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Austin Stoker, Gilbert De la Pena, Darwin Joston, Al Nakauchi, Laurie Zimmer ... see more see more... , Martin West , Gil Rankin , Cliff Battuello , Tony Burton , Charles Cyphers , Horace Johnson , Kim Richards , Nancy Loomis , Valentine Villareal , Kenny Miyamoto , Peter Bruni , John "Red" Fox , Jerry Viramontes , Len Whitaker , Kris Young , Warren Bradley III , Joe Woo Jr. , Brent Keast , Maynard Smith , Henry Brandon , Frank Doubleday , Peter Frankland , Alan Koss , William Taylor , James Johnson , Randy Moore , John J. Fox , Nancy Kyes

Cops, secretaries, and prisoners stuck in a soon-to-be-shuttered L.A. police station fight off a horde of murderous gang members in director John Carpenter's homage to Howard Hawks. When police office... read more read more...r Bishop (Austin Stoker) is left in charge of Precinct 13 on the last day it's open, he isn't prepared for the onslaught of a murderous street gang who have come into the possession of an enormous arsenal of guns. Finding himself trapped in the precinct with a pair of secretaries (Laurie Zimmer and Nancy Loomis), a few civilians and a handful of prisoners, Bishop is unable to call for help because the phones have already been disconnected and the precinct is in a run-down, out-of-the-way neighborhood. Holding out for a rescue, he and his fellow prisoners band together to barricade themselves in and hold the bandits at bay. But as the casualties mount and the supplies run low, they must choose between a daring escape attempt, a fiery offensive, or certain death. The sophomore feature from auteur-in-the-making John Carpenter, Assault on Precinct 13 reunited the director with Douglas H. Knapp, his cinematographer on 1974's Dark Star. ~ Brian J. Dillard, Rovi

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R, 1 hr. 31 min.

Directed by: John Carpenter

Release Date: November 5, 1976

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DVD Release Date: March 11, 2003

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Flixster Reviews (1,090)

  • mumby1988
    March 12, 2012
    mumby1988
    There are very few filmmakers in the history of cinema who have been able to hit the ground running and make two or three near-perfect films in quick succession. Even Stanley Kubrick, who followed masterpiece with masterpiece in his prime, took ten years to hone his craft with sm... read morealler, more modest efforts like Fear and Desire. Assault on Precinct 13 finds John Carpenter still trying to work out not just what kind of filmmaker he wanted to be, but how to make a film in the first place. After 36 years it remains a serviceable and efficient but ultimately disappointing second venture.

    It would be easy to look at Assault on Precinct 13 as a classic case of the difficult second album - a great talent dropping the ball when given more money and a big reputation. But while this comment may be true of some Carpenter films - like Big Trouble in Little China - it does not take the context into account. The reputation of Dark Star, as a cult hit and bona fide sci-fi classic, leads us to believe that its success was premeditated, and that Carpenter was destined for greatness, when in fact neither would have been the case.

    When interviewed in 2002, Carpenter commented that this was the first time that he had shot for several days straight. With Dark Star, he had gotten used to shooting the odd scene, going off to raise money, coming back and repeating the process, much like David Lynch was doing with Eraserhead around the same time. It's not often that I will argue for a lowering of expectations, but anyone expecting a film with the terror of Hallowe'en or the substance of The Thing is setting themselves up for a greater disappointment than necessary. There is still some substance to Assault on Precinct 13, but it is present in a quantity and manner that we would not associate with Carpenter's more mature and competent efforts.

    The film is at heart a homage to Rio Bravo, Howard Hawks' western starring John Wayne and Dean Martin, which Hawks himself subsequently remade, first as El Dorado and later as Rio Lobo. There are in-jokes and references to Hawks' film(s) throughout, from the fast-paced dialogue during the siege of the police station right down to the end credits: the editor is named as 'John T. Chance', with the name of John Wayne's character serving as a pseudonym for Carpenter.

    Although it is at heart a western, Assault on Precinct 13 is also positioned as a Blaxploitation film, due to its black protagonist and theme of gang warfare. It is cashing in on the Blaxploitation genre in the same way that the Bond series had done so with Live and Let Die three years earlier. While Carpenter's film is a lot more gritty and realistic than Bond (not to mention shorter and somewhat darker), it is still riding the crest of someone else's wave. This is again not surprising considering the circumstances under which it was made, but taken in the context of Carpenter's back catalogue, it is hardly his most original work.

