Bangitout.com: Movies that Bang! Hiller Movie Reviews

		Bang us Feedback: bang isaac bang seth
the daily bang \| movies that bang \| music that bangs \|forwards that bang \| kosher top 10 \| apartments that bang \| home

Movies that bang
by Jordan Hiller

Assault on Precinct 13 (AP13)

In an age where most action movies could aptly be titled, Assault on Your Intelligence, AP13, a cocksure, stylized, gutty thrill-ride very much in the tradition of star Ethan Hawke and producer Jeffrey Silver’s prior collaboration, Training Day, represents a welcome alternative to the showy Bruckheimer model. The main problem (or benefit if you’re the giddy type) with the Bruckheimer actioner is that they put explosion before emotion, slo-mo gun fire before fire in the eyes, and cussing before communicating. Ladies and gentleman, as AP13 proves, there is always room for both and it makes the world of a difference. It’s not as if Bruckheimer doesn’t hire top flight actors – over the past decade Robert Duvall, Harvey Keitel, Billy Bob Thornton, and Nicholas Cage have all been raped of their integrity in his over the top productions – given nothing to do but posture and overreact. AP13, a reimagining of the John Carpenter 1976 cult picture about rowdy gangs trying to bust into an LA precinct, makes a conscious decision to take the talents of mostly theatre trained actors (Hawke, Laurence Fishburne, Brian Dennehy, Gabriel Byrne, and John Leguizamo), and put them in a taut, combustible situation where they are able to create characters we become involved with due to some simple, but effective back stories presented before the main plot begins. Not to say this has not been done before – even Bruckheimer got pretty close with The Rock – but Jean-François Richet’s film stands out because of its absolutely phenomenal case and the artistic direction by a French filmmaker making his stateside debut.

Following in his well-deserved Oscar nominated performance in Training Day, Ethan Hawke, as a police officer holding down the fort in the dilapidated Precinct 13 amidst a New Years eve blizzard (the story has been moved to Detroit), has solidified his status as the ideal action hero for our time – believable, vulnerable, tough, flawed, and, of course, edgy. What a find this guy is folks. Pit him against cool cat Fishburne as a ruthless criminal master mind, and then pit them both against ice man Gabriel Byrne as a cop on the take, and you have yourself a dynamo of an action film. The other value in crafting an action movie with actors who find ways to establish characters that matter is that the audience can’t help but care about their fate, and that translates to our truly cheering their successes and mourning their losses (and AP13 does not discriminate when it comes to killing its stars).

The best compliment I can give this film is to say it is not deep or profound, but rather a proud on the surface, slam-bang, old-school ass kicker with rock solid acting, a KRS-One rap at the closing bell that will blow your mind, absolutely no fear and much brains. If you’re sick of watching Nicholas Cage hunt for treasure and Vin Diesel growl, see AP13 and be reminded of what action movies are supposed to look like.