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IMDbPro

Assault on Precinct 13

  • 19761976
  • RR
  • 1h 31m
IMDb RATING
7.3/10
50K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
5,136
2,008
Assault on Precinct 13 (1976)
Restored Collectors Edition
Play trailer2:03
3 Videos
99+ Photos
ActionCrimeThriller
An unlikely partnership between a Highway Patrol Officer, two criminals and a station secretary is formed to defend a defunct Los Angeles precinct office against a siege by a bloodthirsty st... Read allAn unlikely partnership between a Highway Patrol Officer, two criminals and a station secretary is formed to defend a defunct Los Angeles precinct office against a siege by a bloodthirsty street gang.An unlikely partnership between a Highway Patrol Officer, two criminals and a station secretary is formed to defend a defunct Los Angeles precinct office against a siege by a bloodthirsty street gang.
IMDb RATING
7.3/10
50K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
5,136
2,008
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Director
      • John Carpenter
    • Writer
      • John Carpenter
    • Stars
      • Austin Stoker
      • Darwin Joston
      • Laurie Zimmer
    Top credits
    • Director
      • John Carpenter
    • Writer
      • John Carpenter
    • Stars
      • Austin Stoker
      • Darwin Joston
      • Laurie Zimmer
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 289User reviews
    • 206Critic reviews
    • 89Metascore
    • Awards
      • 1 nomination

    Videos3

    Assault on Precinct 13
    Trailer 2:03
    Assault on Precinct 13
    Through the Lens: Defining Carpenteresque and Why It Belongs in the Dictionary
    Clip 4:54
    Through the Lens: Defining Carpenteresque and Why It Belongs in the Dictionary
    Assault on Precinct 13
    Promo 1:02
    Assault on Precinct 13

    Photos111

    Assault on Precinct 13 (1976)
    Assault on Precinct 13 (1976)
    Assault on Precinct 13 (1976)
    Assault on Precinct 13 (1976)
    Assault on Precinct 13 (1976)
    Assault on Precinct 13 (1976)
    Assault on Precinct 13 (1976)
    Nancy Kyes and Martin West in Assault on Precinct 13 (1976)
    Martin West and Laurie Zimmer in Assault on Precinct 13 (1976)
    Gilbert De la Pena, Frank Doubleday, and James Johnson in Assault on Precinct 13 (1976)
    Assault on Precinct 13 (1976)
    Assault on Precinct 13 (1976)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Austin Stoker
    Austin Stoker
    • Ethan Bishop
    Darwin Joston
    Darwin Joston
    • Napoleon Wilson
    Laurie Zimmer
    Laurie Zimmer
    • Leigh
    Martin West
    Martin West
    • Lawson
    Tony Burton
    Tony Burton
    • Wells
    Charles Cyphers
    Charles Cyphers
    • Starker
    Nancy Kyes
    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
    Henry Brandon
    • Chaney
    Kim Richards
    Kim Richards
    • Kathy
    Frank Doubleday
    Frank Doubleday
    • White Warlord
    Gilbert De la Pena
    • Chicano Warlord
    • (as Gilbert De La Pena)
    Peter Frankland
    • Caudell
    Al Nakauchi
    • Oriental Warlord
    James Johnson
    James Johnson
    • Black Warlord
    • Director
      • John Carpenter
    • Writer
      • John Carpenter
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      John Carpenter has acknowledged that Night of the Living Dead (1968) was an influence on the marauding street gang. Like George Romero's zombies, they're completely dehumanized. They hardly talk and almost seem supernatural in their ongoing resilience.
    • Goofs
      The sign above the police station door reads, "Division 14" instead of 13.
    • Quotes

      [Offering Bishop coffee]

      Leigh: Black?

      Bishop: For over thirty years.

