Assault on Precinct 13 (2005 film)

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Assault on Precinct 13
Assault on Precinct 13.jpg
Theatrical release poster
Directed byJean-Francois Richet
Written byJames DeMonaco
Based onAssault on Precinct 13 written by John Carpenter
Produced by
  • Pascal Caucheteux
  • Stephane Sperry
  • Jeffrey Silver
Starring
CinematographyRobert Gantz
Edited byBill Pankow
Music byGraeme Revell
Production
companies
Distributed byRogue Pictures[1] (United States)
Metropolitan Filmexport[1] (France)
Release date
January 19, 2005 (2005-01-19) (United States)
March 2, 2005 (2005-03-02) (France)
Running time
109 minutes
CountriesFrance
United States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$30 million
Box office$35.3 million[1]

Assault on Precinct 13 is a 2005 action thriller film directed by Jean-François Richet and starring Ethan Hawke and Laurence Fishburne. The cast also includes John Leguizamo, Maria Bello, Ja Rule, Drea de Matteo, Brian Dennehy, Aisha Hinds and Gabriel Byrne. It is a loose remake of John Carpenter's 1976 film of the same name, with an updated plot.

Plot[]

Following a failed sting operation months prior, Detroit Police Department Sergeant Jake Roenick begins to regularly abuse alcohol and painkillers while clinging to his unambitious assignment as a desk sergeant at Precinct 13. On New Year's Eve, Roenick, along with officers Kevin Capra, Jasper O'Shea, and secretary Iris Ferry are the only people on site, as most of the officers have either transferred or are taking time off for the holidays. Psychiatrist Alexandra Sabian also arrives to evaluate Roenick's fitness for duty. Later, Capra, whose attempts to woo Iris are rebuffed, leaves after his shift ends.

Meanwhile, crime boss Marion Bishop is arrested after killing an undercover policeman in a church, and is set to be transferred to prison with three other criminals: Beck, Anna, and Smiley. When a snowstorm shuts down the roads, the prison transport is directed to Precinct 13. Though Roenick and O'Shea are hesitant, the storm gives them little option, and they place the prisoners in holding cells and let the deputies guarding them inside the precinct.

Soon after, masked gunmen cut off the precinct's communications and electricity, and attack the station, killing the deputies before demanding that Bishop be handed over to them. The lawmen initially believe the attackers to be Bishop's men, but when they kill one of the attackers, they discover he is from a team of undercover policemen led by Captain Marcus Duvall. Bishop explains that Duvall and his team are corrupt and were formerly his business partners, and that the undercover officer he killed was sent to eliminate him.

Though Roenick is reluctant to trust Bishop, the two forge an uneasy truce as both know they will be killed by Duvall to protect his secret. Heavily outnumbered and outgunned, Roenick releases the prisoners and arms them to help defend the precinct. Their combined efforts repulse several more attacks, eventually leading to a stalemate.

When a vehicle approaches the precinct, Duvall's men open fire on it; Roenick rescues the driver, who turns out to be Capra. Later, Beck and Smiley secretly conspire to escape with Capra's vehicle; simultaneously, the rest of the defenders plan for Anna and Sabian to drive away and get help. When Beck and Smiley sneak out to the vehicle, they are killed by Duvall's men, providing a distraction which allows Anna and Sabian to drive off. However, Duvall has Lieutenant Kahane wait in the vehicle in anticipation; Kahane kills Anna, and Duvall kills Sabian after she refuses to cooperate.

With only five of them left, Roenick and Bishop decide to take action instead of waiting for another attack. When they find the back door unlocked, they suspect Capra to be working for Duvall and handcuff him.

When the snowfall subsides, Duvall calls in a corrupt SWAT team who land on the roof of the precinct. The defenders set fire to the station to cover their escape and flee through a utilities tunnel underneath the building. Emerging from the tunnel, they find themselves surrounded by Duvall's men, and O'Shea confesses that he has been assisting Duvall. As Duvall prepares to execute the others, Bishop secretly plants a flash bang grenade on O'Shea, injuring him. In the confusion, Iris and Capra flee in Duvall's SUV. Kahane shoots out the tires, causing the vehicle to crash and knock Capra unconscious, but Iris manages to kill Kahane after a struggle.

Duvall chases Roenick and Bishop into a nearby forest where they ambush and kill Duvall and his remaining forces. Following this, Bishop, takes Roenick's gun and flees, and Roenick promises to personally arrest him in the future. When Iris arrives with police and firemen, Roenick claims that only he and Duvall's gang are present, effectively granting Bishop a getaway. As the authorities secure the area, Roenick and Iris leave the forest as the sun rises.

Cast[]

Production[]

Assault on Precinct 13 was mostly filmed on location in Detroit, as well as in Ontario, Canada (Toronto and Hamilton).

Critical reception and box office[]

The film received mixed reviews from critics, with a 59% positive rating on Rotten Tomatoes, the site's critical consensus being "This remake has been praised by some as an expertly made B-movie, and dismissed by others as formulaic",[2] and a metascore of 54 on Metacritic.[3]

Assault on Precinct 13 was not financially successful, and was widely considered a box office failure; made on a budget of $30 million, it went on to earn $35.3 million worldwide.[1]

See also[]

References[]

  1. ^ Jump up to: a b c d "Assault on Precinct 13 (2005) - Box Office Mojo". Retrieved 2009-10-19.
  2. ^ "Assault on Precinct 13 Movie Reviews, Pictures - Rotten Tomatoes". Retrieved June 3, 2020.
  3. ^ "Assault on Precinct 13 Reviews at Metacritic.com". Retrieved 2009-10-19.

External links[]

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