1. Jean-François Ríchet, the director of the new Assault, is working from a script, by James DeMonaco, that creates a handful of zingy one-note lowlifes but that hasn't updated the isolated-precinct premise in a timely or thoughtful way.
2. The premise may be outlandish, the action unrealistic and sometimes silly and the characters formulaic. But the movie rips and roars.
3. For one thing, it's silly. For another, it's not always silly enough to be diverting.
4. Strong performances and a couple of new twists.
5. What starts out as a slightly above average action movie sinks to a merely mediocre one as the eye rolls and head shakes build.
6. Give Assault on Precinct 13 points for originality, if nothing else. It's the only thriller in which corrupt cops chase their victims through the woods of downtown Detroit.
7. Though Richet stretches believability near the end, action-movie fans should assault theaters for an entertaining stay at Precinct 13.
8. A movie whose greatest intent seems to be indulging in as much brutality as the MPAA will allow.
9. Jean-François Richet - by the way, could there possibly be a first name that's more French than "Jean-François?" - pounds out the tense tale with vigor and finesse.
10. ...[a] disjointed but jolting jailhouse shoot-'em-up showcase...a frenetic and formulaic action-drama guaranteed to get the adrenaline pumping.
Based on these individual reviews, what is the critic consensus?
This remake has been praised by some as an expertly made B-movie, and dismissed by others as formulaic.