Assault on Precinct 13 (1976)

The lone inhabitants of an abandoned police station are under attack by the overwhelming numbers of a seemingly unstoppable street gang.

Director:

John Carpenter

Writer:

John Carpenter

Stars:

Austin Stoker, Darwin Joston, Laurie Zimmer

1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Austin Stoker	...	Ethan Bishop
Darwin Joston	...	Napoleon Wilson
Laurie Zimmer	...	Leigh
Martin West	...	Lawson
Tony Burton	...	Wells
Charles Cyphers	...	Starker
Nancy Kyes	...	Julie (as Nancy Loomis)
Peter Bruni	...	Ice Cream Man
John J. Fox	...	Warden
Marc Ross	...	Patrolman Tramer
Alan Koss	...	Patrolman Baxter
Henry Brandon	...	Chaney
Kim Richards	...	Kathy
Frank Doubleday	...	White Warlord
Gilbert De la Pena	...	Chicano Warlord (as Gilbert De La Pena)

Storyline

Police ambush and kill several gang members in Los Angeles. Gang members make a pact of blood to strike back at police, and conduct a siege on the police station which is almost abandoned and due to be closed. Staff of the closing precinct and the criminals being held there while in transit must work together to fight off the attacking gang members.

---

Plot Keywords:

gang | police | police station | street gang | prisoner | 

---

Taglines:

John Carpenter's Award Winning Film

---

Genres:

Action | Thriller

---

Certificate:

R

Details

Official Sites:

JohnCarpenter - movie site

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

5 November 1976 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Anderson Alamo

Filming Locations:

Los Angeles, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$150,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

CKK Corporation, The, Overseas FilmGroup

Technical Specs

Runtime:

91 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Metrocolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The handgun used in the ice-cream truck scene by the gang leader is a Mauser C96 semi-automatic.

---

Goofs

Kathy is casually shot by a gang member when she wants to get the ice cream cone she ordered. She is shot holding the ice cream cone. When her father goes up to her when she's dead on the ground, the ice cream cone is nowhere near her.

---

Quotes

Leigh: The very least of our problems is that we're out of time.
Wilson: It's an old story with me. I was born out of time.

---

Connections

Version of Rio Bravo (1959)

User Reviews

A 1970s suspense classic. Absolutely brilliant!

Watching John Carpenter's latest 'Ghosts Of Mars' recently I couldn't help but wonder what happened to Carpenter's vision. 'Assault On Precinct 13' was made 25 years earlier on probably a tenth of the budget and is basically the same movie only ten times better! Carpenter self-consciously uses Hawks' 'Rio Bravo', adds a touch of Romero's 'Night Of The Living Dead' and comes up with arguably the most exciting siege movie of all time. This gem is a perfect example of superior low budget film making. Relative unknowns Austin Stoker ('Abby') and Darwin Joston ('Eraserhead') are both outstanding as the stars of this taut and unpredictable thriller, and the supporting cast includes Laurie Zimmer (sadly her only movie), Nancy Loomis ('Halloween'), Kim Richards ('The Car' - in the movie's most controversial and memorable scene), and Carpenter semi-regular Charles Cyphers ('Escape From New York'). One of Carpenter's best efforts and overall an extraordinarily underrated movie. 'Assault On Precinct 13' is a classic! Add this to your "must see" list immediately!