Assault on Precinct 13 (1976) vs. Assault on Precinct 13 (2005)

 

Alright another edition of VS. Let's not waste to with an intro and get to it.

Contender #1 - Assault on Precinct 13 (1976)

Director - John Carpenter

Writer(s) - John Carpenter

Release Date - November 3rd, 1976

Production - The CKK Corporation

Distribution - Turtle Releasing Organization

Budget - $100,000

Gross - $21,400,000 (Estimated)

Contender #2 - Assault on Precinct 13 (2005)

Director - Jean-François Richet

Writer - James DeMonaco

Release Date - January 19th, 2005

Production - Why Not Productions & Liaison Films

Distribution - Rogue Pictures

Budget - $25-30,000,000

Gross - $35,300,000

Story

Now both have slightly different stories. In the original '76 movie the story is a ruthless gang called the Street Thunder have sworn to cause chaos by killing police and innocent people after members of their gang were killed. During one of their rampages they kill a little girl and her father Lawson swears vengeance and kills one of the criminals. The Street Thunder gang soon chase after Lawson and during the chase he winds up in an old precinct scheduled to be shut down. Soon criminals that were being transported but had to make a stop because one of the inmates were sick and the skeleton staff that were working in the old precinct band together to protect Lawson and hold out long enough for back up to arrive.

The story for the 2005 remake the story is prisoners are being transported but a snowstorm forces the transportation to be put on hold and they have to wait out the storm at Precinct 13 where there's only a skeleton staff working there. What was suppose to be an uneventful night is soon turned to chaos when masked gunman soon start attacking the precinct. During the course of this night of survival we slowly there's a great deal of corruption going on.

Round #1 - Visuals

Now this is actually tricky not because of the budget but because how both directors used their cinematography. In Carpenter's case while it's clear he was working with more a budget he was able to use to his advantage by making the movie feel raw, gritty, and have even more an urban feel to the movie. But with the 2005 remake it's slicker and I actually really dug the more blizzard/snow setting. It helped gave the remake a different look when compared to it's predecessor.

So which is the winner when both have such good looks to them for different reasons? Well it probably comes down to taste for some. If you like a more raw look then the original movie, if you prefer something more sleeker then the remake. For me and this might disappoint you but I'm calling it a tie.

Round # 2 - Characters

This was almost gonna be another tie until I took a step back and truly thought about how both films handled their characters. Now in the 1976 film characters are standard yet feel very human. Lt. Bishop is very steady, Wilson is pretty cynical yet cool, and Leigh is one tough secretary. The remake really only has two memorable characters those being Jake Roenick and Marion Bishop. Roenick is good cop who's haunted by a sting operation gone wrong and wants to make up for his mistake. And Bishop despite not getting much of a backstory does have a really good silent menace to him. But the rest of the cast is very generic. You got the junkie, you got the old veteran cop, and the sexy secretary. I mean sure I still remember who they are I just don't remember their names unlike the original's cast of characters.

So even though it was only one character more compared the remake's two, I gotta give the win to the '76 movie.

Round #3 - Action

Okay this was a much more easier choice to make. I'm giving the win to John Carpenter's movie. Why? Well with Carpenter was consist throughout the whole movie. Unlike the remake where the action starts off frenetic with shaky cam and sometimes the camera being too close to fights, then later when the gunfights start ramping up the action becomes much more clearer to watch thus much more fun and exciting.

The winner in this round is easily the original.

Round #4 - Story

Again I found this one to be very difficult to decide. Guess I actually liked the stories to both movies. In the 1976 film is very straightforward and The Street Thunder gang has a very simple mission that being at first mindless chaos then wanting revenge for the actions of one man. With the remake there's pretty good corruption conspiracy and ramps up the moral ambiguity. So both stories both have something going for them but for different reasons.

Now you'll probably be disappointed again because I'm calling this tie but, only one movie came out with two clear wins.

Winner - Assault on Precinct 13 (1976)

So I hope you enjoyed another edition of VS. Come back on Saturday, Jan 17th, for my review of 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple. Until then, enjoy the rest of your day.