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Assault on Precinct 13 (1976)

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42 out of 47 people found the following comment useful :-
Awesome Assault, 6 June 2004
Author: MovieAddict2008 from UK

John Carpenter is one of few directors who can successfully transform their movies into giant roller coaster rides without insulting the audience. James Cameron does this, sometimes, but usually adds more plot to his stories. Carpenter just takes simple premises, throws some characters together, and lets everything evolve and unwind on their own. "Assault on Precinct 13" deserves to be mentioned in the same breath as "Dawn of the Dead," or perhaps the overrated "Texas Chainsaw Massacre," as a very low-budget horror/thriller that takes a cast of unknowns, places them together, doesn't really delve into their backgrounds, but lets everything just work itself out like clockwork. There's an eager new cop, an infamous death row murderer, and a relocating precinct, all stuffed together into a movie about a vicious gang assault. It's brilliant in a very subtle way; a sign of things to come for a director who has implemented some of the most oft-used camera tricks in the horror world.

He pioneered the first-person killer perspective in "Halloween" - an effect sorely missed on full screen TV and VHS versions, to once again be savored on the wide screen DVD presentation. Carpenter received quite a number of critical jabs in 1978 for his use of the POV technique, explained to be too voyeuristic and potentially dangerous to be shown in a mainstream motion picture. Hitchcock used the POV technique very subtly in "Psycho's" famous shower sequence, but in "Halloween" it was far blunter, resulting in an uproar of moral complaints.

No matter. "Halloween" became movie horror legend, casting a spell over its viewers, inspiring major knock-offs such as the "Friday the 13th" series (which has overall made more money than the "Halloween" franchise due to more sequels than "Police Academy").

"Assault on Precinct 13" was one of Carpenter's very first efforts at directing. It shows. The movie is flawed, imperfect, both technically and otherwise (some of the dialogue in particular could have used fixing, and the acting is nothing incredible by any means). But it still has an addictive sense of urgency and frantic pacing that makes the movie feel like one long, non-stop, brutal assault - even though the setup for the film takes over forty minutes. It may not be a flawless film but it is one of my favorites.

It's about a new cop named Bishop (Austin Stoker) who is put in charge of a transferring L.A. police precinct - number thirteen. As equipment is carried out of the building and last-minute closings are made, far away a bus load of convicts, including notorious murderer Wilson (Darwin Joston), decide to stop at precinct 13 due to the fact that one of the criminals seems to be coming down with a harsh cough. And downtown, a young girl is shot by a ruthless gang member. Her father shoots the killer, and then flees to precinct thirteen, hunted by the gang members, who eventually begin to siege the precinct in a suicide raid. Trapped with two killers, a few cops and a jail warden, Bishop and company try to think of a way out of the place without getting shot by the vicious gang outside.

That's basically it - people stuck inside a police station trying to get out without dying in the process. The movie is only ninety minutes long, give or take, which is a good thing, because if it had been any longer it might have lost some of its pacing and become tiring. Instead, there isn't a single scene in "Assault on Precinct 13" that I think should have been cut. I'm sure there are some that could have been tossed onto the editing room floor, but I'm glad that the movie is the way it is - it flows smoothly and we don't ever feel like a scene has gone on too long or too short. In that sense, it's just about perfect.

Carpenter has had one of the most successful careers of all time, followed by a legion of cult fans. His "Halloween" is one of the greatest horror films of all time, and one of the most influential. He occasionally makes his duds, like any director, but in this case, the good far outweighs the bad. "Assault on Precinct 13" is an utterly refreshing film experience that manages to maintain a fast speed but never appears to be cheating its target audience, or treating them stupid. The movie is being remade in 2005, with a considerably higher budget, bigger names, and probably worse directing. I don't really look forward to this remake because I can almost guarantee that, given the age it is being made in, there will be many pointless plot explanations, worse dialogue and bad direction. "Assault on Precinct 13" does not really need to be made again because the first one works so well. History has taught us that most remakes are not at all on the same level as their influences - just look at Hitchcock's "Psycho," then Van Sant's. If it isn't broken, don't fix it. "Assault on Precinct 13" is not broken and it does not need to be fixed.

