Rent Assault on Precinct 13 (1976)

Cult Crime Thriller - Assault on Precinct 13 review by GI

Heavily influenced by Sergio Leone and clearly homaging both Rio Bravo (1959) and Night of the Living Dead (1968) this crime thriller has become a cult favourite and it's one of director John Carpenter's best and most famous films. Stylish, great fun and with so many iconic scenes and lines this has an unknown cast (only Henry Brandon who was Scar in John Ford's classic The Searchers is recognisable), a great story and is full of unique action. The story is essentially a siege narrative. Set on a balmy summer evening in a Los Angeles ghetto just after the police have ambushed and killed a group of gang members. Swearing revenge the gangs converge on a small, isolated police station commanded by new police Lieutenant Bishop (Austin Stoker) and besiege it. Bishop is only helped by a secretary (Laurie Zimmer) and notorious convict Napoleon Wilson (Darwin Joston). This is a great action film and for a low budget one it's packed with detail and utilises a sparse script that still manages to tell a tense story and draw great characters. The main attack on the station by the gang armed with silenced automatic weapons is fantastic with the building being decimated by silent gunfire. It's a memorable set piece and the film also boasts a highly shocking moment that will make you gasp! This film was unnecessarily remade in 2005 but this first one is a real classic of 70s cinema and it's one of those films everyone should see at least once.