ASSAULT ON PRECINCT 13 (***)
Action films have become so customary in Filipino releases, that viewers are hard-pressed to find something original or worthwhile. Knowing this, I went into ASSAULT ON PRECINCT 13 with misgivings, but came out impressed. I have not seen the much-loved original version by John Carpenter (considered to be one of his best works), but I can vouch for this film’s merits. It may not be original, but among its mediocre contemporaries, it is worthwhile.
The plot is as old as action movies go, involving a stronghold that has to be defended from invaders (see THE ALAMO). The fortress in question here is set on blizzardy New Year’s Eve in Detroit at Police Precinct 13, a dilapidated law enforcement facility where Sergeant Jake Roenick (Ethan Hawke) is finishing up his duties. Fellow cop Jasper O’Shea (Brian Dennehy) and secretary Iris Ferry (Drea de Matteo) accompany him on his last night on the job, while visiting police psychologist Alex Sabian (Maria Bello) drops to discuss with Officer Jake whatever issues he has.
Everything turns on its head when Marion Bishop (Laurence Fishburne) is brought into their custody due to the snowstorm. In his company are convicts Beck (John Leguizamo), Smiley (Jeffrey “Ja Rule” Atkins), and Anna (Aisha Hinds), all of whom happened to be on the wrong bus at the wrong time.
Their bad karma is underscored by an elite police force that is apparently trying to assassinate Bishop, since his knowledge implicates them in criminal activities. And since Bishop makes this known to his precinct companions, the invaders, led by Marcus Duvall (Gabriel Byrne) understand the need to eliminate them all.
Dear readers, please do not accuse me of spoiling the movie’s storyline (the trailer has been clearly giving it away for weeks). And fear not, the film’s pleasure is not so much in its plot points, but in its willingness to deal with the situation they have at hand, and in the sensibility of the strategy put in place by all those involved.
In order for action movies like this to be successful, certain rules and constraints have to be in place for the action to play against (CELLULAR is an excellent example). And according to the conventions set in place here, the movie’s logic unfolds almost perfectly. It’s refreshing to see an action movie that tries to deal sincerely (on a strategic and tactical level) with the dilemma it presents (PANIC ROOM is another case in point).
Filipino shoot-em-ups have severe problems in this regard, where heroes and villains resort to practically walking into each one’s line of fire and then blasting away. The leads of ASSAUT ON PRECINCT 13 are too levelheaded to try and get away with such foolishness. The good and bad guys know better than to run or strike without caution. Characters in command are analytic, opportunistic, and decisive. These are the kind of folks you would like to be led by in the heat of battle.
Another refreshing aspect about the film is the lack of cheesiness. There are heaps of action film macho men who resort to cheap one-liners after a successful kill, or a surreal moment. The individuals here have no such comfort. They are fully aware of the dire straits they are in, and have no time to consider any trivialities. Consider when Beck annoyingly presents a joke to Bishop in a prison cell. A lesser writer would have required Bishop to say something menacingly sarcastic, but Bishop’s reply disarms Beck perfectly without malice. It indicates the character’s (and the screenwriter’s) intelligence and maturity.
The film’s cast is unreasonably good for a movie with such modest aspirations. John Leguizamo loves playing lovable pests (as he did in THE PEST) dancing on the edge of annoyance. But his junkie persona here fulfills that purpose without veering away from the logic of his situation. I liked Aisha Hinds’s absolute refusal to portray a black female gang member as a cliché. All her character wants to do is get out, nothing else is required of her, and thankfully, no unnecessary mannerisms are added. Maria Bello provides some nice tension as Alex Sabian. Her character, unlike Jennifer Garner's Elektra, really has a problem with OCD, and it shows. Brian Dennehy and Gabriel Byrne are two tremendous actors, and though both of their characters are thanklessly one-dimensional, they fill them so richly that we don’t mind their lack of depth. Mr. Byrne is especially convincing in a short but intense talk he gives his lackey before storming the precinct.
Many have forgotten that Laurence Fishburne is an Academy Award nominee (for WHAT’S LOVE GOT TO DO WITH IT), and many youngsters will probably remember him solely as Morpheus in THE MATRIX movies. But he has superb acting chops, and I’m glad to see him display them as a baddie again. He, with Mr. Hawke and Mr. Byrne, lend the movie the dread it needs. He has one memorable scene where he stares momentarily at a corrections officer before boarding a bus. It’s all he needs to show how dangerous his character is (imagine Morpheus without the concern). Ethan Hawke is a man I’ve considered to be a poor man’s Tom Cruise. He’s good-looking, extremely talented, but unlike Mr. Cruise, is almost always overlooked. He’s basically replaying his character in TRAINING DAY, but it’s still a welcome repeat leading man performance.
Director Jean-Francois Richet appears to be a promising talent. He has taken a well-known cult classic and morphed it into a solid thriller. It doesn’t delve too deeply into issues of good and evil (and everything in-between) as its predecessor, but I don’t think it wants to. It’s valuable on its own terms. As Lou Lumenick of The New York Post puts it best, “ASSAULT ON PRECINCT 13 is a thriller that actually thrills.”