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37 out of 42 people found the following comment useful :-
Violent and witty, 17 August 2004
Author: jbarnett76 from United Kingdom

This is rightly considered a classic cult movie from the 1970's by the once reliable John Carpenter (who also composed the edgy early synth score). Basically it's a faint mish-mash of other movies, the dialogue is reminiscent of great westerns as a black policeman and a white convict battle against gang members in a Night of The Living Dead re-working. It's also tempting to draw Vietnam allegories (as with many American movies of the mid 1970's and after); the faceless, nameless gang members die in the droves but keep attacking the besieged police station and the lawmen and the lawbreakers, black and white, must unite to defeat them and escape with their lives.

The real joy of this movie, however, is the playing of the two virtually unknown leads, Austin Stoker and the late Darwin Joston. They have a great, almost wry chemistry and use Carpenter's stripped-down witty dialogue to great effect. Because there are no 'stars', there are no real expectations, and the shocks when they come (including the famous ice cream sequence) are more shocking for it.

The representation of women leaves a little to be desired (the two female characters obviously shop at the same sweater store!) but the character Lee shows some inner strength and resolve, and even has time for some kind of upper hand in terms of sexual tension between herself and Joston's Napoleon Wilson.

If you haven't seen this movie I urge you to watch it; in terms of B movies and cult thrillers it's the yardstick in my opinion; simple, stylish, violent, witty and not remotely sentimental.

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26 out of 30 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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17 out of 19 people found the following comment useful :-
intense to say the least, 14 July 2004

Author: randall pennington (rpennington9@comcast.net) from Chattanooga,Tennessee

This is possibly one of Carpenter's best films,with the exception of The thing.It is one of the great siege films of all time.The scene with Kim Richards(escape to witch mountain) is one of my favorites.This movie proves you don't have to have a multimillion dollar budget and big name stars to make a great movie.The performance by Laurie Zimmer was incredible.I can't believe she was never cast in another film(but thats Hollywood for you).If you like action and thrillers this film is definitely worth a look.Its not perfect, the plot has some holes, the premise is at times shaky, but all of the actors produce believable performances,especially Austin Stoker,Darwin Joston, and of course Zimmer.

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15 out of 16 people found the following comment useful :-
A 1970s suspense classic. Absolutely brilliant!, 1 July 2002
Author: Infofreak from Perth, Australia

Watching John Carpenter's latest 'Ghosts Of Mars' recently I couldn't help but wonder what happened to Carpenter's vision. 'Assault On Precinct 13' was made 25 years earlier on probably a tenth of the budget and is basically the same movie only ten times better! Carpenter self-consciously uses Hawks' 'Rio Bravo', adds a touch of Romero's 'Night Of The Living Dead' and comes up with arguably the most exciting siege movie of all time. This gem is a perfect example of superior low budget film making. Relative unknowns Austin Stoker ('Abby') and Darwin Joston ('Eraserhead') are both outstanding as the stars of this taut and unpredictable thriller, and the supporting cast includes Laurie Zimmer (sadly her only movie), Nancy Loomis ('Halloween'), Kim Richards ('The Car' - in the movie's most controversial and memorable scene), and Carpenter semi-regular Charles Cyphers ('Escape From New York'). One of Carpenter's best efforts and overall an extraordinarily underrated movie. 'Assault On Precinct 13' is a classic! Add this to your "must see" list immediately!

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17 out of 21 people found the following comment useful :-
Brilliant, Suspenseful and Beautiful, 6 February 2005

Author: Brandt Sponseller from New York City

Set in gang-riddled Los Angeles in the 1970s, director John Carpenter was inspired to make a film that was basically a combination of Rio Bravo (1959) and Night of the Living Dead (1968) with rookie cop Ethan Bishop in John Wayne's Rio Bravo role/Duane Jones' Ben, a recently vacated police precinct as the small town jail/farmhouse, and with gang members in place of Night of the Living Dead's zombies/Nathan Burdette's men.

For some viewers, that premise alone may be enough for them to not be able to grant this film a 10, but Assault on Precinct 13 is yet another example of why quality isn't correlated to having unprecedented ideas.

One of the first striking things about Assault on Precinct 13 is that it looks beautiful. It was made on a relatively low budget, and it looks like a large percentage of the money must have gone into camera rental, film stock and film processing. Douglas Knapp's color cinematography is crisp, innovative (I just love the shot with the camera mounted in front of the car headlight, with the sunset in the background) and marvelously portrays Los Angeles as a gritty, suburban wasteland as well, if not better, than any other film I can think of. What makes it effective isn't over-the-top, run down buildings and heavily populated streets, but vast, wide-open spaces, with squat, nondescript houses and buildings, all fading into nothingness. Knapp even manages to make the streets look like this, and a couple scenes are set in what is effectively a sand-logged desert, with a lonely, dangerous phone booth sitting in isolation. The police station also reflects the suburban wasteland look in terms of its spaces and their relationship to each other, its sparseness and its colors.

