Assault on Precinct 13 (1976)

Very very predictable, including the post credit scene !!!

A waste of 90 minutes of my life

The best films of this genre always show a path and provide a takeaway for being a better person.

The biggest problem with this movie is it’s a little better than you think it might be, which somehow makes it worse. As in, it takes itself a bit too seriously, which makes most of the movie feel kind of dull.

Assault on Precint 13 is a great film. Independent in quality and execution but better than many studio films. Young John Carpentar had already made Dark Star which is a comedy sci-fi better known for being the source for Ridley Scott's Alien in many ways and yet had Halloween ahead. This is great direction- there isn't much dialogue and the sequence of attack on the police station is very good.All actors are character types which only add to the atmosphere and realism.

Initially controversial for its then uncompromising violence and flashes of unrelenting sadism, this expertly set-up action-flick makes good on its promise of an explosive finale but spends just as much time building its fantastic characters so that its tension is true and palpable. 'Assault On Precinct 13 (1976)' is fantastically well-realised and brings a relatively realistic grit to all of its sequences, painting a picture of a near inescapable situation and putting your smack-dab in the centre of it, and it is gripping pretty much right from the off. 7/10

The light of the police siren shines upon the infested streets of a metropolis. As it searches for potential trouble, darkness hides beyond the reach of the men in uniform. One threat could be the Crips, another could be the Gambino crime family, and yet another could be the Japanese mafia. The search to find a way to take down these gangs can be a frustrating issue, given how not only large they are, but of how connected they could be to the neighborhood. Just getting rid of the troublemakers could spell the end of street that had been operating in that manner for years. So how do we take them down?The problem in a lot of major cities is that these groups aren't just big, but can often have hundreds of members that are trained to blend in with society. The man selling hot dogs and even fellow police could be a possible member. This is certainly not a new thing as federal forces have had to deal with this for years. Today's movie takes us back to the 1970's in a crowded, yet secluded area of Los Angeles that involves few fighting many in Assault on Precinct 13. Within the Anderson ghetto of South Central, a local gang called Street Thunder has just stolen a large amount of ammunition. The LAPD manages to kill a bunch during an ambush, but that was just opening the floodgates. Recently appointed CHP officer Ethan Bishop (played by Austin Stoker) is assigned to supervise the last day of the thirteenth precinct before it moves. In there are Sergeant Chaney and two secretaries, Leigh and Julie. At the same time, a bus with three prisoners is forced to stop at the precinct as one of them is sick. While their waiting for medical attention, a shell-shocked man bursts in.It turned out that his daughter was gunned down by Street Thunder gang members and he retaliated by shooting a warlord. They in turn chased him and saw that he ran inside the precinct. Just before help can be called, the phone and power is cut as possibly a hundred more members reign a hail of gunfire. Several people are hit, with Bishop, Leigh, and two of the prisoners, Wilson (Played by Darwin Joston) and Wells surviving. With much of the bodies and blood mysteriously cleaned up by Street Thunder, those in the thirteenth precinct have to try to survive before they get in.For his first movie, John Carpenter hit a home run with Assault on Precinct 13. While not having any big stars and mostly confined to this one location, the movie makes up by having a tense tone throughout. And this is even before everyone is trapped. The sequence involving Street Thunder just looking through a gun scope to find people to kill gives you that sense that there is nothing redeemable about these people. That's probably why when they descend onto the police precinct, they seems like living zombies from Night of the Living Dead. As he probably couldn't afford anyone major, this forces all the main characters to have some well- defined personalities that made you root for them. I really got into Austin Stoker as the new guy on the block, trying to figure out the best way to make do with the few weapons they have. He's an example of how a leader is done right in this situation. This balances out well with Darwin Ioston, who seems relaxed about the situation, as if he's seen far worse, and is a likely, though unsure ally. This makes for some interesting banter.Along with the good script is some great, even frightening action. The film is smart to never have a leader of Street Thunder, causing us to view the villains more as a force rather then as a character. All they do is create a marker on the precinct and that's all you need to know that they have nothing to lose. I won't spoil what makes them a challenge (believe me, it's more then the gunfire), but when it happens, you know that our heroes are in a tight spot. This creates a constantly moving plot that seems to act like a time bomb; you never know what's going to strike.I'll give this nine Ice Cream trucks out of ten. Those that want to understand how a tense tone should work needs to view Assault on Precinct 13. The best way to describe why I enjoy this is that it's a thriller that's made like a horror; unpredictable, but fast paced. This is one dangerous neighborhood that's worth going through.

There's something about 1976's "Assault on Precinct 13" that just works. It's something intangible, maybe the overall grungy look of the film, the simple story, the shocking primal violence or the ingenious plot but it grabs you, drags you to the edge of your seat and never lets go. In a crime-filled ghetto in South Central LA, the "Street Thunder" gang swears bloody revenge against a father who dared to stand up against them. Seeking shelter he runs to Police Precinct 13, which is about to close down. Only a skeleton crew of Lieutenant Ethan Bishop (Austin Stoker), Captain Chaney (Henry Brandon) and two secretaries, Leigh (Laurie Zimmer) and Julie (Nancy Loomis) remain. A prison bus drops off three prisoners at the station because of a medical emergency just as the gang begins its attack on the building. The power lines are dead, the electricity is gone, there is no backup and the officers are forced to trust the convicts with their lives.Like I said, there's something almost otherworldly about the film that gets you right away. This is a made-for-cheap movie and you can tell at times, but it's very suspenseful so you don't care. The way the zombie-like gang members relentlessly assault the building, the way they slowly pick off one hero after another and the way they manage to prevent the officers from escaping feels raw and real. There are no moments of fancy shooting or heroism, it's just desperate people shooting at anything that moves near the windows of the building and praying that the tide will eventually stop. When a glimpse of hope you still don't know if things are going to ease up, which made it even more intense for me. Is the movie going to give me a break from this tension, or is it going to be like real life, where more often than not it's your own wits that are going to be the key to your survival? As the clock ticks down, the tension inside the station keeps getting higher and higher. Maybe if they can make it to the break of dawn, the gang will dissipate and return to whatever hellhole spawned them. Maybe. The raw immediacy of the violence and the shocking deaths throughout the film hit you like a slap in the face. This movie, in the way that it is cheap and animalistic reminds me of the original "Texas Chainsaw Massacre". If those movies featured big special effects, a ton of gore and recognizable actors in a slick setting, it would be missing that palpable terror that you get from something as simple as the sound of a garbage can falling over in a dark alley as you're walking home alone on a quiet night. The fact that "Assault on Precinct 13" is so simple in its premise makes it feel genuine and makes it easy to relate to. I got a real kick out of just listening to the movie too. It's all set to an incredible score by John Carpenter, who also directed, edited and wrote the film.When I first saw the movie, I didn't really know what to think. It was just so unusual to see the abundant violence and while I found it very suspenseful, I wasn't sure if I liked it. After discussing it with a friend and hearing the reasons why people liked it so much though I became hooked. The way the film introduces horror movie-like violence into what should be a dramatic crime thriller, it just catches you so off-guard that you can't get it out of your head. And that score! Little details throughout too, like the way the Precinct is actually labeled "Precinct 14", the same way that hotels label their 13th floor "14" to avoid bad luck and the fact that despite being so lean it still manages to throw in a couple of good laughs sold me. Like many of John Carpenter's films, it's a film you really need to watch twice to appreciate but trust me, it's worth it. (On DVD, May 29, 2014)