I don't have all the words right now but this film is a work of art.

if their story seems completely bonkers, almost like a feverish work of fiction, you ain't heard nothing yet.

This is a small, humorous movie in some ways, but it has a huge heart. What a nice experience.

It's easily one of the freshest, sharpest and most enjoyable films of this year.

Assault On Precinct 13 is less of a remake of John Carpenter's balls out, guerrilla action treatise and more of a branch off into timeless, near western archetypes, as well as the good old siege thriller format. It's also one of the meanest, grittiest cop films of the last few decades, deserving a higher rung on the ladder of adoration than it has so far ascended to. Dark, merciless and full of yuletide gallows humour, it's a searing blast of gunfire and snowbound pulp starring a roster of fired up talent, starting with an intense Ethan Hawke and an unpredictable, predatory Laurence Fishburne. Fishburne is Marion Bishop, a legendary criminal kingpin wrapped tight in police custody and shipped off to a remote precinct on New Years eve with a busload of fellow prisoner transports. The station is run by a few relaxed cops, all preparing to punch that clock and get the New Year's festivities underway. Unfortunately, a gang of corrupt detectives have other ideas, descending upon the ill guarded outpost with the fury and firepower of animals set loose, determined to murder everyone inside and level the place to the ground in order to cover up their actions. Hawke is the veteran cop with a dodgy undercover past, blessed with the grit and gristle necessary to rally the troupes and self preserve til the morning light. Drea De Matteo, who's awesome and welcome in anything, is a tough female sergeant, Maria Bello the sharp police psychiatrist caught in the middle, Brian Dennehy the salty old dog, and a laundry list of rabid felons who pitch in to save their own asses, including Ja Rule, Aisha Hinds, Currie Graham and a wired up John Leguizamo. Together they all make a veritable wild bunch to hold down the fort, but the forces they're up against are tactical and terrifying. The opposition is headed up by a dangerously quiet Gabriel Byrne as deeply a corrupt Police Captain, doing a coiled viper rendition of a Christopher Walken villain, his work one of the strongest aspects of the film. Watch for Matt Craven and Kim Coates in brief cameos as well. The action is a ballistic blitzkrieg of firefights, standoffs and ditch efforts, scarcely giving the audience time to breathe, let alone tally up the casualties, of which there are many. This ain't no cakewalk, in terms of action films. It's down, dirty and has no time for quips, smart mouths or villains that monologue. Everyone involved in a caged animal prepared to go to extremes at the drop of a hat in order to achieve their goals, with kneejerk reactions and off the cuff violence that feels real, and cuts deep. If you are serious about your action films, and enjoy ruthless, non patronizing narratives that get as cold as the snow drifts surrounding the precinct and as casually indifferent as the bullets that ventilate it, this is your ticket.

If you were hoping for an avant-garde action movie produced by a Frenchman, think again - Richet is no Luc Besson.The actual action, by itself, is decent at most, and that's the only thing going for this movie.Actors performances are lackluster, screen writing is sloppy and lazy, suffering from lack of continuity and a formulaic plot, with twists so obvious, I foresaw them literally an hour before they eventually took place.Characters are superficial and stereotypical, and fail to promote empathy, sympathy, or any other sentiments for them. Decisions and actions made by the characters (both "good guys" and "bad guys") often fail to make any sense.

I've not seen the original film - yet - so I've nothing to compare this remake to, but if the original is as enjoyable as this then I'll be looking forward to seeing what all the fuss is about. I know remakes can get battered by a lot of people true to the original films, but instead of complaining about them, I like to have an open mind, and it's only after watching them I'll comment.Not all remakes/reboots are bad.Anyway, this version of Assault on Precinct 13 is a very decent action/thriller that's (mostly) well scripted, well filmed, and very well acted. I say "mostly" with regard to the well scripted comment because there were a couple of moments where the dialogue was a bit cheesy. Thankfully it was only mild cheese instead of full blown blue stilton. Then again, I guess you can't have an action film without at least some cheese. Other than that, however, the film is written well enough with a nice wee twist at the end.One thing that can sometimes be ignored in a lot of action films is the cinematography but with this film I enjoyed some of the outdoor scenes with the way the makers set the tone & atmosphere using the weather. It's not a huge thing and it is subtle but for me it was a nice touch.The main cast all give solid performances, from John Leguizamo's portrayal as Beck, a somewhat amusing (yet slightly annoying at the same time) small-time crook, to Laurence Fishburne's role of Marion Bishop, a more calculating & menacing mob boss.For me, the only unrealistic element of the film was the amount of police that ended up being involved. I mean the initial group led by Gabriel Byrne is understandable given the circumstances, but in the end it just went a bit over-the-top. But, this IS an action film and not a documentary, so, again, unrealistic moments are to be expected and it's not as if it ruins the experience.As long as you're not naive to expect something fantastic, then you should find this film enjoyable enough.

Sgt. Jake Roenick (Ethan Hawke) is on desk duty 8 months after a botch undercover operation kills his close fellow officer. It's New Year's Eve and he's in charge of Detroit's precinct 13 which is suppose to be closed after midnight. Crime lord/cop killer Marion Bishop (Laurence Fishburne) has just been captured and is being transported to jail. However a huge snow storm redirects the transport to precinct 13. This attracts a large group of gunmen, and the skeleton staff must fend them off with help from the prisoners.This is solid action thriller with good solid actors. The action is tight and economical. Ethan Hawke is able to create a compelling central character and a solid complex relationship with Fishburne. The constant snow storm creates its own atmosphere. It's a fun little action movie.