Assault on Precinct 13 (1976) / Action-Thriller

MPAA Rated: R for strong violence and language
Running Time: 91 min.

Cast: Austin Stoker, Darwin Joston, Laurie Zimmer, Martin West, Tony Burton, Kim RIchards
Director: John Carpenter
Screenplay: John Carpenter
Review published September 21, 1996

Murderous gang members on a killing spree kill a young girl (Richards, Escape to Witch Mountain) in cold blood and chase after the father who retaliates by killing one of them in return. They chase him to a nearby police precinct which is all but closed down due to moving to a new location, though a few cops and some criminals are there temporarily. The street gangs mass together and wage war with the cops holed up inside.

Assault on Precinct 13 is an enjoyable action flick, albeit amateurishly executed, with lots of bad acting and plotting. Writer-director-composer-editor-everything-else Carpenter (Halloween, The Thing) is the real star of this flick, and his over-the-top style makes the film fun and funny even if it is far from realistic. Not a bad time-killer if you don't mind films coated with lots of cheese.

-- Remade in 2005

Qwipster's rating:

©1996 Vince Leo