IMDb > Assault on Precinct 13 (1976)
Assault on Precinct 13
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Assault on Precinct 13 (1976) More at IMDbPro »

Videos (see all 3 NEW)
Assault on Precinct 13 (1976) -- A street gang vows revenge on the police officers who ambushed them in this vintage trailer
Assault on Precinct 13 (1976) -- The lone inhabitants of an abandoned police station are under attack by the overwhelming numbers of a seemingly unstoppable street gang.
Assault on Precinct 13 (1976) -- Trailerfan.com - Trailer (Flash)

Overview

User Rating:
7.4/10   12,164 votes
MOVIEmeter: ?
Up 31% in popularity this week. See why on IMDbPro.
Director:
John Carpenter
Writer:
John Carpenter (written by)
Contact:
View company contact information for Assault on Precinct 13 on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
5 November 1976 (USA) more
Tagline:
L.A.'s deadliest street gang just declared war on the cops. more
Plot:
The lone inhabitants of an abandoned police station are under attack by the overwhelming numbers of a seemingly unstoppable street gang. full summary | add synopsis
User Comments:
Basic but very effective and fun more (182 total)

Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)

Additional Details

Also Known As:
John Carpenter's Assault on Precinct 13
The Anderson Alamo (USA) (working title)
The Siege (USA) (working title)
more
Runtime:
91 min
Country:
USA
Language:
English
Color:
Color (Metrocolor)
Aspect Ratio:
2.35 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
Mono
Certification:
Canada:R (Nova Scotia/Ontario) | Singapore:NC-16 | Netherlands:16 | UK:15 (re-rating) (2008) | Australia:R | Canada:18A (Manitoba) (re-rating) | Canada:PA (Manitoba) (original rating) | Finland:K-18 | France:-16 (cut) | Germany:16 (re-rating) (2005) | Norway:18 | South Korea:15 (cut) | Sweden:15 | UK:18 (video rating) (1986) | UK:X (original rating) | USA:R | West Germany:18 (original rating) (1976) | Iceland:16

Fun Stuff

Trivia:
Listed in Premiere Magazine's list of "50 Unsung Classics" (July 1999). more
Goofs:
Continuity: Film takes place in Precinct 9, Division 13, not Precinct 13. more
Quotes:
Lt. Ethan Bishop: You're pretty fancy, Wilson.
Napoleon Wilson: I have moments.
more
Movie Connections:
References Red River (1948) more

FAQ

Is this film a remake?
more
29 out of 35 people found the following comment useful.
Basic but very effective and fun, 31 May 2004
Author: bob the moo from Birmingham, UK

When a man and his daughter drive down the wrong street they get into the middle of a gang shooting. The little girl is killed and the father left distraught, but armed with another victim's gun. He catches up with the gang and kills the leader before seeking refuge in a local police station. However the station is only manned by a few staff as it is in the process of being shut down. A prison wagon also arrives at the station with sick prisoners for temporary holding – however it is then that the street gang launch their attack with stolen and silenced automatic weapons.

I had half watched this film several years ago and didn't review it then because I knew I had been distracted and not able to give it enough attention to be able to form a fair opinion of it – however I didn't really enjoy it then. Giving it another chance produced a much more enjoyable film, even if it seems very basic on the face of it. The plot seems very simple and, in fairness, it is – gang outside, people inside, people try to keep gang out and stay alive. This is doing it a disservice of course because it creates an enjoyable tension from this simple set-up and delivers some enjoyable (if basic) action and thrills. The direction is good; my personal favourite shot being the shot near the end where the smoke clears! This effective delivery is also aided by Carpenter's own score that is nicely pulsating and still sounds great even if it is dated – the important thing is that it still fits the film and therefore works.

The dialogue is trashy but this fits the slight b-movie feel the film has. The characters are also quite simple (very basic backgrounds and personalities for each) but again this seems to work really well. The strength of having a mostly unknown cast is that you can't be sure who will live or die by the end of the film. Despite being mostly unknowns (to me anyway) the performances are generally very enjoyable even if no Oscars are being given out. Stoker and Joston lead the film really well and give good, natural performances with an overflow of charisma. I don't know the other's outside of these two but the rest were good as well, even if the film belongs to Bishop and Wilson. I was a bit let down by the lack of a central bad guy but in one regard the film also uses this well by making the gang an unseen threat that could be an isolated group or an army.

Overall this is a very basic film in several regards, but it is also a very effective and enjoyable one. If you are looking for film references then there are some to be had but for most of us the film's charismatic leads, action and effective tension will be what we stay for – and luckily it has all those with some to spare.

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