Assault on Precinct 13 (1976) [Restored Collector's Edition]

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Assault on Precinct 13 (1976) [Restored Collector's Edition]

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Cops, secretaries, and prisoners stuck in a soon-to-be-shuttered L.A. police station fight off a horde of murderous gang members in director John Carpenter's homage to Howard Hawks. When police officer Bishop (Austin Stoker) is left in charge of Precinct 13 on the last day it's open, he isn't prepared for the onslaught of a murderous street gang who have come into the possession of an enormous arsenal of guns. Finding himself trapped in the precinct with a pair of secretaries (Laurie Zimmer and Nancy Loomis), a few civilians and a handful of prisoners, Bishop is unable to call for help because the phones have already been disconnected and the precinct is in a run-down, out-of-the-way neighborhood. Holding out for a rescue, he and his fellow prisoners band together to barricade themselves in and hold the bandits at bay. But as the casualties mount and the supplies run low, they must choose between a daring escape attempt, a fiery offensive, or certain death. The sophomore feature from auteur-in-the-making John Carpenter, Assault on Precinct 13 reunited the director with Douglas H. Knapp, his cinematographer on 1974's Dark Star.

Synopsis by Brian J. Dillard, Allmovie.com

Although its production values are a solid step up from the audaciously pieced-together Dark Star, John Carpenter's sophomore features remains another example of the director's ability to do more with less. Lean, frill-free, and focused on action, the film earns constant comparisons to Howard Hawks' Rio Bravo and George Romero's Night of the Living Dead. The differences are as illuminating as the similarities, however, for Assault on Precinct 13 lacks the socially conscious overtones of the Romero film and the tough-guy heroics of the Hawks one. That leaves tight plotting, tight-lipped dialogue, and a beautiful tableaux of breaking windows and bouncing bullets. The cast is supremely functional, for they aren't characters so much as pieces on a chess board, but with a minimum of fuss they embody the coiled fear and languorous boredom of life under intermittent siege – especially Laurie Zimmer and Nancy Loomis as a pair of police secretaries. Though a few chuckles come during an early sequence in which the world's most annoyingly precious little girl gets her comeuppance, there's little explicit humor to leaven the proceedings. But the legion of B-movie biker villains and the sheer glee with which Carpenter choreographs his mayhem help make Assault on Precinct 13 first and foremost a popular entertainment. Considering that it was filmed for a fraction of what it costs to shoot a high-concept Hollywood action flick 25 years later, this one really should be a film-school staple.

Review by Brian J. Dillard, Allmovie.com

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Assault on Precinct 13 (1976) [Restored Collector's Edition]

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Assault on Precinct 13 (1976) [Restored Collector's Edition]

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Assault on Precinct 13 (1976) [Restored Collector's Edition]

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Assault on Precinct 13 (1976) [Restored Collector's Edition]

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Assault on Precinct 13 (1976) [Restored Collector's Edition]

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Assault on Precinct 13 (1976) [Restored Collector's Edition]

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Assault on Precinct 13 (1976) [Restored Collector's Edition]

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Assault on Precinct 13 (1976) [Restored Collector's Edition]

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Assault on Precinct 13 (1976) [Restored Collector's Edition]

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Assault on Precinct 13 (1976) [Restored Collector's Edition]

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Assault on Precinct 13 (1976) [Restored Collector's Edition]

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Assault on Precinct 13 (1976) [Restored Collector's Edition]

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Assault on Precinct 13 (1976) [Restored Collector's Edition]

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Special Features:

Audio commentary with director John Carpenter

Isolated music score
"Q&A session" interview with director John Carpenter and actor Austin Stoker, recorded at the American Cinematheque (23:06)
Production gallery (16:52)
Theatrical trailer (2:02)
2 Radio spots