Review: Assault On Precint 13 (1976)

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Got a smoke?

Assault on Precinct 13 (1976) is ninety minutes of raw filmmaking that blends elements from a classic John Wayne western and George A. Romero's Night of the Living Dead and creates an exhilarating picture about man rising and risking all for survival when outnumbered dozens-to-one. It's ninety minutes of excellent suspense and action.

Above all, it's ninety minutes of kick-ass entertainment.

Austin Stoker stars as Ethan Bishop, a lieutenant out on his first night of duty, who has just been given the boring task of watching over a police station that's in the process of being relocated. As the night comes on, events come together that will eventually lead to a balls-to-the-wall second half you'll hardly forget.

The first event comes with the unexpected arrival of a prison bus transporting three prisoners that needs to pit when one of the men becomes ill. On board is Napoleon Wilson, a smooth-talking, sardonic, smart-ass murderer played perfectly by Darwin Joston.

Later, after a father gets a bit of revenge on a group of thugs who've killed his daughter, he runs for help, which means he runs into the sleepy little station. Freaking out and developing shock, he leaves the lieutenant and the staff puzzled to the hell coming for them. Unlucky for all involved, it seems the area's local gangs have joined forces through a blood truce and oath, forming a stop-at-nothing army called Street Thunder, and they are ready to die for the destruction of mankind.

Unlucky for all involved, they've followed the father to the station.

Under siege and quickly losing hope of rescue, Lieutenant Bishop turns to the convicts and the staff to help take up arms to defend the station from the crazies who've come for their blood.

Assault on Precinct 13 is a finely crafted work of suspense and action by the great John Carpenter, which really makes the most within its duality of genres. As often is the case, Carpenter's score becomes as big a character as some of the flesh and blood folks on the screen. From the simple, iconic repetition of the main theme to the scenes of sadness and shock, the music here works like a Morricone score; it not only ties the audience's eye and ear to the levels of scene, but adds entertainment to otherwise long and silent sections of the movie.

One of the brightest spots of the production comes from the actors. Made on a shoestring noose, Carpenter extracts wonderful performances Stoker, Joston, and Carpenter regular Charles Cyphers.

The standout amongst them, for me, is none other than Laurie Zimmer, in the role of Leigh, the abandoned station's secretary. A strong, icy portrayal, it's hard not to be caught off guard to her beauty or her tough-girl tone. Easy on the eyes and quick on the trigger, Zimmer is a helluva a find that Hollywood apparently did not ever see. She didn't have a very long career in the business. Very sadly.

Joston's Napoleon Wilson is awesome. Laid back and smooth as shit, Wilson is a one-lining machine, keeping the action strong and the mood just a shade chipper than the whole gang-of-zombie-like-hoods-attacking-random-people-for-seemingly-no-reason scenario should normally be. His mellow persona makes the movie ten times better than if he'd been played any other way.

The only slight knock against the film would be some of the cinematography in spots, mainly because of the pain-in-the-ass it is to do anything related with photography in a dark setting, and it looks like the print is a bit too underexposed to see in spots (especially at at least one key part). Other than this small quibble (and perhaps Wilson's back story could have used just a little tweaking to unwind a touch of the ambiguity), Assault on Precinct 13 is a badass film by the talented Carpenter.

For its Genre/Era/X: Awesome.

Overall: Awesome.

Rated R for violence.

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