Assault on Precinct 13 (1976)

I wish Carpenter could still make 'em like this, 30 January 2005

A new Lieutenant takes over a police precinct on its very last night. Almost everyone and everything has been moved into the new station. It should be an easy night - just direct all callers and visitors to the new precinct building. But a series of gang deaths will make this night anything but easy. The gang wants revenge and selects the almost abandoned precinct as their target. The gang members have taken a blood oath to die if they must, but someone's going to pay for killing members of their group. With two secretarial types and two death-row inmates, the Lieutenant must fight off the gang's siege on Precinct 13 if he is to survive the night.

Assault on Precinct 13 may start a little slow, but once the action starts, it's kick-ass action all the way. It's not a perfect movie by any means. For example, much of the acting and dialogue are near laughable. But, John Carpenter makes up for this with a gripping, suspenseful story that rarely lets up. Carpenter is able to build atmosphere and chemistry between the characters - things I find lacking in many newer movies. The shoot-outs as the gang members come in waves at the building are flawlessly choreographed. While some of the jokes don't work, many are laugh-out-loud funny.

While I've heard Carpenter say that Assault on Precinct 13 is his modern day Rio Bravo, I think the movie has much more in common with George Romero's Night of the Living Dead. The similarities are almost endless:

- Both movies have people trapped in a building.
- The people in both movies are lead by a black man, something still rare in 1976.
- The people are under attack by wave after wave of basically faceless hordes - be they zombie or gang member.
- A character in both movies tries to make a getaway in a nearby vehicle - both with disastrous results.
- Both movies feature a basically catatonic character that the others will protect for no real reason.
- Both movies mix characters from different socioeconomic standings into a cohesive fighting force.
- And so on.

While Assault on Precinct 13 may have its share of flaws, it's one helluva ride.

8/10