Assault on Precinct 13 2005, Rated R Rogue Pictures

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Directed by Jean-Francois Richet, Starring Ethan Hawke, Laurence Fishburne Released to DVD on May 10, 2005.

There’s a saying, that the third time’s a charm, which implies that sometimes things need to be done a few times before you get it right. It could mean anything, a third try at a relationship, a third try at a hobby or craft; maybe even a third try finding a therapist that you connect with. In terms of movies, this could be what director Jean-Francoise Richet was thinking when he decided to make Assault on Precinct 13.

In 1959, John Wayne starred in a Western called Rio Bravo. It was about a sheriff who is holding a murderer in his jail, and having to battle the murderer’s brother and others who are outside the building, trying to break him out. 17 years later, John Carpenter, who would go on to Halloween fame, used the premise for his first movie, called Assault on Precinct 13. Instead of making it a Western, it was set in LA, with gang members surrounding the jail.

29 years later, the new Assault on Precinct 13 is based in Detroit during a blizzard. A bus transporting prisoners stops at the precinct to get out of the storm, and a cop killer and drug dealer, Marion Bishop (Laurence Fishburne) is one of the prisoners. Suddenly the precinct is under siege from a group of corrupt cops who want to kill Bishop before he can testify against them. Those working at the precinct must work with the prisoners to stay alive.

Precinct’s saving grace is that it is an action movie, and moves quickly, never slowing the pace. Every scene features another explosion, fire, sneak attack or surprise in the plot. There is nothing about Precinct that will make your mind wander or cause you boredom, because there is always something happening that calls your attention to the screen. This is French director Richet’s first American movie, and he seems to have followed the formula of Hollywood movies to perfection.

Unfortunately, in the case of Precinct, the third time is definitely not a charm with this overdone formula. Bad people outside, and the good people inside will win. The list is too long of other movies that have used this plot, and done it better. Just because the location is changed, the bad guys have different titles, and there are A-list actors in the roles, doesn’t necessarily mean the film is going to be better.

The characters of Precinct never come alive; they’re all firmly rooted in their one-dimensional “this-one-thing-defines-me� roles. This is especially disappointing when you consider that Richet’s previous films were admired for bringing unique character depth and engaging the audience.

Ethan Hawke plays the hero cop of the precinct. His partner died in a drug bust, and he has never been able to take control of a situation since. He’s also a pill-popper, trying to escape himself. So of course, he becomes the reluctant leader and also throws out his pills, but his character’s personality never asserts itself beyond that.

Of the prisoners, the two characters that stood out were Bishop, and Beck (John Leguizamo), for very different reasons. Beck is the addict of the group, and his personality is hyper, spastic, violent, and seemingly mentally retarded. When the opportunity arises to kill a cop, he jumps at the chance. His character is so annoying, I found myself wishing that the corrupt cops would kill him quickly. Fishburne’s Bishop is evil and self-serving, but because it is Fishburne, his magnetism steals almost every scene he’s in. Only by his attitude and clothing, it feels like he walked off the Matrix set and immediately onto Precinct. Bishop is evil because the movie says he is. But watching Fishburne, I never get a sense that it’s true.

With an all-star cast, I had hoped for more wit, character development, and storyline from this third Precinct, but nothing is added to this film that hasn’t been done in the previous two, or any other action movie. The pace may be fast, the cast good, but not fast enough, or good enough, to make you forget that you’ve seen this movie before, and it was done better, with an unknown cast.

Jennifer Mashuga