    There are, however, a number of aspects to Assault on Precinct 13 which would become classic Carpenter motifs. The evil force which terrorises the police station (in this case the Street Thunder gang) is portrayed as something relentless and borderline supernatural. Carpenter was a huge fan of George A. Romero's Night of the Living Dead, and characterises the gang like zombies, watching our heroes intently and always moving as one. When shooting the showdowns between police and gang members, Carpenter roped in a lot of film students from USC, who relished in the opportunity to play with fake blood and provided him with many inventive screen deaths.

    Another motif of Carpenter's is to shoot the action entirely in widescreen (or occasionally anamorphic). Audiences then and now tended to associate widescreen with expensive films, so to shoot Assault in Precinct 13 in this way would have got the film notice for appearing relatively professional. Carpenter's composition of exterior shots, such as the advance of the gang members, indicates that he understands how to shoot in this format, filling every possible part of the frame with something visually exciting.

    Unfortunately, one of the big problems with Assault on Precinct 13 is another common trait in Carpenter's work. The pacing of the opening act is very slow, as the film takes the best part of 30 minutes to decide in which exact direction it wishes to proceed. With Carpenter's later efforts, like Escape from New York, it was often the case that the film would run headlong in one direction without managing to explain why or build suspense in the process. What we end up with is a film of great potential which never really gets into gear, and whose ideas are skimmed over for the sake of moving forward.

    While Hawks' film was about good men standing up to outsiders to defend a town in the name of American ideals, Carpenter's film seems to be about democracy and its practical implications. During the siege the police station becomes a microcosm for society, with the criminals being isolated while the free citizens make all the decisions on their behalf as to how to survive. There is the implication that democratic governance, and by extension meritocracy, is not an adequate substitute for animal instinct when lives are at stake. While Ethan Bishop begins as an idealistic police officer, he eventually resorts to guns and fist-fighting to keep the gang out.

    There is a subversive quality to the film in the depiction of the criminals. The character of Napoleon Wilson (who keeps asking for a smoke, in a further Hawks reference) is depicted as someone of equal or greater intelligence to the people holding him captive. We are constantly asking questions about his motivations and wondering whether we can trust him. When the prisoners are called upon to help defend the police station, they are forced into a quandary: they are being asked to defend an institution which is both keeping them alive and holding them hostage. The exploration of realpolitik and game theory in these scenes is pretty intelligent, which leads you to wonder how Carpenter got it so wrong when he revisited these themes in Ghosts of Mars.

    Despite the intelligent examination of themes, there is still the feeling of both story and substance never really coming together. The opening section of the film is too long to pull us in quickly enough, which the actual siege is not long enough to discuss and address these ideas in the detail they deserve. You get the feeling that in the hands of someone like Irwin Allen (producer of The Poseidon Adventure and The Towering Inferno), you would have cut to the chase a lot quicker, getting the characters in the tight spot quickly and keeping them there throughout. Carpenter may claim that the script came together fast, but even at 90 minutes the film could use another edit.

    Then there is the issue of violence to address. Being an exploitation film, we know to expect a certain amount of fighting, bloodshot or other outbursts, and by and large these outbursts are well-executed and in keeping with the tone. The beginning of the siege, where the police station is peppered with hundreds of bullets, is particularly well-done: in the absence of real ammunition, Carpenter uses pyrotechnic charges to disturb office materials in a unnerving way. The only question mark surrounds the murder of a child; while we don't see the deed in all its graphic detail, the jury is still out over whether it is integral to the plot.

    The performances in Assault on Precinct 13 are by and large a case of pleasant surprises. Due to budgetary constraints, Carpenter cast actors who were relatively unknown but prepared to work relentlessly. Austin Stoker is very convincing as Lieutenant Bishop, calmly holding up the action like a young Laurence Fishburne. Darwin Joston is very good as Wilson, bringing a laconic sense of humour and a sneering physicality. And while both their roles are underdeveloped, Laurie Zimmer and Nancy Loomis both make the most of what they have.

