Friday Flashbacks: Assault On Precinct 13 1976

Assault On Precinct 13 1976
Director: John Carpenter
Writer: John Carpenter
Starring Austin Stoker, Darwin Joston, Laurie Zimmer, Martin West, Tony Burton, Charles Cyphers, Nancy Loomis, Peter Bruni, John J. Fox and Frank Doubleday

John Carpenter is the master of the suspense and horror genre, and this is clearly in effect throughout Assault On Precinct 13. This film takes the siege formula, that Howard Hawks so excellently executed in Rio Bravo and boils it down to it's simplest theme and runs with it. The tension is palatable in the film and from the first moment when you see the roving street gangs, you know something horrible is going to happen. What makes the film so gripping to watch is how the unlikely heroes of the film come together and are able to withstand this siege on their well being. From the opening scene with that incessant score that Carpenter uses, you are completely pulled into the story and want to see the heroes get out of it in one piece. Though the action is gripping what really makes the film work is the chemistry between Joston and Stoker. They bounce great lines back and forth and Josten in this film is one of my favorite anti heroes ever captured on film. The film is quite shocking for its time too, there are not many movies that will purposefully kill a little girl so callously, but it is quite effective in this film. I think that is why this film stands the test of time.
The plot basics are this, the film opens with the police ambushing and killing many members of a Los Angeles street gang. After this happens all the gangs unite and make a plan to wage war on the police. Their choice is a soon to be abandoned precinct, which has a skeleton crew, which mainly consists of Bishop (Stoker) and Leigh (Zimmer). At first it seems to be a quiet night until a man who watched his daughter get gunned down by the gang, arrives with the gang not far behind. Also making a stop is a bus headed to prison which carries a convicted killer Napoleon (Joston). Soon, they are all besieged by the street gang and everyone must put aside their differences and morals and work together if they plan on surviving the night.
This is a great film and one that never gets old when you revisit it. Carpenter's direction is exceptional. It is very taut and stressful, especially the scene with the ice cream man and the little girl. You know something bad will happen but you do not expect what does happen. The script by Carpenter is great too, it has shades of both Rio Bravo and Night of the Living Dead, but really makes it into it's own. The characters are all fully realized, with the most exceptional being Leigh and Napoleon. Napoleon has some of the best lines ever uttered in a film. The cast is exceptional too. Joston as Napoleon has a swagger that is really palatable and you cannot help but like him. While Zimmer, seems to embody Lauren Bacall with her performance of Leigh. She is really quite mesmerizing to watch. Stoker is great as the straight hero who is in a impossible situation and is somehow able to adapt to his circumstances. The action sequences, specifically the climax of the film are breathtaking. They are scenes that really hold your attention with rapt fascination. The score by Carpenter is very simple but astonishingly effective. It is probably my favorite musical score of his after Halloween. It sets the tone of the film immediately and lets you know exactly what kind of film you are watching. This is one of Carpenter's best films and one well worth seeking out if you have not seen it yet.
This one gets 5 out of 5