Although not the first feature directed by John Carpenter (that would be Dark Star from a couple of years earlier), Assault On Precinct 13 is the first Carpenter film that feels like a fully-fledged Carpenter film. It was the start of his hugely successful working relationship with Debra Hill (and I am very open to gifts if anyone ever wants to send me one of those "A Debra Hill Production" t-shirts), it allowed him to rework Rio Bravo in a modern setting, it puts a tough, economical with words, anti-hero at the centre of the action, there's the first of many truly memorable synth scores (he did the music for Dark Star, but I defy anyone to recall it right now), and there are many cinematic tricks and preferred shot choices that would crop up, again and again, throughout his career. Dark Star is the first feature film directed by John Carpenter, but it's hard to argue against the idea that Assault On Precinct 13 is the first John Carpenter film.
The plot is simple, although describing it may make it sound just a bit more complicated. Austin Stoker plays Ethan Bishop, a Highway Patrol officer who is tasked with overseeing a police station for the last few hours before it is due to be permanently closed down. Darwin Joston is Napoleon Wilson, one of a number of prisoners who ends up stopping at the near-empty station because someone on the transport bus has taken ill. Then along comes a man (Lawson, played by Martin West) who has just had the worst time of his life. After his daughter was killed by a gun-toting gang member, Lawson retaliated, killing that guy before then fleeing to safety. He then goes into what you could safely call a catatonic state, which leaves Ethan and co. wondering why the building is suddenly besieged by hordes of angry gang members. As the odds of surviving the night start to shrink, cops and crooks start to work together, with Wilson proving to be invaluable at keeping them alive as they prepare to defend against each wave of attack.
Set during the span of one day and night, with things really stepping up a notch during the night-time scenes, which make up a bit more of the runtime, Assault On The Precinct 13 is beautifully simple, and hugely entertaining. It makes the most of one main setting in a way that never feels restrictive, or even lazy, a sign of the budget-stretching that would allow Carpenter to deliver his visions onscreen in a way that would please fans for most of the next few decades. It also does a great job of creating, and maintaining, tension, even when there's no immediate threat being shown onscreen. The earlier scenes show the gang getting their hands on some weapons and then looking for someone to kill, already making viewers tense as you wonder how various characters will collide, and Carpenter knows how to use one big shock to deliver a message that nobody is safe.
Stoker is wonderful in his role, the kind of potential hero you just know is a genuinely good man, and he works well alongside Joston, who isn't quite as good in every aspect of his performance, but knows how to be cool, and how to play the reluctant/resigned hero to perfection. Tony Burton is great, playing another prisoner named Wells who might end up helping out, or who might end up just trying to make an escape on his own, and Laurie Zimmer, playing a secretary named Leigh, holds her own against her mostly male co-stars. While I don't want to overhype her performance, Zimmer is good enough to make me rue the fact that she retired from acting by the end of the 1970s.
It's easy to rank almost every Carpenter movie, certainly from this one onward, as being almost equal in terms of entertainment and film-making skill, but revisiting Assault On Precinct 13 soon allows you to spot some of the weaknesses, in comparison to the films that would come along immediately after it. Despite the 91-minute runtime, it's not quite as lean and mean as it could be, there are some performances that leave a bit more to be desired, and Carpenter would make better use of the siege scenario in at least three other movies. It's still pretty great though, and even more entertaining when you can spot so many of the themes and tricks that would help to define the best of the director throughout his career.
8/10
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