    Assault on Precinct 13 remains a serviceable and efficient thriller-cum-western which is disappointing in light of Carpenter's subsequent success. Its ideas never take hold in the way that they should, and apart from its technical execution, there is little in it to suggest that the same man would change the face of horror movies with Hallowe'en just two years later. Carpenter fans will gravitate towards it out of nostalgia, while the rest of us will either wonder what the fuss is about or accept it for what it is: a half-decent but slightly forgettable slice of late-night viewing.
  • LoughnerWasLucid
    February 29, 2012
    LoughnerWasLucid
    if John Carpenter made a compilation CD of all his soundtrack music, i would play in my stereo late at night with a blonde wig on, light some cinnamon candles and go to work on myself with some body jelly.
  • fb1664868775
    November 9, 2011
    fb1664868775
    This film truly frightened me. The original ultra violent cop action flick. John Carpenter's second film may still be his best work.
  • paulkoh110
    October 25, 2011
    paulkoh110
    In the age of 80's cult classics, this film definitely fits in. Its weak story is supported by the gritty filming and violence.
  • blkbomb
    October 16, 2011
    blkbomb
    Starker: Detective, you run this precinct like chicken night in Turkey. 

    "A White Hot Night of Hate."

    I wish I could say I like Assault on Precinct 13 more than I do. I like it to a certain extent, but not as much as I should. Every time I re-watch it, I expect to finally love ... read moreit, but I always end up with the same feelings about it. It is an extremely cool and violent early Carpenter film and he does a good job in making an overall interesting movie. It's just not up to standards with some of his other films that he would come to make in the coming years.

    The plot is interesting, a street gang in LA gets there hands on a crazy amount of weapons. A cop is back on the job and is put in a safe situation for his first night out. He takes over a police station that is getting shut down. All he has to do is answer the phone and send people to the new location. It doesn't end up being that easy though and he ends being up against a lot of gangsters with a convicted killer who is going to be executed to help him.

    The film never seems to gel. It seems like it is grinding through the entire runtime instead of smoothly progressing. A lot of this comes from the characters being extremely uninteresting and showing very little emotion throughout the whole film. The actors kind of seem to just be going through the motions and never really suck you into the story.

    As a pre-Halloween thriller from Carpenter, it is a pretty solid effort. It pretty much put Carpenter on the map and then Halloween solidified that he was a great director. He uses settings so well to his advantage and that's exactly what he does here. He uses a hopeless ghetto and makes the characters and viewers as helpless as the kids who are growing up there. It seems inevitable that the characters are going to die, just as it is inevitable the kids who are growing up there will soon be in the gangs that are now reeking havoc. It's just too bad the movie never rises above decent.
  • pier007
    August 24, 2011
    pier007
    Not the first Carpenter, but surely the one that defined his apocalyptic and violent universe. This urban western (owes a thing or two to Howard Hawks' and his "Rio Bravo") has undertones of claustrophobic, psychological horror (alusive to "Night of the living dead" and "The Bird... read mores") economy of mediums and an admirable narrative pulse for an amateur.
  • cosmo313
    August 14, 2011
    cosmo313
    Ok, first things first: I know this is a flawed filmed filled with lots of plot holes and errors (some of them nonesensical and unforgivable), but I love this movie. It has a lot of sentimental value for me, and has left a big impression on me ever since I first saw it.

    The sto... read morery, basically a loose remake of/riffage on Rio Bravo, concerns a rookie cop and a small number of people trapped in a soon to be closed police station, and forced to fight off a massive gang of criminals out to wage war and get revenge. That's pretty much it.

    Despite the low budget, the film has some decent performances, a catchy score, some humor, and (probably best of all) a tremendous sense of mood, atmosphere, tension, and suspense. This is a griity and gripping little yarn, and you really start to feel for the characters and want them to come out on top.

