SUBSCRIBEAssault on Precinct 13 - Jean-Francois Richet
A psychological thriller that’s both fascinating and riveting. This is a remake (my, my, my, again? Is there really no other good material to start with?) of the 1976 John Carpenter original of the same title. But I like this one. The strong blizzard heightens the overall mood and drama. The interplay of the characters from the main lead, Jake (Ethan Hawke, with his own struggles and problems), the shrink, the secretary, retiring cop, to the prisoners led by Bishop (Lawrence Fishburne, really calm here but forceful). At first, you think that someone’s going to free the prisoners but as the story unfolds and the surprise unravels. At one point, when they were already under seige, the protagonists have no other recourse but to trust their prisoners in order to survive. I just liked the way the conflict both inside (between the cops in the precinct and their prisoners) as well as outside (between those under seige and the attackers) was shown. There’s also the element of unpredictability here. You won’t really know whose going to die next or will this person be spared.
This film is about trust and betrayal. About keeping to the side of the law or breaking it. About personal struggles, facing their own demons, human redemption and survival.
