smiley (Ja Rule) and Anna (Aisha Hinds). Hot on their tail comes police detective Marcus Duvall (Gabriel Byrne), a crooked cop who wants Bishop dead before he testifies against Duvall in court. Bringing a formidable army of fellow corrupt officers with him, Duvall puts the police station under siege in order to snag his man before it's too late. But he doesn't bank on the impressive wiles of Roenick and his rag-tag mixture of cops and criminals, who unite in an attempt to defend themselves from an execrable ending at the hands of Duvall and his men. A highly entertaining action romp ensues, with director Richet delivering a fast-paced thriller laced with violence and surprising plot twists, ensuring viewers are kept on their toes right up until the film's blood-soaked finale.
THEATRICAL RELEASE: JANUARY 21, 2005
DVD Features:
Region (unknown)
Keep Case
Anamorphic Widescreen - 2.35
Audio:
Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound - English
Dolby Digital 5.1 DTS Surround Sound - English
Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound - French
Additional Release Material:
Deleted Scenes - 1. Explosive Deleted Scenes
Commentary - 1. Jean-Francois Richet - Director
2. James DeMonaco - Writer
3. Jeffrey Silver - Producer
Featurette - 1. ARMED AND DANGEROUS
2. BEHIND PRECINCT WALLS
3. PLAN OF ATTACK
4. THE ASSAULT TEAM
Stars
Ethan Hawke: American actor, REALITY BITES, TRAINING DAY
Laurence Fishburne: American Actor, BOYZ N THE HOOD (1991), THE MATRIX (1999)
Maria Bello: Actress, 'Permanent Midnight'
Drea de Matteo: Actor, PREY FOR ROCK AND ROLL (2003)
John Leguizamo: American Actor/Writer
Aisha Hinds: Actor, ASSAULT ON PRECINCT 13 (2005)
Gabriel Byrne: Irish Actor - Miller's Crossing/The Man in the Iron Mask
Brian Dennehy: American Actor
Currie Graham: Actor
Director
Jean-Francois Richet: Director, ASSAULT ON PRECINCT 13 (2005)
Producer
Pascal Caucheteux:
Jeffrey Silver: Producer
Stephane Sperry: Producer, ASSAULT ON PRECINCT 13 (2005)
Screenwriter
James DeMonaco: Screenwriter
Composer
Graham Revell: Music, ASSAULT ON PRECINCT 13 (2005)
Editor
Bill Pankow: Editor, ASSAULT ON PRECINCT 13 (2005)
Director of Photography
Robert Gantz: Director of Photography, ASSAULT ON PRECINCT 13 (2005)
Executive Producer
Don Carmody: Producer/Executive
Executive Producer
Elizabeth Dreyer: Executive Producer, ASSAULT ON PRECINCT 13 (2005)
Music Performer(s)
Ja Rule: Music Performer
Production Designer
Paul Denham Austerberry: Production Designer, RESIDENT EVIL: APOCALYPSE (2004)
Source Writer
John Carpenter: Horror Film Director/Composer
Costume Designer
Georgina Yarhi: Costume Designer, ASSAULT ON PRECINCT 13 (2005)
Review 1:
"[A] potent thriller with some stirring performances."
Source: USA Today
p.4D 01/19/2005
Review 2:
"[T]ense and exciting....The interplay between the characters is consistently revealing, and Hawke and Fishburne, with their sharply contrasting personalities and physical presences, anchor the escalating action and suspense."
Source: Los Angeles Times
p.E1 01/19/2005
Review 3:
"John Carpenter's 1976 classic gets a smart, subversive make-over from director Jean-Francois Richet..."
Source: Uncut
p.138 08/01/2005