John Carpenter's 1976 original was a little cheesy and low-budget looking at times, but it was still a very well done film. It was short and to the point. Carpenter knew how to build psychological tension and his vision of a street gang attacking a police station was menacing. The original Precinct 13 also offered social commentary. It was made at a time when Americans were fleeing the inner city due to a proliferation of gang violence the police seemed powerless to control. The original Precinct 13 registered with the American public in much the same way as the Death Wish and Dirty Harry films.
The trouble with the updated 2005 version is it has nothing to say. It's very much a generic Hollywood thriller/action flick. The big-name cast all turn in mediocre performances, trying their best to work with the mundane script and direction. The psychotic street gang has been replaced with crooked cops. The crooked cop aspect is supposed to be an unexpected plot "twist", but it's been done to death and elicited a bored *sigh* from me. Most of the original's psychological tension has been replaced with endless dialog that never seems to go anywhere. In the 1976 version the street gang is mostly seen as faceless shadows in the dark of night. They seem to kill purely for fun, almost like something out of a horror movie. We don't truly understand their motivations, which makes them far more frightening. The updated version gives us way too much information about the crooked cops and they become not nearly as threatening.
Overall, there's a strong feeling of "seen that before" when watching the 2005 version. There's nothing special or unique going on. This isn't a terrible movie, but it doesn't offer any new ideas. It's a classic example of Hollywood playing it safe and winding up with a middle of the road film.
The trouble with the updated 2005 version is it has nothing to say. It's very much a generic Hollywood thriller/action flick. The big-name cast all turn in mediocre performances, trying their best to work with the mundane script and direction. The psychotic street gang has been replaced with crooked cops. The crooked cop aspect is supposed to be an unexpected plot "twist", but it's been done to death and elicited a bored *sigh* from me. Most of the original's psychological tension has been replaced with endless dialog that never seems to go anywhere. In the 1976 version the street gang is mostly seen as faceless shadows in the dark of night. They seem to kill purely for fun, almost like something out of a horror movie. We don't truly understand their motivations, which makes them far more frightening. The updated version gives us way too much information about the crooked cops and they become not nearly as threatening.
Overall, there's a strong feeling of "seen that before" when watching the 2005 version. There's nothing special or unique going on. This isn't a terrible movie, but it doesn't offer any new ideas. It's a classic example of Hollywood playing it safe and winding up with a middle of the road film.