Assault on Precinct 13 (1976 film) Review
Following the relative success of his cult sci-fi comedy Dark Star (1974) director John Carpenter was approached by J. Stein Kaplan to write and direct a low-budget exploitation film, and afforded complete creative control over the project. A big fan of director Howard Hawks’ films, Carpenter wrote The Anderson Alamo, influenced by the same director’s Rio Bravo. He originally wanted to make a period-set western however the $100,000 budget meant that Carpenter wouldn’t have the resources to do so modernised the setting. Carpenter was also inspired by George A. Romero’s original Night of the Living, it’s mix of personalties holed up in an isolated building, teaming against the silent hordes outside.
The script, written in just eight days, is littered with references to the works of Howard Hawks. Carpenter also nods to Hawks, and again Rio Bravo, by adopting John Wayne’s character name in the same film, John T. Chance, as his credit for editing this film. Carpenter also provided the film’s score, a minimalistic synthesized electric throb that adds considerably to Precinct 13’s eerie tone. He wrote the score in just three days. The finished film saw a title change to The Siege, however the producers opted for Assault on Precinct 13, even though the location is actually Precinct 9, Division 13, feeling it had a more ominous feel.
Like many other now-considered classic movies Precinct 13 was met with a mixed critical reaction upon it’s Stateside release and the film subsequently failed to find an audience. It’s fortunes improved considerably in Europe. Following a generally positively received screening at the 1977 Cannes Film Festival, the film was booked for that year’s Edinburgh Film Festival. However it was at that same year’s London Film Festival that Precinct 13 received a proper kick-start, the applause that followed the screening was deafening. Following its première at the London Film Festival the film’s fortunes changed, acclaimed by the festival’s director Ken Wlaschin the film went on to impress the British critical collective before sweeping on a wave throughout the rest of Europe. In turn the film garnered a cult following prompting America to re-evaluate it. Carpenter was thrilled that British audiences got the references to American westerns and immediately appreciated it.
The film opens at night, six members of multi-cultural street gang Street Thunder are ambushed and gunned down by cops. Street Thunder’s four warlords, whom have hijacked a large consignment of assault rifles and pistols, now seek bloody revenge against the Los Angeles Police Department and the city’s citizens. Elsewhere Special Officer Starker (Charles Cyphers) is heading up the transfer, by bus, of three criminals to Death Row, one of which is infamous killer Napoleon (Got a smoke?) Wilson (Darwin Joston).
At the same time an ice-cream man is growing nervous as a car appears to be tailing him. And at Precinct 9, Division 13 Lieutenant Ethan Bishop (Austin Stoker), on his first day in his new job, is tasked with supervising at a remote police station undergoing a relocation prior to closure, with minimal staff. One “I wanted vanilla twist” later and these disparate plot strands all come together leading to a terrifying siege on the soon-to-be-abandoned police station.
American censors were unwilling to release Precinct 13 uncut, citing the infamous ‘ice cream’ scene as the main reason for their decision. The MPAA threatened to certify Precinct 13 with the dreaded X rating, box-office poison Stateside, if the scene was not cut from the film. Carpenter cut the scene and resubmitted the film receiving an R rating, however, rather sneakily, the film was still distributed with the scene intact. For those of you that have yet to see the film the ‘ice cream’ scene sets the tone, it let’s you know that the gloves are well and truly off, and that the street gang will stop at nothing to exact their revenge.
Precinct 13 starts slowly, but deceptively, building the suspense as the gang warlords drive silently, aiming their weapons at those they see along the way. Everything kicks off properly with, and following, the ‘ice cream’ scene, it’s still very effective even now – kids just don’t get shot dead in movies, but here the girl does. Ground-breaking and influential Assault on Precinct 13 put Carpenter well and truly on film land’s map, its success in turn leading to the film that REALLY broke him, Halloween (1978). The shooters are as silent and deadly as Carpenter’s later creation Michael Myers, and like him also lurk in the shadows, clear up their kills and, for the most part, make no verbal sounds. Precinct 13 is easily as eerie and chilling as Halloween and just as essential to see.
