The picture deals with an assassin (Laurence Fishburne) along with a group of delinquents (J.A Rule , John Leguizamo) are led to prison by security policemen (Kim Coates and Dorian Harewood) and during a snowstorm find shelter in a sleepy police station and almost locked out due to demolition . Precinct is commanded by a sergeant (Ethan Hawke) and there are an old police (Brian Dennehy) , a secretary (Drea De Matteo) and a psychologist (Maria Bello). Police station in ghetto district 13 is suddenly under siege and itself surrounded by violent gangmen heavily super-armed with technological weapons and helicopter . The opponents attackers sworn revenge about the murderer now inside the precinct 13 .
Film captures the special excitement or mood of paranoia that those under siege live for the night . Psychosis abounds when the policeman and prisoners are attacked from all sides and can see no way out making desperate tryings to flee . Film has maximum tension , noisy action , emotion and thriller from the subsequents attempts by the violent stalkers to enter in the station and the besieged to survive or getaway for prevention of the seemingly inevitable final . From the initiation of the movie to the end action-packed and suspense is unstopped . A very exciting storyline by James De Monaco though much-copied and superb casting make this one of the best thrillers made in that year . The picture is an adaptation of the semi-acclaimed John Carpenter film with the same title what also was a rendition of Howard Hawks's ¨Rio Bravo¨ and the remakes the ¨Dorado¨ and ¨Rio Lobo¨ ,that were developed in a besieged jail defended by a tough John Wayne and helped by a misfit bunch . Flick will appeal to action movies lovers . Rating : Above average.