    A remake came out a few years ago, and, while that one had it's moments, it didn't have the same charm or low-budget indie brilliance of this one. Stick to this one.
  • FilmFanatik
    June 29, 2011
    FilmFanatik
    I was a bit surprised by this one. I'm not a huge John Carpenter fan, per se, but I find his work interesting and entertaining, and Assault on Precinct 13 definitely falls under that heading. People tend to classify this is as an "action cult classic." While I agree with the cult... read more part, I disagree with the action part. There isn't much in the way of action really... not like you would expect there to be. It's more of a tense drama with some dark comedy. I enjoyed it, even if it isn't all that perfect.
  • TheDudeLebowski65
    May 21, 2011
    TheDudeLebowski65
    John Carpenter's directorial debut has many film elements into one effective action film. Assault On Precinct 13 is an epic of cinema and is an astounding, great looking film from a director who would go on to be one of the most legendary names in horror. What is truly terrific a... read morebout Assault On Precinct 13 is that it showcases the talents of john Carpenter, and in my opinion he is a very underrated director. Assault On Precinct 13 has a very simple plot, but it's done so well that the film is an edge of your seat thrill ride. Carpenter has mixed elements of a thriller, horror (after seeing some scenes in the film, you'll understand why) and Western. In fact, Assault On Precinct 13 has been dubbed a modern day Western. An effective, simple story makes the picture seem all too real. Carpenter presents the story of a street gang that asiege a precinct and seek to murder the people inside. Prisoners, cops and secretaries must bare arms to holds off it's attackers. Brilliantly filmed and well acted; Assault On Precinctr 13 is an effective Action film that has something for every film genre fan. The cast here do a great job, and you sympathize with the prisoners as much as the cops because each aim for the goal to survive. This is a great film that many genres into film to offer some awesome thrills and action. Watching Assault On Precinct 13 you realize that John Carpenter is a phenomenal director and that his talents aren't fully recognized. Assault On Precinct 13 for me at least is a flawless action thriller that remains one of John Carpenter's best films and remains a cult classic of Action cinema.
  • DrBenway
    April 29, 2010
    DrBenway
    Halloween is probably the most important movie in John Carpenter's career which was released two years later. Assault On Precinct 13 (as dedicated John Carpenter fans are fully aware the director's homage to the Howard Hawks' western classic Rio Bravo) is often overshadowed by th... read moreat, which is a shame because it's a truly fantastic film. Carpenter is an incredible director. He writes, he produces, and he composes the music for the majority of his films. He has an incredible rapport with the actors he chooses to work with. He has a solid vision and is able to describe it to his cast and crew with relative ease. So each of his films have that unmistakable John Carpenter "feel" for me that I've been a fan of since being a kid.

    Unlike many of his contemporaries (Tobe Hooper and Wes Craven, for example), John Carpenter is one of the few directors of the seventies who has managed to keep a (relatively) consistent output. Assault On Precinct 13 is not a perfect film but it is a good indication of what was to come from the future director of Halloween, The Fog, Escape From New York and, of course, The Thing. With fine direction, acting and music, the idea of remaking any of his films seems even more offensive than usual. Take my advice, watch his instead.
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Critic Reviews

Dave Kehr
May 25, 2011
Dave Kehr, Chicago Reader

Hopelessly violent but exceedingly well made. Full Review

Variety Staff
July 6, 2010
Variety Staff, Variety

Novelty of a gang swearing a blood oath to destroy a precinct station and all inside is sufficiently compelling for the gory-minded to assure acceptance. Full Review

Vincent Canby
May 9, 2005
Vincent Canby, New York Times

Mr. Carpenter is an extremely resourceful director whose ability to construct films entirely out of action and movement suggests that he may one day be a director to rank with Don Siegel. Full Review

May 25, 2011
TV Guide's Movie Guide

This early Carpenter movie still holds up as one of the director's best works. Full Review

May 25, 2011
Film4

A fast, dark, relentlessly maintained thriller that still ranks among the best of the decade. Full Review

Rob Humanick
April 5, 2008
Rob Humanick, Projection Booth

Assault on Precint 13's powerful exercise in democracy...is nothing short of one for the ages. Full Review

Prairie Miller
March 24, 2007
Prairie Miller, Long Island Press

While the Carpenter 1976 cult classic feasted off the blaxploitation and horror thriller mania of the movie moment back then, French director Richet gets more into character depth, and greater moral a...

Steve Crum
July 27, 2006
Steve Crum, Dispatch-Tribune Newspapers

Claustrophobic classic by Carpenter still grabs.

Jeffrey M. Anderson
May 26, 2006
Jeffrey M. Anderson, Combustible Celluloid

Assault on Precinct 13 is one of Carpenter's best, an ultra-gritty cop story. Full Review

February 9, 2006
Time Out

One of the most effective exploitation movies of the decade. Full Review

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Assault on Precinct 13 Trivia

  • Cops and Crooks join forces when a police station comes under siege from an armed mob, starring Ethan Hawke and Laurence Fishburne.  Answer »
  • In the movie assault on precinct 13 (2005)in this list what actor did not appear in the movie?  Answer »
  • What's missing from all the blanks? _______ Moons Assault on Precinct ________ _______ Ghosts Apollo ________ _______ Curses _______ Going on 30 Lucky ________ _______ Seconds _______ Gantry Row   Answer »
  • Michael Myers, the villain of the Halloween movies, is named after a real person. When Assault on Precinct 13 performed better than expected in England, director John Carpenter decided to thank the English distributor by naming the main character of his next movie after him.  Answer »
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