Assault on Precinct 13 (DVD, 2005, Full Frame)

In 1976, John Carpenter paid homage to Howard Hawks' superlative western RIO BRAVO with his second full-length feature film, ASSAULT ON PRECINCT 13. Now it's Carpenter's turn to experience some cinematic adulation, with this remake of the film from director Jean-François Richet. Set in Detroit, Richet's film focuses on police Sergeant Jake Roenick, whose failed career as an undercover cop has lead to a New Years Eve stint in charge of the dilapidated Precinct 13. As a snowstorm rattles the windows and doors of the rundown station, Roenick exchanges some festive banter with police psychologist Alex Sabian (Maria Bello); curvaceous secretary Iris Ferry (Drea de Matteo); and retiring veteran Jasper O'Shea (Brian Dennehy). But their merriment is interrupted when a diverted prison bus escapes the ravages of the storm, seeking a temporary haven for its peccant passengers in Precinct 13. Criminal mastermind Marion Bishop (Laurence Fisburne) is on board, along with a junkie,