I had already seen the 2005 remake about ten years before, I couldn't remember it very well, and I found out this original cult movie was rated the full 5 out of 5 stars by critics, so I was looking forward to seeing what it had to offer, directed by John Carpenter (Halloween, The Fog, Escape from New York, The Thing, Starman). Basically in Anderson, a crime-infested ghetto in South Central Los Angeles, a local gang known as Street Thunder have stolen a large number of assault rifles and pistols. At 3am, a team of heavily armed LAPD officers ambush and kill six members of the gang. Later, the four warlords of the gang swear a blood oath of revenge against the police and citizens of Los Angeles. During the day, three events occur at the same time: newly promoted CHP officer Lieutenant Ethan Bishop (Austin Stoker) is assigned to take charge of the decommissioned Anderson police Precinct 13 during the final hours before it is permanently closed, it is manned by lifeless staff Sergeant Chaney (Henry Brandon) and two secretaries, Leigh (Laurie Zimmer) and Julie (Nancy Loomis). Across town, two of the Street Thunder warlords and two other gang members are driving around looking for people to kill, one of the warlord's shoots and kills a little girl, Kathy (Kim Richards), and an Ice Cream Man (Peter Bruni). Kathy's father, Lawson (Martin West), pursues and kills the warlord, the other gang members chase him into the Anderson precinct, Lawson is in such shock he is unable to explain what has happened to him. Soon, a prison bus commanded by Starker (Charles Cyphers) stops at the station with three prisoners, Napoleon Wilson (Darwin Joston), Wells (Tony Burton), and Caudell (Peter Frankland), who needs medical assistance, they are being transported to the state prison. As the prisoners are put in cells, the telephone lines go dead, and when Starker is about to put the prisoners back on the bus, the gang opens fires at the precinct, using weapons with silencers. In seconds, they kill Chaney, the bus driver, Caudell, Starker, and the two officers accompanying Starker. Bishop unchains Wilson from Starker's body and takes him and Wells back to the cells, then the gang cut the station's electricity and begin shooting again. Bishop sends Leigh to release Wells and Wilson, the two prisoners help the officers repel an attempted invasion, but Julie is killed in the firefight. Gang members remove all evidence of the gunfight to avoid attracting outside attention, Bishop hopes that someone has heard the guns, but the neighbourhood has very few residents. Wells tries to sneak out of the precinct through the sewer to hot-wire a car, but he is killed by a gang member hiding in the backseat, but two officers responding to reports of gunfire find the body and call for backup. The gang rallies for an all-out final assault, while Wilson, Leigh and Bishop go to the basement, taking the still catatonic Lawson with them. As the gang storm the building, Bishop shoots a tank full of acetylene gas, it explodes and kills the gang members in the basement, while the remaining gang members retreat as police support to secure the station. Going down to the basement, the police officers find dozens of dead and badly burned bodies, Bishop, Leigh, Wilson and Lawson are the only survivors. Also starring John J. Fox as Warden. It is a simple story, a virtually deserted police station is besieged by heavily armed criminals, and the police get the criminals inside to help stop them, the bloody violence is most memorable, notably the shocking ice cream van sequence, Carpenter gives this B-movie a real eeriness, including his great synthesiser score, an interesting independent action thriller. Very good!

