I was a fan of john Carpenter’s original “Assault on Precinct 13” back when it came out in 1976. For its time, it was pretty rough film, at least in terms of violence and shock. In this original version, cops and criminals had to team up when a street gang declares war on the almost shut down precinct. Even with its low-budget look, Carpenter manages to draw you into the action and keep you riveted to the screen. I still think the film contains one of the most shocking, horrifying and unexpected scenes on any film before or since. I don’t want to spoil it for you if you haven’t seen it, but those of you who have know exactly what I’m talking about. I have a tendency to cringe a bit whenever I hear the words remake or re-imagining, but only because most fail to capture what made an original film so… well… original. Occasionally, a really good director will get the right idea and deliver a film that is at least good, if not as good as. Such is the case with the 2005 version of “Assault on Precinct 13.” While it’s not the classic the original is, if you decide not to compare, it’s actually a pretty exciting action flick.

They’ve changed up the story quite a bit (even to the point of who the antagonists are) and the violence is amped up thanks to modern day film technology, but the basic scenario of cops teaming up with killers to fend off an attack is kept intact. Also, unlike the original film, this one is filled with some pretty big name stars. Ethan Hawke and Laurence Fishburne head up a cast that includes Gabriel Bryne, Brian Dennehy, and John Leguizamo. Of course, we also get the token “rap star – wannabe actor” in the form of Ja Rule. I can’t pick on him too much, however as he does a fairly decent job.

What surprised me the most about the new “Assault on Precinct 13” was that I actually did enjoy the heck out of it, just in a different way than the original. The first one shocked me and made me really hate the ‘bad guys.’ This new version got my adrenaline pumping as the action and tension hardly ever let up. And kudos to writer James Demonaco and director Jean-Francois Richet for delivering characters that were actually 3-dimensional, which is usually hard to find in your typical action flick.

Universal is releasing the DVD this month for “Assault on Precinct 13”, and that was where my second surprise came in. There are far more extra features than I had expected considering the film didn’t do that well at the box office. The commentary teams up Demarco and Richet with producer Jeffrey Silver, and together they deliver quite a bit of interesting information, including some of the references to the original film. The only bad part about the commentary is Richet’s accent, you really have to listen hard to catch everything he says (perhaps subtitles would have been a good idea…). The film utilizes a ton of action sequences, weapons and explosions and there are a bunch of featurettes focusing on each of these areas. Add to these several deleted scenes, and this is one well-rounded disc.

Some hardcore John Carpenter are still going to get all up in arms about this remake, but I recommend giving it a chance. It turned out to be a much better movie than I expected.

Directed by: Jean-Francois Richet
Starring: Ethan Hawke, Laurence Fishburne, John Lequizamo, Maria Bello, Ja Rule, Drea De Matteo
Extras: “Armed & Dangerous”, “Behind Precinct Walls”, “Plan of Attack”, Deleted Scenes
Specifications: Widescreen (2.40:1), Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound, DTS 5.1 Digital Surround Sound
Studio: Universal
Release Date: 5/10/2005
Region 1
MPAA Rating: R (Strong Violence and Language Throughout, And For Some Drug Content)
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We'll give Assault on Precinct 13 a B.