Assault on Precinct 13

UPC: 014381248593

Studio: Image Entertainment

MPAA Rating: R   Contains:[Violence, Graphic Violence, Not For Children, Adult Language]

Summary: 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 officer 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

Category: Action

Features: [None specified]

Assault on Precinct 13

Format: Universal Media Disc

Release Date: 01/01/2000

Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1 Cinemascope

Runtime: 91 Minutes

Sides: 1

Number of Discs: 1

Region: Universal Compatability

Brian J. Dillard

Although its production values are a solid step up from the audaciously pieced-together Dark Star, John Carpenter's sophomore features remains another example of the director's ability to do more with less. Lean, frill-free, and focused on action, the film earns constant comparisons to Howard Hawks' Rio Bravo and George Romero's Night of the Living Dead. The differences are as illuminating as the similarities, however, for Assault on Precinct 13 lacks the socially conscious overtones of the Romero film and the tough-guy heroics of the Hawks one. That leaves tight plotting, tight-lipped dialogue, and a beautiful tableaux of breaking windows and bouncing bullets. The cast is supremely functional, for they aren't characters so much as pieces on a chess board, but with a minimum of fuss they embody the coiled fear and languorous boredom of life under intermittent siege -- especially Laurie Zimmer and Nancy Loomis as a pair of police secretaries. Though a few chuckles come during an early sequence in which the world's most annoyingly precious little girl gets her comeuppance, there's little explicit humor to leaven the proceedings. But the legion of B-movie biker villains and the sheer glee with which Carpenter choreographs his mayhem help make Assault on Precinct 13 first and foremost a popular entertainment. Considering that it was filmed for a fraction of what it costs to shoot a high-concept Hollywood action flick 25 years later, this one really should be a film-school staple. ~ Brian J. Dillard, Rovi

Cast and Crew: William Taylor  Actor 
Peter Frankland  Actor 
Randy Moore  Actor 
Henry Brandon  Actor 
Alan Koss  Actor 
James Johnson  Actor 
Frank Doubleday  Actor 
John Carpenter  Director 
John Carpenter  Composer (Music Score) 
John Carpenter  Screenwriter 
J. Stein Kaplan  Producer 
Joseph Kaufman  Executive Producer 
Joseph Kaufman  Producer 
Austin Stoker  Actor 
Gilbert De la Pena  Actor 
Darwin Joston  Actor 
Laurie Zimmer  Actor 
Al Nakauchi  Actor 
Martin West  Actor 
Gil Rankin  Actor 
Cliff Battuello  Actor 
Tony Burton  Actor 
Charles Cyphers  Actor 
Kim Richards  Actor 
Horace Johnson  Actor 
Nancy Loomis  Actor 
Valentine Villareal  Actor 
Peter Bruni  Actor 
Kenny Miyamoto  Actor 
Jerry Viramontes  Actor 
John "Red" Fox  Actor 
Len Whitaker  Actor 
Kris Young  Actor 
Warren Bradley III  Actor 
Joe Woo Jr.  Actor 
Brent Keast  Actor 
Maynard Smith  Actor 

Country: USA