Assault on Precinct 13 (1976)

User Rating:

7.4/10   

Director:

John Carpenter

Writer:

John Carpenter (written by)

Release Date:

5 November 1976 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Crime | Mystery | Thriller

Tagline:

L.A.'s deadliest street gang just declared war on the cops.

Plot:

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

Plot Keywords:

Gang | Police | Street Gang | Police Station | Prisoner

Cast

Austin Stoker	...	Bishop
Darwin Joston	...	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)
Peter Frankland	...	Caudell
Al Nakauchi	...	Oriental Warlord
James Johnson	...	Black Warlord
Gilman Rankin	...	Bus Driver
Cliff Battuello	...	First Guard
Horace Johnson	...	Second Guard
Valentine Villareal	...	Chicano Tough
Kenny Miyamoto	...	Oriental Tough
Jerry Viramontes	...	Chicano Hood
Len Whitaker	...	Black Hood
Kris Young	...	Gang Member
Randy Moore	...	Gang Member
Warren Bradley III	...	Gang Member
Joe Woo Jr.	...	Gang Member
William S. Taylor	...	Gang Member (as William Taylor)
Brent Keast	...	Radio Announcer (voice)
Maynard Smith	...	Police Commissioner (voice)
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
John Carpenter	...	Gang member (uncredited)

Directed by
John Carpenter

Writing credits
John Carpenter		(written by)

Produced by
Steve Fine	....	assistant producer
J. Stein Kaplan	....	producer (as J.S. Kaplan)
Joseph Kaufman	....	executive producer

Original Music by
John Carpenter

Cinematography by
Douglas Knapp		(director of photography)

Film Editing by
John Carpenter		(as John T. Chance)

Art Direction by
Tommy Lee Wallace		(as Tommy Wallace)

Makeup Department
Don Bledsoe	....	makeup artist

Production Management
James Nichols	....	post-production supervisor
John Syrjamaki	....	production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
James Nichols	....	assistant director

Art Department
Dick Girod	....	set painter (as Richard Girod)
Craig Stearns	....	property master

Sound Department
Alan Cassidy	....	boom operator
William Cooper	....	sound recordist
Bill Varney	....	sound re-recordist
Tommy Lee Wallace	....	sound effects (as Tommy Wallace)

Special Effects by
Richard Albain	....	special effects (as Richard Albain Jr.)
Ken Speed	....	special effects technician (uncredited)

Stunts
Rueben Joe Melendez	....	stunt driver
John Roy Rogers	....	stunt driver

Camera and Electrical Department
Jack English	....	gaffer
Michael Everett	....	best boy
Trippy Gafford	....	grip
William E. Mareneck	....	best boy (as William Mareneck)
Douglas Olivares	....	assistant camera
Rena Small	....	still photographer
William Waldman	....	assistant camera
Kurt Young	....	key grip

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Nancy Kyes	....	wardrobe mistress (as Louise Kyes)

Editorial Department
Debra Hill	....	assistant editor
Curt Schulkey	....	second assistant editor

Music Department
Peter Bergren	....	music engineer (uncredited)

Transportation Department
Trippy Gafford	....	driver

Other crew
Tom Hansen	....	production assistant
Debra Hill	....	script supervisor
Marla Miller	....	production assistant
Randy Moore	....	production assistant
Blake Schaefer	....	production assistant
Jocelyne Stoikovitch	....	production assistant
Maxine Syrjamaki	....	payroll

Production Companies

• CKK Corporation, The (presents) (as The C K K Corporation)
• Overseas FilmGroup

Distributors

• Turtle Releasing (1976) (USA) (theatrical)
• Astral Films (1977) (Canada) (theatrical)
• Filmwelt (1979) (West Germany) (theatrical)
• Marceau-Cocinor (1978) (France) (theatrical)
• A-Film Home Entertainment (2002) (Netherlands) (DVD)
• A-Film Home Entertainment (2009) (Netherlands) (DVD)
• América Vídeo (1982) (Brazil) (VHS) (as "Trovão das Ruas")
• Arcade Video (1982) (West Germany) (VHS)
• Astro Distribution (2000) (Germany) (VHS)
• Atlantic Film (2003) (Sweden) (DVD)
• Beam Entertainment (????) (Japan) (DVD) (DVD producer)
• Continental Home Vídeo (????) (Brazil) (DVD) (as "Assalto à 13ª DP")
• Creative Axa Co. Ltd. (????) (Japan) (DVD)
• EMS (2005) (Germany) (DVD)
• Image Entertainment (1995) (USA) (video) (laserdisc)
• Image Entertainment (2003) (USA) (DVD) (special edition)
• Jef Films International (1999) (USA) (VHS)
• Media Home Entertainment (1982) (Belgium) (VHS)
• Media Home Entertainment (1981) (USA) (VHS)
• New Line Home Video (1996) (USA) (VHS)
• Opção (1982) (Brazil) (VHS) (as "Assalto à 13ª DP")
• Stormovie (2008) (Italy) (DVD)
• Universal Pictures (2000) (UK) (DVD)
• Veronica (2007) (Netherlands) (TV)
• Video Sales Network (1982) (Netherlands) (VHS)

