John reviews this high powered remake on DVD.

Generally speaking, I hate remakes. Especially remakes of classics. There are two or three exceptions – Dawn of the Dead, The Thing, Battlestar Galactica (though the original show is hardly a classic on the level of the Dawn or The Thing) – but for the most part, simply put, they suck. So it was with a certain level of trepidation that I pressed play on the remake of the John Carpenter classic Assault on Precinct 13.  And that’s why I’m happy to report that it’s one of the good ones. Albeit, nowhere near as good as the original. With great acting, compelling cinematography and a palpable sense of dread, Precinct 13 sucks you in and doesn’t let go until the credits roll.

The three leads steal the show, Ethan Hawke exudes authority, Gabriel Byrne is chilling as ever, and Fishburne redeems himself for Matrix Reloaded (it’s gonna take a lot more than this to get me to forget Revolutions, though), but the highlight of the film is the tension within the unit, highlighted by Peter Bryant and the surprisingly good Ja Rule.

Precinct 13 is a rush, pure and simple, and while it lacks that je ne sais pas Carpenter infused in his original, it’s certainly worth a look.