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By El Mayimbe
ASSAULT
ON PERCINCT 13 Remake
Script Review
RATING:
Happy
Holidays yall!
El Mayimbe is back with the mic in my hand and I'm chillin' and
coolin' just like a snowman!
Yesterday being a holy day (12/16/03), in which John Carpenter's
ESCAPE FROM NEW YORK SPECIAL EDITION DVD (one
of my favorite movies of all time) is finally released, I'd figure
I'd bring ya'll some more John Carpenter goodness and present....
ASSAULT ON PRECINCT 13 REMAKE SCRIPT REVIEW!
Focus Features will team with Stephane Sperry's Liaisons Films
and Why Not Prods. on an updated U.S. version of John Carpenter's
cult classic "Assault on Precinct 13," to be distributed
domestically by the Universal specialty unit and handled worldwide
by its international sales arm.
Inspired by Howard Hawks' "Rio Bravo," the 1976 "Assault"
took place in an isolated, nearly abandoned Los Angeles police
station, in which officers, staff and prisoners are forced to
negotiate a partnership when a vengeful street gang lays siege
to the building.
The new version transports the story to the present day, in a
police precinct made obsolete by the industrialization of its
surroundings. The premise is the same. A bunch of bad guys with
serious firepower lay siege to an old police precinct on New Year's
Eve, and the heroes inside the precinct (made up of cops and jailbirds)
must join forces and stand together in order to survive.
The script I have is written by a dope writer named James DeMonaco
(The Negotiator and the upcoming The Extractors) and is the second
draft of the script dated Feb. 16, 2003.
As always, I will try to keep the script spolier free as much
as possible witthout giving away any important twists and plot
points.
The 1st nine pages establishes our hero, an undercover cop named
JAKE ROENICK and his unit on a bust in some old dilapidated building.
Shit happens and Roenick's crew is obliterated. Only Roenick survives.
8 months later it's New Year's Eve in Cleveland, a serious snow
storm is approaching and now Roenick is now a desk sargeant and
arrives for work at
PRECINCT 13
At the end of this factory-lined street. DENSE FOREST surrounding
it. It's most identifiable quality -- its AGE. Precinct 13 is
very old. Built in the 40's. One story high. Old brick, chipped
paint, weathered roof. There are several MOVING TRUCKS parked
out front. Something's up here. Roenick drives to a PARKING LOT
across the street from the precinct.
INT. PRECINCT 13 -- NIGHT
Barren interior. BOXES packed up and piled by the front door.
It looks like as if someone's moving out -- and that's exactly
what's going on.
Inside we meet IRIS FERRI, 34, sexy, dressed in a short skirt
and high heels. She's 13's wild-eyed secretary, who smokes too
much and curses like a sailor. Roenick is stuck at work bringing
in the New Years at the old precinct with IRIS and another old
school irish cop named JASPER "OLD SCHOOL" O' SHEA.
Later inside a church we meet a real bad ass mofo named NICHOLAS
ZAMBRANO who is sitting in the middle row doing a crossword. A
dude named RAY RAY approaches Zambrano and makes him an offer.
Zambrano refuses. RAY RAY and his boys HAGEN and TANA come back
blasting and a firefight ensues. Zambrano kills Ray Ray. Zambrano
escapes and Hagen and Tana give chase. Zambrano runs in the street
with his gun in his hand and runs into two uniformed cops who
bum rush and arrest him. Hagen and Tana spot Zambrano being arrested
and they turn down a side alley, ceasing their pursuit.
Zambrano is taken to Precinct 21 which is a big, modern, immense
hi-tech precinct. The opposite of 13. We find out that Zambrano
is one of the city's most powerful mob figures who killed an undercover
cop, yup, RAY RAY.
Inside Precinct 21 we meet MARCUS DUVALL, his right hand man KAHANE,
and the rest of Duvall's team. Duvall heads the division's Organized
Crime and Racketeering squad.
Back at precinct 13 we meet ALEX SABIAN, the police psychologist
giving Roenick therapy and find out that the day after new years,
Roenick will be the new desk sargeant at Precinct 21. Apparently,
Roenick still has issues and is messed up over the loss of his
unit back in the beginning.
Back at precinct 21 Zambrano is talking to his lawyer, because
of the New Years holiday, an arraigment won't be for two days.
Zambrano pleads with his lawyer to get him out no matter what,
the lawyer and Zambrano know Zambrano won't survive one night
in jail for reasons we find out later in the script. Through the
two way mirror we see Duvall and his team watching Zambrano talk
to his lawyer and we find out that Ray Ray was undercover like
a Donnie Brasco type for six months Duvall tells us something
about Zambrano:
DUVALL This man's capable of anything. He's a
mad dog who needs to be put down. And
believe me, people have tried -- bastard's been
shot 6 times -- 6 fucking times -- he won't
do us the favor and die
(emotions intensifying)
Look at him, shot Ray Ray three hours ago. Now
he's just sitting there as if it was all a normal day's work.
Goddamn him. Judge better not give this cop-killer bail
or I'll take him down myself -- I swear to Crhist.
Later at the back of precinct 21, a handcuffed Zambrano is led
out to the prison trasnport bus and we meet the other CONS,
ANNA, a 23 year old hard-muscled female gang-banger. SMILEY, 47, tall, black, skin bald head, in an
expensive silk suit. Considers himself classy and educated. Isn't. BECK, 27, skinny, sleazy, crazy. Drug-addicted
small-time thief. And for some reason, he keeps putting his finger
in his ear and sniffing it.
Later, Zambrano, some police officers and the other three cons
in the police bus stop on the highway on the way to central booking.
The snow storm is whupping the bus's ass and they have to stop
and stay overnight at you guessed it -- PRECINCT 13, until the
storm calms down. A BLACK SUBURBAN follows the police transport
bus as it parks at Precinct 13. The prisoners are led inside Precinct
13 to the holding cells where they will stay overnight. ALEX,
Roenicks's shrink also has to stay the night because her car broke
down in the snow.
The cool part
Later that night on New Year's Eve, at 11:59:10, with 50 seconds
to go before the new year, TWO MASKED MEN CARRYING AUTOMATIC WEAPONS
come out from THE BLACK SUBURBAN parked outside the precinct and
make their way towards 13!
After midnight, BOOM, the assault happens. And not only that.
Those fellas get backup. Serious backup and firepower. I won't
spoil it as much but I will say that the bad guys are after Zambrano
and everyone else in the precinct. Everyone inside must die. I
won't say why because it spoils the movie but it's cool. We find
out who the real bad guys are (I gave a hint in this review).
Precinct 13 is screwed because they're snowed in, radio and cell
phones got no reception and 13 is outmanned and outgunned. Roenick
and his people and Zambrano and the cons join forces to try to
stop the oppresive onslaught outside 13.
From page 50 till the end is pretty much non-stop action. Fans
of the original won't be disappointed. A hard core action movie
for guys who like movies.
Last I heard, Focus has a hard on for this remake and the movie
is out to directors. Overall, tightly written, paced, and clever.
I enjoyed the shit out of this script hence.
