Reviewed by Andrew Wooding

Assault on Precinct 13
Director: Jean-Francois Richet (2005)
Distributor: Entertainment Film Dists Ltd  Certificate: 15

Spoiler notice: If you read on will become aware of how the film ends.

Confession. I am a big fan of the original Assault on Precinct 13 which came out in the 1970s. I love director John Carpenter's movies from around this time: Halloween, The Fog, Escape From New York, and more. These were low budget films, and John Carpenter worked well within the limitations. The musical score for his Assault on Precinct 13 was basic, moody and hypnotic, and composed by John Carpenter himself (not bad, since he also wrote and directed). The simplicity of his music added to the film's slow, menacing atmosphere. Being a low-budget film, there was only one major set - the police station itself, Precinct 13 - making the film a claustrophobic experience. There was very little blood and no gore - the slow psychological terror was much more important than visceral violence. And the dozens of villains in hiding around Precinct 13 were not actually seen for most of the film. They were an unknown, faceless menace, which made them all the more terrifying.

If you didn't know this film was a remake, there is one scene that's a giveaway. In the original, the phone lines were cut, meaning that Precinct 13 could have no contact with the outside world. In the three decades since that version, mobile phones have been invented. So, when the phone lines were cut in this new film, I immediately thought, "Ah yes, but someone in this police station is bound to have a mobile phone." Sure enough, someone whips out their mobile phone and tries to dial out, with no luck. This is followed by a throwaway line of dialogue that goes something like: "They must be scrambling our cell phone signals as well." So the original plotline is restored: Precinct 13 can have no contact with the outside world - but how exactly were their cell phones scrambled? How can this be done? It is not explained.

Ethan Hawke does a passable job as the alcoholic police sergeant in charge of the precinct, who is still haunted by a drugs bust that went wrong tragically wrong earlier in the year. At times, he looks like he is doing a Tom Cruise impression. But the real star of the film is Laurence Fishburne who has very little dialogue in the first half of the film, yet dominates each scene he is in with his silent but powerful presence. It takes a very good actor indeed to portray such intensity and emotion with no words at all.

In all shoot-'em-up films - be they science fiction, westerns, horror or thrillers - one of the games is to guess at the start of the film which of the characters are expendable. In other words, which are the heroes who will survive, and which of the characters are going to get killed. Be warned: in this film it is not so simple. There are shocking scenes of casual violence against people we care about. This is not easy to watch, but at the same time the film is to be commended for this in that it shows the ugliness and brutality of violence and doesn't glamourise gun use.

This film is worth seeing once. Go and watch it on the big screen for the loud, pounding stereo music and the in-your-face action scenes. Then on the way home, pick up the DVD of the 1976 original and make that your definitive version of Assault on Precinct 13.

THROUGH THE LENS OF CHRISTIAN FAITH 

Some key themes: How can Christians live their lives out in the real world and maintain their principles and integrity?

As you will have gathered from my comments above, while I thought this film was a decent action thriller, it is nowhere near the classic that the original was. The focus of John Carpenter's Assault on Precinct 13 was the precinct itself. The film works on a number of levels, and on one level the precinct could represent a person, with the faceless attackers representing any number of psychological demons, such as depression or self-doubt. The Bible has a lot to say about spiritual attack on our lives, and it warns us to be on our guard in verses such as: "Control yourselves and be careful! The devil, your enemy, goes around like a roaring lion looking for someone to eat" (1 Peter 5 v 8). I could also use the original Assault on Precinct 13 to ask how secure you are. Are you vulnerable to psychological or spiritual attack, and what do you base your security on?

Unfortunately, the 2005 version of Assault on Precinct 13 does not allow me to do this. It only works on one level: face value. The precinct doesn’t represent anything - this is just an action film about a base under siege. And the main focus is not the precinct itself, but rather the relationship between Sgt. Jake Roenick (Ethan Hawke) and crime lord and cop-killer Marion Bishop (Laurence Fishburne). Although they are on opposite sides of the law, they develop a sense of mutual respect.

The first time we see the Marion Bishop character, he is sitting at the back of a church while a sermon is being preached. The person next to him asks him if he has a faith. Bishop answers that he has seen a lot of people about to die. All of them had cried out to God for mercy, but all of them had died. Because of these unanswered prayers, Bishop doesn't believe in God. It is quite clear that he is only out for himself - looking after number one - and when he joins forces with the police in Precinct 13, it is not to help them; it is merely the most logical thing to do in order to protect himself. Yet by the end of the film, Marion Bishop moves beyond this and does something for Sgt. Roenick that is beyond self-preservation.

So, what was it about Sgt. Roenick that earned the respect of hard-nosed Marion Bishop, who had lost his faith in God as well as humanity? Part of the reason might be that Bishop had been working for a group of crooked cops for a number of years. They were supposed to represent truth, law and justice, yet they were just as bad as the criminals. But in Sgt. Roenick, Bishop saw a man with principles and integrity. Yes, the sergeant was haunted by past failures, and yes, at times he didn't know what to do. But underlying all of his actions was the conviction that his role as a police officer, during this siege, was to protect the lives of all of those under his care, including the criminals in the cells. He was prepared to stand up for what was right, against the odds, even though at times it cost him. By the end of the film, Marion Bishop hadn’t re-found his faith in God, but at least his faith in humanity had been restored to a small extent due to him meeting one decent person.

This, to me, speaks of Christians living in the world. How do we earn the respect of those who are not in the church? Do we preach at them? Quote doctrine and theology? Tell them off for being sinners? Try to attract them through our lively worship or attractive services? Yes, there might be a place for some of the above, but maybe we could learn from Sgt. Roenick. Maybe Christians need to do something that's costly and difficult and takes time - living in the real world as people of integrity; people who stand up for what is right against the odds, and earn people's respect through their day-to-day lives. Christians can do this at their schools or colleges, offices, homes, wherever they may be.

If there are people around you who are disillusioned, embittered and cynical about God or Christianity, what can you do to earn their respect?

Have your say on the discussion forum....

· What do you think of the latest trend of remaking old films? Is there a remake that hasn’t been done yet that you would like to see, and who do you think should star in it?

· In your Christian life, have you ever felt attacked or under siege? What helped you?

· Put yourself in Laurence Fishburne's shoes. You are cynical and disillusioned about the church, and people in general - maybe even for a good reason. What qualities or actions would you need to see in a person that would impress you and maybe help to change your mind? Do you display those qualities yourself?

To discuss this further why not leave a message of the discussion forum.