Assault on Precinct 13
Directed by John CarpenterA highway patrol officer, two criminals, and a station secretary defend a defunct Los Angeles precinct office against a siege by a bloodthirsty street gang.
- Patrick WaiFebruary 1, 2026Assault on Precinct 13 feels way more modern than a 1976 movie should. It’s great seeing a Black actor in the lead without the film drifting into Blaxploitation, and Austin Stoker is effortlessly cool. The chemistry between Wilson and Leigh is surprisingly strong, and their laid-back performances really highlight how much modern movies overact everything. The absurd number of attacking gang members is borderline ridiculous, but it works — Carpenter clearly wanted endless waves, not realism. The acting can be uneven, but it hardly matters when the tension, pacing, and one-liners (“I was born out of time”) are this good. Bonus points for a very young Kim Richards popping up post–Escape to Witch Mountain. Easily better than the 2005 remake, and a super fun early Carpenter.
- Gianni CavuotoSeptember 25, 2025"Anyone got a smoke"? It's the line that keeps coming up throughout the movie and sums it up nicely. If you are looking to take a little time off your hands and just zone out to a movie this is as good as any you can get. John Carpender adds his trademark style soundtrack to a 70s movie that won't die an easy death....like some of the characters. It's worth a watch for sure and I kinda have a thing for original movies and re-makes. This is not the first movie Carpender remade and it's not gonna be his last for sure.
- jackmeatSeptember 14, 2025My quick rating - 7.4/10. I am going all in on shuffle (no genre). I admittedly have not seen this since the VHS days when I was at West Coast Video, so time for a first watch to a newbie in my collection. The great music right away reminds you that the great John Carpenter is behind the camera for this one. Still just as good as I remembered.
Assault on Precinct 13 Trivia
Assault on Precinct 13 was released on November 5, 1976.
Assault on Precinct 13 was directed by John Carpenter.
Assault on Precinct 13 has a runtime of 90m.
Assault on Precinct 13 was produced by J. Stein Kaplan.
A highway patrol officer, two criminals, and a station secretary defend a defunct Los Angeles precinct office against a siege by a bloodthirsty street gang.
The key characters in Assault on Precinct 13 are Ethan Bishop (Austin Stoker), Napoleon Wilson (Darwin Joston), Leigh (Laurie Zimmer).
Assault on Precinct 13 is rated R.
Assault on Precinct 13 is an Action, Crime, Thriller film.
Assault on Precinct 13 has an audience rating of 8 out of 10.
Assault on Precinct 13 had a budget of $150K.