In the increasingly lacking land of originality that is Hollywood
Although some films just don't stand the test of time, it doesn't always make it necessary to remake a film, although it's not always wise to go back and re-watch a film which had a lasting impact or impression on you either… Time is a cruel mistress and we as humans are more and more desensitised on an increasing basis. One of John Carpenters earliest films, Assault on Precinct 13 is one of those films you can never return to.
*** Spoilers from this point onward ***
Considering Assault on Precinct 13 was released in 1976, its message was lost in initial shock value then confined in a riddle of convolution and confusion as a film obviously hampered by budgetary constraints with an unfamiliar cast most of whom would go on to appear in more well known films and a presumption of audience intelligence. Watching Assault on Precinct 13 in the mid 80's as a very young boy found me reeling in a sense of shock when a young and eventual Disney Wunderkind Kim Richards, playing Kathy, is gunned down in the street without reason, remorse or explanation.
From that point on the film should have been more visceral and cold, but as it progresses there is a sense that although there was a budget for location shooting there wasn't money left for much else, even to the point that the locations are significantly under used and shots are reused to fill out the edit. Touted as a thriller, the suspense intended ends up suffering and is nothing more than a burdening proof that there is a race to get to the end of a poorly written script after which has already wasted so much time with terrible pacing and pointless establish shots. In fact most of the cast is killed off or scripted out before any sort of character development and it becomes harder to care about the characters who are left standing at the end, case in point are Darwin Joston as Napoleon Wilson, a stone cold killer on death row who suddenly develops a soul; and Austin Stoker as Ethan Bishop who is a uniform cop in an unmarked car sent to a closing Precinct to be Captain for the evening... Why? Aside from the gaping plot holes and the deemed laughable "action" by a modern audience this was still a heavy hitting and ground breaking film upon its release... So much so that it gave John Carpenter a serious foothold on what would become a very successful career, in fact many reviews of the film deemed it a modern version of Rio Bravo, although this was more because John Carpenter shoved it in our faces: the film is essentially a “modern” retelling of Rio Bravo, John Carpenter edited the film under the pseudonym of John T. Chance and lastly the character name of Leigh, played by Laurie Zimmer, is probably after one of the Rio Bravo writers Leigh Brackett. But this original film is best watched, if for a first time, with an open mind but with cinematic times having long since changed with more and more emphasis on explosions and body counts with a push harder for reaction to leave a lasting impression it’s sad but violence is expected and achieves laughs more than the intended and expected recoil of the civil. Then again it’s a new century and the News has done more to desensitise a generation than any film ever could.
Twenty Nine years later, French director Jean-François Richet attempts to make his mark on the American film market with a remake of Assault on Precinct 13, which in turn is more a retelling and homage to what the original film could have been with a bit more thought and a modernise overblown budget. The similarities are so few it is realistically an entirely new film, with the main connections being that of an initially undercover Ethan Hawke being named Napoleon, a closing down precinct, the surname of Bishop and a few key scenes and plot devices being the only real carry overs or winks to the original. The shocking murder of Kim Richards is now replaced with the head shot point blank assassination of Mario Bello’s character Dr. Sabian, who is up until this point the potential love interest for a desk bound Sgt. Jake Roenick (originally the protagonist character of Ethan Bishop in 1976) played by Ethan Hawke, but as previously stated we are now a desensitised audience so with the exception of the coldness of the killing there isn’t the same sense of shock as Kim Richards murder.
Where James DeMonaco’s script gains an iota of credit is the new twist of the precinct now under siege from a dirty police captain, Marcus Duvall (played by a cruel, cold and barely featured Gabriel Byrne), and his equally crooked team; who are well trained, well financed and able to use police resources to their advantage. This turns the original script on its head and finally enables a suspenseful sense of urgency that was missing in 1976. Now that all the occupants in the dilapidated station need to be eradicated to ensure there are no witnesses it makes far more sense than a grandiose mention of a blood pact declaration of war from the original. In fact with an impressive supporting cast of names such as Brian Dennehy, Laurence Fishburne, John Leguizamo, Matt Craven, Ja Rule and TV favourites Drea de Matteo, Kim Coates and Aisha Hinds you would be forgiven for expecting perhaps a little more bang for your buck. Of the additional cast the stand outs have to be the short lived Kim Coates who is always a personal favourite, John Leguizamo who again is chameleonic and as per usual is almost unrecognisable which is proof of his talent as an actor (that and his impressive list of credits) and finally Brian Dennehy, who once again dons the guise of the law (ala First Blood, F/X and numerous television cop roles) before his character predictably turns evil before his presumed demise.
When comparing the two films it's plain to see, one is slightly hampered by age, budget, some poor scripting and awful pacing; while the other limps in with predictability, too much emphasis on action and the ever unlike-able Ethan Hawke, the latter being personal opinion. But without the original there wouldn’t be the other and with the original written by John Carpenter (whose writing talents would only improved from this film onward), the list of pros include but are not limited to the score which is still held in high regard and due to public demand was finally released for purchase in 2003, and basically the film itself which is usually listed within the top 50 cult or under-rated films of all time, sadly the same cannot be said of the 2005 effort.
The net result of the 2005 film is a 20 million dollar re-telling of a 150 thousand dollar re-telling when it comes down to it, and is all flash and no spark. Although the original has some flaws it's originality and what it tried so hard to achieve makes it an example of independent film making on a tight low end budget. This alone makes the original Assault on Precinct 13 a perfect example for budding film makers and film students alike, proving that sometimes less is more and with determination and a convincing soundtrack, which is so often overlooked, it's sometimes all that is needed which I believe can be translated to a modern era.
