Talera vs Assault on Precinct 13
Posted 6th June 2011 at 02:14 PM by Talera
I think this review may cause some people to wonder what I’m on, or want to hate me for things I’m saying.
I know this movie came out yonkers ago, but I only got around to seeing it last night. Currently I’m on two minds about whether I should have bothered.
Ethan Hawke, good actor, pinnacle in my opinion was Gattaca and to be honest since he split with his wife, he looks more and more washed out (but I do acknowledge some good movies in that time). Which of course meant he looked totally appropriate for playing the ex-undercover police officer who is drinking away his guilt while hiding behind a desk.
Laurence Fishburne does well in his crime boss show no emotion where possible character. No surprise there.
Queue start of movie, 2 minutes on why our main star is a guilty hero. Wakes up and drinks. That is really all the background we get on him bar a small conversation with a shrink later in film.
Queue moving boxes (okay, I can see without reading the back we have a siege in an understaffed secluded building unlikely to attract attention). Main baddie arrested, taken to shiny new station. Emphasis placed on some ‘elite’ awesome rep police officers.
Sorry, but straight up we can see bad guy has secrets on the ‘elite’ police because they are the real villains and they will organise him to be held at dodgy building only guarded by guilty police officer where they will attempt to kill him. Guilty police officer goes through an amazing transformation where he takes charge and becomes a hero again. Guilty police officer and bad guy will form some sort of respect for each other without actually becoming friends.
Voila. The first 10-15 minutes tells you how the rest of the movie will pan out. Sorry if you think I have put in spoilers, but really if you didn’t pick it then not my fault as it is very obvious what is about to roll over your screen. So I sat tight and thought ‘hey maybe the action will make up for lack of subtlety’. Um, no.
This movie is what it is. The action itself is limited because they have to make the building and the characters last for the entire show. The ‘fight’ scenes are limited because the main antagonist is outside hidden in his warm car in the snowstorm. The characters ‘emotional’ stories are too quick and unbelievable. This movie just didn’t sell me. I don’t think I’ll watch it again.