Other Companies

• Get Set  set construction
• Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)  titles and opticals (as MGM)

Also Known As:

John Carpenter's Assault on Precinct 13
The Anderson Alamo (USA) (working title)
The Siege (USA) (working title)

Runtime:

91 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Metrocolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Canada:R (Nova Scotia/Ontario) | Singapore:NC-16 | Netherlands:16 | UK:15 (re-rating) (2008) | Australia:R | Canada:18A (Manitoba) (re-rating) | Canada:PA (Manitoba) (original rating) | Finland:K-18 | France:-16 (cut) | Germany:16 (re-rating) (2005) | Norway:18 | South Korea:15 (cut) | Sweden:15 | UK:18 (video rating) (1986) | UK:X (original rating) | USA:R | West Germany:18 (original rating) (1976) | Iceland:16

Filming Locations:

Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

CKK Corporation, The

Trivia:

For reasons unknown, the German title of the original theatrical release was "Das Ende" (which, quiet obviously, translates back to "The End"), a title completely unrelated to the movie's content.

Goofs:

Factual errors: The silenced revolver that Wells uses would not be silenced. On the vast majority of revolvers have a gap between the cylinder and the barrel, through which some powder can escape, rendering the silencer ineffective.

Quotes:

Napoleon Wilson: Got a smoke?

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Hill Street Blues: Can World War III Be an Attitude? (#1.4)" (1981)

Neat thriller from John `Claustrophobia' Carpenter

`Assault on Precinct 13' shows Carpenter in the fine creative form of his earlier days, when he produced such thriller and horror gems like `Halloween', `The Thing' and this little movie. As usual he eschews a complex plot in favour of a great little central concept - in this case a group of civilians, prisoners and police trapped in a deserted police station under siege from a mysterious gang who want to get at one man inside.

The acting in these movies is generally bland, but Carpenter at least breathes some dimension into his characters. The lead role goes to Lt. Ethan Bishop (Austin Stoker), the cop in charge of minding the building for the night. Naturally he's honourable but there's also a good sense of pragmatism to his character. Similarly the prisoner Napoleon (Darwin Joston) isn't just a criminal - there's something quite human to him. The same goes for the civilians caught up - despite their disparities the characters become a relatively cohesive unit that's quite believable, enjoyable without veering into grating sentimentality ever. Naturally a lot of them are cannon fodder but the loss of individuals in such movies is one of the anticipations you expect in the genre.

Carpenter did a great service by making the protagonists of the piece silent. They never utter a word. They have nothing in common, hailing from all races. We have no motivation for their actions and thankfully we're spared weak, and frankly pointless, excuses. Instead their blank faced determinism, and the manner in which they mete out death, lends them a horrific cold bloodedness that is far more memorable than typical thriller character building. There's not so much a sense of palpable evil but a much more terrifying sense of complete inhumanity. Carpenter also uses his great skills with claustrophobia - even the outdoor scenes are deserted, lonely, isolated. The actual station under siege is well designed - we're made aware of the layout quickly, before the action starts, so that the action sequences make sense without confusing us on issues of location. The darkness of the proceedings - pale lighting and so forth - add to the edgy mood of the characters. And Carpenter once again has a nice musical score accompanying his movie - it may sound dated, but it suits the ambience and atmosphere to a tee.

`Assault on Precinct 13' is hardly clever. It's not claiming to be. It's a low budget work with a central `siege' idea. It works because of the claustrophobic element, the feeling of desperation in the characters, some neat villains and fairly well fleshed characters. It may not be the pinnacle of its type, but it sure is enjoyable while it lasts. 6.8/10.