Assault on Precinct 13 [1976]

The Movie Itself is directed by John Carpenter (”Halloween“, “The Thing“, “Starman“).

On his first night out as a newly appointed Highway Patrolman, Ethan Bishop (Austin Stoker) is tasked with watching over a soon-to-be-relocated Police Station, a task that would be — under most circumstances — an easy job. Unfortunately for him, and the employees of the station, their choice to play host and guardian to a speechless, frightened man makes all of them targets of a vicious gang, Street Thunder. Outnumbered and outgunned, their best hope for survival is to seek the help of the death row inmates currently residing in their holding cells.

Two years before John Carpenter introduced everyone to “The Shape” — aka Michael Myers — he shocked audiences with a raw, and aggressively exciting film, entitled Assault on Precinct 13. The film established and capitalizes on some of Carpenter’s strongest talents as a director — weaving a thoroughly engaging, relatable tale set within an isolated physical space — and it represents Carpenter at his finest, and most basic.

The film is a convincing and engaging survival story that maintains a suspenseful air throughout, and like Halloween, it remains just as effective and exciting today as it did years ago. Sure, the dialog exchanges can be a little hokey at times but it’s Carpenter through and through, and frankly I wouldn’t have it any other way. Contributing to the thriller aspect, the violence depicted in the film is frightening at times and feels very realistic. Take for example, the ice cream truck scene. It is one of the more memorable and cold-hearted scenes in the film, or any film for that matter. It is that way because there is no rhyme or reason behind the gang’s murderous actions, they simply want to incite fear and avenge their fallen friends. It’s this chaotic, loose motive that makes them such a formidable foe — they don’t care who they hurt and they don’t fear death. In this way you can draw a lot of parallels between Michael Myers and the gang depicted in this film. They are tireless, crafty, ruthless and altogether enigmatic. The characters that are targeted by each force aren’t sure why they’re marked for death, they just know they’re going to have to fight for their lives.

Whether you’re a Carpenter fan or not, you should add this film to your list of classic, must-see movies. It is one of the more unique suspense thrillers to have come out of the 70’s or any other decade, and it’s also one of Carpenter’s finest films. I can’t recommend it enough.