Unloved and forgotten, this is the second remake on the list to have hailed from a John Carpenter movie (John Carpenter's original, interestingly, was in itself a loose remake of Howard Hawks' classic western Rio Bravo). Starring Ethan Hawke and Laurence Fishburne, Assault on Precinct was derided upon first release as "formulaic," but most people seemed to miss the point: this remake was clearly rendered as a B-movie homage - and taken in that vein, it's something of a doozy. Clinging to a simple story that sees a group of policeman and a bunch of criminals teaming up to defend a police station on the verge of closure, the flick offers great fun and big thrills. There's a sense that, had this movie been an original, reception would have been far more positive. Whilst it offers little in the way of innovation, it's hard to argue that Assault on Precinct 13 is anything other than entertaining. And the performances from Hawke (always good) and Fishburne are compelling enough to make you care about the outcome. Regardless of the original's iconic status, this is an underrated remake that you can genuinely imagine John Carpenter sitting down and enjoying. And it's bloody as hell!
Sam Hill is an ardent cinephile and has been writing about film professionally since 2008. He harbours a particular fondness for western and sci-fi movies.
