As the director behind such horror masterpieces as HALLOWEEN and THE THING, John Carpenter's first shot at the action film is nothing short of amazing. Based on Howard Hawks' classic Western RIO BRAVO, the original ASSAULT ON PRECINCT 13 is sort of an urban take on the genre but it succeeds quite well as a survivalist story.
Police Officer Ethan Bishop (Austin Stoker) is about to have a not-so memorable night as he along with fellow cops and convicts must team up in order to fight for their lives. Hiding out in an abandoned police station, they are unexpectedly surrounded by a vicious multi-racial gang led by the sadistically homicidal Frank Doubleday.
The lack of dialog and motivation certainly makes his character more menacing despite having a short amount of screen time. Of course, Doubleday's head warlord involves himself in the most controversial scene in all of cinema. The actions will raise a lot of questions like: Why is he doing these murderous acts? Why is his gang brutally attacking innocent people? We may never know, and frankly we don't want to know.
Darwin Joston has been given one of the coolest names in movie history as slick jailbird Napoleon Wilson. The running gag involving Joston asking people for a cigarette may be considered an obsolete character trait today, but it stands as an example of clever screen writing on Carpenter's behalf.
Armed with a higher budget than DARK STAR, the film achieves its realistic edge with unrehearsed choreography, resourceful editing strategies and the always remarkable Panavision cinematography. However, the slow pacing may turn off novice viewers who are more used to fast-rhythm action. But I think it helps build the suspense within the economical storyline.
ASSAULT ON PRECINCT 13 is a near perfect example of low-budget filmmaking and a template of what is to come from John Carpenter.
Police Officer Ethan Bishop (Austin Stoker) is about to have a not-so memorable night as he along with fellow cops and convicts must team up in order to fight for their lives. Hiding out in an abandoned police station, they are unexpectedly surrounded by a vicious multi-racial gang led by the sadistically homicidal Frank Doubleday.
The lack of dialog and motivation certainly makes his character more menacing despite having a short amount of screen time. Of course, Doubleday's head warlord involves himself in the most controversial scene in all of cinema. The actions will raise a lot of questions like: Why is he doing these murderous acts? Why is his gang brutally attacking innocent people? We may never know, and frankly we don't want to know.
Darwin Joston has been given one of the coolest names in movie history as slick jailbird Napoleon Wilson. The running gag involving Joston asking people for a cigarette may be considered an obsolete character trait today, but it stands as an example of clever screen writing on Carpenter's behalf.
Armed with a higher budget than DARK STAR, the film achieves its realistic edge with unrehearsed choreography, resourceful editing strategies and the always remarkable Panavision cinematography. However, the slow pacing may turn off novice viewers who are more used to fast-rhythm action. But I think it helps build the suspense within the economical storyline.
ASSAULT ON PRECINCT 13 is a near perfect example of low-budget filmmaking and a template of what is to come from John Carpenter.