Assault on Precinct 13

I saw the original John Carpenter Assault on Precinct 13 many, many years ago. I remember being a young punk kid who was all hung up on Carpenter’s Halloween and The Thing, so I rented the flick thinking it would be all super-cool. It didn’t blow me away, but it wasn’t a total letdown, either. I liked the premise, and caught a little George Romero’s Night of the Living Dead vibe off of it. When I got word that somebody was going to remake the movie, I certainly thought the premise had potential for a modern setting. Happily, the finished product is pretty bad-ass, perhaps surpassing the original. In a central role, Ethan Hawke continues to impress after Training Day and Before Sunset with another bold performance. I don’t think there’s another Hollywood entity who has improved as much as Hawke in the 10 years I’ve been reviewing movies. I seriously hated this guy (Reality Bites sucked!), and now he’s one of my favorite actors. Go figure.