The light of the police siren shines upon the infested streets of a metropolis. As it searches for potential trouble, darkness hides beyond the reach of the men in uniform. One threat could be the Crips, another could be the Gambino crime family, and yet another could be the Japanese mafia. The search to find a way to take down these gangs can be a frustrating issue, given how not only large they are, but of how connected they could be to the neighborhood. Just getting rid of the troublemakers could spell the end of street that had been operating in that manner for years. So how do we take them down?The problem in a lot of major cities is that these groups aren't just big, but can often have hundreds of members that are trained to blend in with society. The man selling hot dogs and even fellow police could be a possible member. This is certainly not a new thing as federal forces have had to deal with this for years. Today's movie takes us back to the 1970's in a crowded, yet secluded area of Los Angeles that involves few fighting many in Assault on Precinct 13. Within the Anderson ghetto of South Central, a local gang called Street Thunder has just stolen a large amount of ammunition. The LAPD manages to kill a bunch during an ambush, but that was just opening the floodgates. Recently appointed CHP officer Ethan Bishop (played by Austin Stoker) is assigned to supervise the last day of the thirteenth precinct before it moves. In there are Sergeant Chaney and two secretaries, Leigh and Julie. At the same time, a bus with three prisoners is forced to stop at the precinct as one of them is sick. While their waiting for medical attention, a shell-shocked man bursts in.It turned out that his daughter was gunned down by Street Thunder gang members and he retaliated by shooting a warlord. They in turn chased him and saw that he ran inside the precinct. Just before help can be called, the phone and power is cut as possibly a hundred more members reign a hail of gunfire. Several people are hit, with Bishop, Leigh, and two of the prisoners, Wilson (Played by Darwin Joston) and Wells surviving. With much of the bodies and blood mysteriously cleaned up by Street Thunder, those in the thirteenth precinct have to try to survive before they get in.For his first movie, John Carpenter hit a home run with Assault on Precinct 13. While not having any big stars and mostly confined to this one location, the movie makes up by having a tense tone throughout. And this is even before everyone is trapped. The sequence involving Street Thunder just looking through a gun scope to find people to kill gives you that sense that there is nothing redeemable about these people. That's probably why when they descend onto the police precinct, they seems like living zombies from Night of the Living Dead. As he probably couldn't afford anyone major, this forces all the main characters to have some well- defined personalities that made you root for them. I really got into Austin Stoker as the new guy on the block, trying to figure out the best way to make do with the few weapons they have. He's an example of how a leader is done right in this situation. This balances out well with Darwin Ioston, who seems relaxed about the situation, as if he's seen far worse, and is a likely, though unsure ally. This makes for some interesting banter.Along with the good script is some great, even frightening action. The film is smart to never have a leader of Street Thunder, causing us to view the villains more as a force rather then as a character. All they do is create a marker on the precinct and that's all you need to know that they have nothing to lose. I won't spoil what makes them a challenge (believe me, it's more then the gunfire), but when it happens, you know that our heroes are in a tight spot. This creates a constantly moving plot that seems to act like a time bomb; you never know what's going to strike.I'll give this nine Ice Cream trucks out of ten. Those that want to understand how a tense tone should work needs to view Assault on Precinct 13. The best way to describe why I enjoy this is that it's a thriller that's made like a horror; unpredictable, but fast paced. This is one dangerous neighborhood that's worth going through.

I have always considered the Zombie genre to be deeply existential, and have always been disappointed with people who approach it as pure gore and cheap entertainment.In this film, director John Carpenter, establishes many of his future motifs (Isolation, Claustrophobia, Suburban environments) but also confirms the statement above. Who cares if it is a supernatural or everyday cause? Entrapment, mindless violence, hopelessness and ultimately devastation are the same, triggered by living or living-dead creatures.On top of that, add one of the absolutely coolest soundtracks ever, composed by the master himself.

Precinct 13 is what Carpenter considers to be his first real film. Despite being so, it contains some very impressive camera angles and use of shadows, as well as a score that, although technically simple, epitomises the word 'cool'. Made on a shoestring budget, it was unfairly gnawed at by critics and yet eventually cemented itself as a cult classic (which is a sentence that can be attributed to half of Carpenter's filmography) The plot, like all the best Carpenter movies, is a simple one – A group on inhabitants in an abandoned police station find themselves under attack from an unstoppable street gang. The lack of funds available meant that coverage of scenes had to be played out from a single angle longer than normal. This gives the movie a straightforward, brutal and almost documentary-like approach. Pretty violent for its time, Precinct 13 grips you as you will for the goodies to make it out of this sticky situation alive. You also don't need to be a genius to see all the nods and reverences to Carpenter's favourite westerns. The acting quality varies between cast members, but the dynamic duo of Police Officer Austin Stroker and anti-hero Darwin Joston make up for the relatively sub-par supporting cast. The tension present in the film is just one of the many Carpenter trademarks that he would be later known for. Not much is known about the huge, almost cult-like, street gang – they are as enigmatic as any Carpenter villain, and the tautness of the movie is improved because of this. Best Scene: That ice cream truck scene, which completely shocked me. A young girl who looks around only seven walks to the truck to replace her ice-cream but unbeknownst to her it have been boarded by the street gang. One member, without even looking, just points her gun at the sweet girl and blows her away. There's no dramatic music or anything; it's done in a matter-of-fact kind of way, which makes it all the more disturbing.