The low budget nature of the film forced a very successful straightforward, brutal and realistic approach to the action, especially the violence. Carpenter, on his commentary track on the DVD, notes that some scenes weren't as he would have liked because they didn't have the coverage they needed, and had to let them play out, longer than normal, from a single angle. Thank the heavens for a lack of time and funding! Despite the over-the-top mayhem in subsequent action films by other directors, the impact of many of the scenes in this film cannot be topped, and it's often because of the unusual, almost documentary-like feel of the film.

Also adding to the effect is Carpenter's score. Although it's technically primitive, it's just as good as any of his other music, and Carpenter is as talented as a film composer as he is as a director. His use of motifs, often in an almost trance-like repetition, is similar too, and just as effective as, both Bernard Herrmann and Ennio Morricone.

The performances are all excellent, and the staging is even better. If you know anything about the premise of the film before you begin watching it for the first time, you may have difficulty figuring out how they're going to pull off the central situation of the film. The logistics seem to be against creating a prolonged tense situation. Carpenter and company create the perfect scenario with just a couple ingenious moves, and the unending threat, combined with the unusual pacing of the zombie-like menace make Assault on Precinct 13 as frightening as any horror film could be.

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14 out of 16 people found the following comment useful :-
The "Assault" began in 1976, and hasn't let up yet, 13 January 2005

Author: dee.reid from United States

*** This comment may contain spoilers ***

With the release of the 2005 remake of John Carpenter's classic action film, "Assault on Precinct 13," rapidly approaching, I took a chance and managed to purchase the last DVD copy of the special edition at my local video store and I must say that Carpenter's second directorial feature ranks amongst some of the director's finest work.

The first film by Carpenter that I really liked was "The Thing" (1982), because it utilized its claustrophobic setting and escalating tension by focusing on the paranoia of the characters rather than splattering the screen with pointless action.

"Assault on Precinct 13" has much in common with "The Thing" in this sense, the mounting tension and fears between the characters, which of course help to further the plot and heighten a slight emotional attachment to the leads.

I'll say that Carpenter's film is a perfect example of what's wrong with a lot of movies today, and how Hollywood has grown less skillful and daring over the years. For those that don't know what I mean, just watch the scene in "Precinct" with the "wrong-flavored ice cream" to get an idea of just HOW far Carpenter was willing to go with this picture.

Though the primary setting for the action in this movie takes place at the abandoned police station in Precinct 9, Division 13, it opens with the shooting deaths of six Los Angeles gang members by the police. News breaks on random radio stations inform the audience that a large cache of weapons was stolen from a facility and the police are overworked with the rapid rise in crime over the last 24 hours.

The camera then centers on four sinister-looking individuals in their living room, weapons and ammo boxes strewn about, they each sit, like warlords at a tribal counsel, plotting what evil deeds they're about to unleash. They then enter into a blood oath, to the death, but for what is largely unknown.

Across town, Bishop (Austin Stoker), the newly promoted lieutenant, is on his way to work for his first assignment and is ordered to head over to Precinct 9, where there are only a few people working. Already many of the supplies and ammunition have been moved across town to the new police station, which is located far away.

At a local jail across town, Nathaniel Wilson (Darwin Joston) is on his way to prison to face the death penalty for several murders, of which the nature is presumably extreme since he's being put to death. We know it had to be something horrific, since he informs one of the officers supervising him that a preacher once told him that he had seen death in his eyes.

It would seem that fate, or the "Street Thunder," the largest, most powerful and deadliest gang in Los Angeles, brings them all together at Precinct 9, where the few police officers on duty and a few convicts are forced to make a stand, as the murderous gang members lay siege to the police station with heavy-weapons fire.

Carpenter's second feature is heavy on wall-to-wall action and vicious violence, but surprisingly there's a strong center about the characters and the dire situation they're trapped in. Only a handful of people remain in the police station to ward off the seemingly hundreds of faceless, murderous gang members that want into the place, and aren't afraid to die in the process.

Carpenter owed a lot to the apparent source material, "Rio Bravo," which had a similar plot about everyday people who are forced to make not-so-everyday decisions when they become trapped in a nightmarish situation with some very upset people looking for their blood.