    • Connections
      Featured in 'Halloween': A Cut Above the Rest (2003)
    • Soundtracks
      Assault On Precinct 13 (Main Title)
      Written by John Carpenter

      Performed by John Carpenter and Tommy Lee Wallace

    User reviews289

    Review
    Top review
    Awesome Assault
    John Carpenter is one of few directors who can successfully transform their movies into giant roller coaster rides without insulting the audience. James Cameron does this, sometimes, but usually adds more plot to his stories. Carpenter just takes simple premises, throws some characters together, and lets everything evolve and unwind on their own. "Assault on Precinct 13" deserves to be mentioned in the same breath as "Dawn of the Dead," or perhaps the overrated "Texas Chainsaw Massacre," as a very low-budget horror/thriller that takes a cast of unknowns, places them together, doesn't really delve into their backgrounds, but lets everything just work itself out like clockwork. There's an eager new cop, an infamous death row murderer, and a relocating precinct, all stuffed together into a movie about a vicious gang assault. It's brilliant in a very subtle way; a sign of things to come for a director who has implemented some of the most oft-used camera tricks in the horror world.

    He pioneered the first-person killer perspective in "Halloween" - an effect sorely missed on full screen TV and VHS versions, to once again be savored on the wide screen DVD presentation. Carpenter received quite a number of critical jabs in 1978 for his use of the POV technique, explained to be too voyeuristic and potentially dangerous to be shown in a mainstream motion picture. Hitchcock used the POV technique very subtly in "Psycho's" famous shower sequence, but in "Halloween" it was far blunter, resulting in an uproar of moral complaints.

    No matter. "Halloween" became movie horror legend, casting a spell over its viewers, inspiring major knock-offs such as the "Friday the 13th" series (which has overall made more money than the "Halloween" franchise due to more sequels than "Police Academy").

    "Assault on Precinct 13" was one of Carpenter's very first efforts at directing. It shows. The movie is flawed, imperfect, both technically and otherwise (some of the dialogue in particular could have used fixing, and the acting is nothing incredible by any means). But it still has an addictive sense of urgency and frantic pacing that makes the movie feel like one long, non-stop, brutal assault - even though the setup for the film takes over forty minutes. It may not be a flawless film but it is one of my favorites.

    It's about a new cop named Bishop (Austin Stoker) who is put in charge of a transferring L.A. police precinct - number thirteen. As equipment is carried out of the building and last-minute closings are made, far away a bus load of convicts, including notorious murderer Wilson (Darwin Joston), decide to stop at precinct 13 due to the fact that one of the criminals seems to be coming down with a harsh cough. And downtown, a young girl is shot by a ruthless gang member. Her father shoots the killer, and then flees to precinct thirteen, hunted by the gang members, who eventually begin to siege the precinct in a suicide raid. Trapped with two killers, a few cops and a jail warden, Bishop and company try to think of a way out of the place without getting shot by the vicious gang outside.

    That's basically it - people stuck inside a police station trying to get out without dying in the process. The movie is only ninety minutes long, give or take, which is a good thing, because if it had been any longer it might have lost some of its pacing and become tiring. Instead, there isn't a single scene in "Assault on Precinct 13" that I think should have been cut. I'm sure there are some that could have been tossed onto the editing room floor, but I'm glad that the movie is the way it is - it flows smoothly and we don't ever feel like a scene has gone on too long or too short. In that sense, it's just about perfect.

    Carpenter has had one of the most successful careers of all time, followed by a legion of cult fans. His "Halloween" is one of the greatest horror films of all time, and one of the most influential. He occasionally makes his duds, like any director, but in this case, the good far outweighs the bad. "Assault on Precinct 13" is an utterly refreshing film experience that manages to maintain a fast speed but never appears to be cheating its target audience, or treating them stupid. The movie is being remade in 2005, with a considerably higher budget, bigger names, and probably worse directing. I don't really look forward to this remake because I can almost guarantee that, given the age it is being made in, there will be many pointless plot explanations, worse dialogue and bad direction. "Assault on Precinct 13" does not really need to be made again because the first one works so well. History has taught us that most remakes are not at all on the same level as their influences - just look at Hitchcock's "Psycho," then Van Sant's. If it isn't broken, don't fix it. "Assault on Precinct 13" is not broken and it does not need to be fixed.
    helpful•95
    16
    • MovieAddict2016
    • Jun 6, 2004

    FAQ1

    • Is this film a remake?

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • November 5, 1976 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • John Carpenter's Assault on Precinct 13
    • Filming locations
      • Former Venice Police and Fire Station - 685 North Venice Boulevard, Venice, California, USA
    • Production company
      • CKK
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Budget
      • $150,000 (estimated)
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 31 minutes
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • Mono
    • Aspect ratio
      • 2.39 : 1

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