Besieged by bad guys

John Carpenter's Assault on Precinct 13, made in 1976 as an homage to Howard Hawks's Rio Bravo, was the first real urban western and now a cult classic. French director Jean-François Richet's new version won't be.

It's full of good actors and has a thoroughly pyrotechnical stab at the story of a rundown police precinct laid siege to by baddies.

This time it isn't summertime in LA but Detroit on New Year's Eve. The baddies are corrupt police who want the racketeer (Laurence Fishburne), imprisoned inside Precinct 13's station, dead so he can't split on them.

Leading the goodies is Ethan Hawke's Sergeant, a man who has bad things on his conscience but still believes he can redeem the situation.

As the snow falls outside, making rescue virtually impossible, he has to team up with the racketeer to remain alive through the long night. With supporting actors such as Brian Dennehy, Gabriel Byrne and John Leguizamo, the film doesn't lack character.

But since it is shot almost in darkness it is often difficult to determine exactly who is doing what to whom.

Not a bad effort for pace and excitement, what it lacks is Carpenter's garish B-movie flourish. That surprised us all at the time; this won't surprise anybody.

Assault On Precinct 13
Cert: cert15