I can only hope that the remake of this 1976 action classic is as bold and daring as its predecessor, or we'll have one hell of a flop on our hands.

10/10

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14 out of 20 people found the following comment useful :-
Excellent Low Budget Thriller, 15 June 2002

Author: Theo Robertson from Isle Of Bute , Scotland

ASSAULT ON PRECINCT 13 is a wonderful example of what can be achieved with a talented director on a very low budget. My only criticisms are the plothole of having the gangs hiding so they aren`t discovered by police patrol cars ( I thought that`s what the gangs would have wanted - a toe to toe war with " the pigs " ) , the ending which is something of an anti-climax but knowing the budget this is understandable . John Carpenters best film and his best score Dum dum dum du du dum , dum dah dah du du dum

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7 out of 8 people found the following comment useful :-
Neat thriller from John `Claustrophobia' Carpenter, 5 July 2002
Author: Aidan McGuinness from Dublin, Ireland

`Assault on Precinct 13' shows Carpenter in the fine creative form of his earlier days, when he produced such thriller and horror gems like `Halloween', `The Thing' and this little movie. As usual he eschews a complex plot in favour of a great little central concept - in this case a group of civilians, prisoners and police trapped in a deserted police station under siege from a mysterious gang who want to get at one man inside.

The acting in these movies is generally bland, but Carpenter at least breathes some dimension into his characters. The lead role goes to Lt. Ethan Bishop (Austin Stoker), the cop in charge of minding the building for the night. Naturally he's honourable but there's also a good sense of pragmatism to his character. Similarly the prisoner Napoleon (Darwin Joston) isn't just a criminal - there's something quite human to him. The same goes for the civilians caught up - despite their disparities the characters become a relatively cohesive unit that's quite believable, enjoyable without veering into grating sentimentality ever. Naturally a lot of them are cannon fodder but the loss of individuals in such movies is one of the anticipations you expect in the genre.

Carpenter did a great service by making the protagonists of the piece silent. They never utter a word. They have nothing in common, hailing from all races. We have no motivation for their actions and thankfully we're spared weak, and frankly pointless, excuses. Instead their blank faced determinism, and the manner in which they mete out death, lends them a horrific cold bloodedness that is far more memorable than typical thriller character building. There's not so much a sense of palpable evil but a much more terrifying sense of complete inhumanity. Carpenter also uses his great skills with claustrophobia - even the outdoor scenes are deserted, lonely, isolated. The actual station under siege is well designed - we're made aware of the layout quickly, before the action starts, so that the action sequences make sense without confusing us on issues of location. The darkness of the proceedings - pale lighting and so forth - add to the edgy mood of the characters. And Carpenter once again has a nice musical score accompanying his movie - it may sound dated, but it suits the ambience and atmosphere to a tee.

`Assault on Precinct 13' is hardly clever. It's not claiming to be. It's a low budget work with a central `siege' idea. It works because of the claustrophobic element, the feeling of desperation in the characters, some neat villains and fairly well fleshed characters. It may not be the pinnacle of its type, but it sure is enjoyable while it lasts. 6.8/10.

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5 out of 6 people found the following comment useful :-
Under Siege (27 Dec 2003), 30 May 2008

Author: Claudio Carvalho from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

In Los Angeles, the street gangs unite and declare war to the police. Meanwhile, a father stops his car in a suburb and his daughter goes to an ice-cream truck to buy a vanilla ice-cream. She is murdered in cold blood by a member of one gang. The father follows the guy, kills him with many shots and runs to the Precinct 13. The policeman Bishop (Austin Stoker) has just assumed the police station, which is not in operation but waiting to be closed on the next morning. With him, there are two women: the telephone operator and Leigh (Laurie Zimmer). A few moments before the arrival of the shocked father, a bus transporting three prisoners had stopped there and the escort policemen requested cells to lock the prisoners while waiting for a doctor for one of them that is ill. Suddenly the precinct is under siege and violent attack of street gangs.

"Assault on Precinct 13" is one of the first good movies in the successful career of John Carpenter as director and musician. Very few American directors would risk and dare with a scene with a child like the execution of the little girl that triggers the story. The soundtrack of John Carpenters fits perfectly to the development of this tense story. Last but not the least, what has happened with the gorgeous and promising actress Laurie Zimmer? My vote is seven.

Title (Brazil: "Assalto ao 13o DP" ("Assault on Precinct 13")

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