Assault On Precinct 13 (1976)

Inside an abandoned police station that's being shut down, a handful of cops and some convicts on their way to Death Row must join forces and defend themselves against a gang that have taken a blood oath to destroy it in retaliation, even if it means their own deaths. Written and directed by John Carpenter (THE FOG), who also edited the film and composed its underscore. This low budget action thriller was made for $100,000 and shot in 20 days. Initially dismissed and a failure at the box office, the film was rediscovered in Europe where the critics raved and it has since been reevaluated and is now an admired cult film. The film is crudely constructed and most of the performances (with two exceptions) are amateurish and the dialogue is banal. But there's no denying that when it comes to the action sequences, Carpenter is a born film maker. Clearly he admires Howard Hawks as a film maker and he has learned his lessons well. The film comes across as a contemporary version of some Hawks' westerns (RIO BRAVO, EL DORADO) and the film's leading lady Laurie Zimmer is a hybrid of Lauren Bacall and Angie Dickinson (two Hawks discoveries). The two performances that stand out are Darwin Joston as a death row inmate and Nancy Loomis as a secretary. Remade in 2005. With Austin Stoker, Henry Brandon, Martin West, Tony Burton and Charles Cyphers.