'Assault On Precinct 13' (R) (out of four)

Occasionally there are those movies that make their mark on one's memory, leaving a permanent imprint of an emotion, character or story. More commonly, however, movies evaporate the moment the screen fades to black. We've seen other movies like them before, and we'll see movies like them again.

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Preview: 'Assault On Precinct 13'

"Assault on Precinct 13" is clearly one of those in the latter category, a bundle of cheap thrills that becomes a hodge-podge of so many action films and thrillers that have come previously.

That said, I went in with low expectations and still emerged disappointed. There are a few moments that work here, but not many, and "Precinct 13" is far more successful in losing its audience than drawing viewers into the story's exaggerated melodrama or action.

The story can be summed up in one sentence: A squad of bad guys with guns tries to infiltrate a police precinct to bust out a prisoner, while a group of cops defend themselves, suspecting a traitor in their midst. It's kind of a modernized tribute to "The Alamo," although the numbers are a bit more balanced.

The attackers, using advanced weaponry, are clearly after Marion Bishop (Laurence Fishburne), a notorious cop killer whose icy stare earns him respect from the other inmates and gives his captors the chills. He is held by Jasper (Brian Dennehy), an irate, older policeman who wants revenge for the murders of his colleagues, and Jake (Ethan Hawke), Jasper's superior, a level-headed, younger policeman who is both calculated and ferocious.

It is New Year's night -- a fact the characters never let you forget -- and as Bishop is transferred to the archaic, about-to-be-closed precinct 13, the attack comes with ruthless efficiency. In the wrong place at the wrong time are Alex (Maria Bello) and Iris (Drea de Matteo), two women who are forced to pick up a gun and defend themselves as the concussion grenades and laser-guided rifles break through the precinct's windows.

Now honestly, all plot summary aside, the real question is whether "Precinct 13" is exciting. Most people want action, and they want fun. Sadly, the answer is no.

Thrillers like this really only have two ways of drawing us in: Help put us in the character's shoes, or have enough fun with the story that we sigh, sit back, and enjoy the preposterous ride. Two examples that immediately come to mind are "Die Hard," which put us squarely in the unlikely shoes of Bruce Willis as he fought against a team of terrorists in charge of a high-rise office building, or "The Fast and the Furious," which was so deliciously excessive that its male soap opera became, dare I say, endearing.

Here, though, we never connect to the characters because we never come to believe them as real people. In the beginning, before the attack begins, they speak to each other in spurts, divulging only essential plot information. And while under siege, even during a tense sequence when cops must band together with their prisoners, talking becomes yelling and discussions devolve into procedural comments. They are flat, bland and boring.

The only truly interesting scene of the movie involves Bishop and Iris, as Bishop erotically discusses the parallels between death and sex. It is here where a conversation goes someplace unexpected, and where, just for a moment, the behavior and thoughts of these characters are not stale and predictable. Here I particularly enjoyed the subtle use of firearms as they flirt.

The remainder of the actors, however, suffer from the story's lack of variety. Scene to scene, there is really only one note to be played, and Jake, Jasper and Alex are consistently asked to retreat to the role of anxious hero, agitated elder and desperate victim.

None of this would matter though if it was just too fun to dismiss. But for that to happen, director Jean-Francois Richet, like Steven Spielberg in "Jurassic Park," needs to play up the notion of a nameless, faceless menace converging on a few desperate souls. Instead, attacks start and stop randomly to facilitate the soap opera happening inside, and we are never sufficiently grounded in this building to get any sense of gamesmanship or strategy.

There are also segments that are simply implausible. If this professional assault squad really wanted Bishop, they would not wait for an hour to attack. They would overwhelm these cops with both their sizable numbers and the element of surprise. Once inside, they would not hesitate in killing the officers or the women. Their professional snipers would not miss a target a half-dozen times. And would someone please tell me why, in the middle of a city, a dense forest exists for these characters to have their final showdown?

Now there are some surprises in this film, but they don't really matter. We don't come to care who lives and who dies, who's loyal and who's a traitor, nor how or why this is all happening.

I think most people want to be thrilled, scared, energized and entertained. "Assault on Precinct 13" is an outline of a great movie, with all the necessary bullets, but none of the wit or flair to make it compelling. If this were a book, it would be readable, but hardly a fun read.