Assault on Precinct 13 (2005) Critic Reviews

Smart, satisfying action entertainment that is also a perceptive work of considerable artistry.Read the full review

All classic and airtight, and handled by Richet with economy and a sturdy clarity of action; he doesn't go overboard with manic action scenes.Read the full review

Matches a dingy urban setting with a compelling situation and throws in an ensemble of interesting characters who become even more interesting under stress. This emphasis on character -- in a sense, the movie's underlying humanity -- is what especially links it to the 1970s.Read the full review

For what it is, Assault on Precinct 13 delivers. It's not great art, but, for B-movie fans and those looking for a mid-winter jolt of energy, it's good fun.Read the full review

In an era when similar genre pics increasingly resemble videogames, musicvideos or glossy commercials, the blunt, brawny simplicity of helmer Jean-Francois Richet's storytelling style seems positively novel.Read the full review

It's no classic, but you don't need to be a cultist to get in on the tawdry fun.Read the full review

The 1976 John Carpenter original has been reworked enough to give the urban thriller a distinct flavor of its own, and stars Ethan Hawke and Laurence Fishburne provide enough gravitas to keep things involving.Read the full review

Serviceable, occasionally compelling but often formulaic.Read the full review

Volatile yet fairly lunkheaded.Read the full review