Assault on Precinct 13: Dave & Scott Mark 50 Years of a Carpenter Classic

"It's a siege! It's a goddamn siege!" John Carpenter's lo-fi classic Assault on Precinct 13 (1976) is now five decades old. Not to be confused with its 2005 remake or that other remake called Ghosts of Mars. Presenters Dave James Scott Richards Recorded at Stourbridge Studios Via Wikipedia: Assault on Precinct 13 is a 1976 American independent action-thriller film written, directed, scored, and edited by John Carpenter. It features Austin Stoker as a police officer, Bishop, who defends a defunct precinct against a relentless criminal gang, and Darwin Joston as a death row-bound convict, Napoleon Wilson, who assists him. Laurie Zimmer, Tony Burton, Martin West, Charles Cyphers, and Nancy Kyes co-star as other defenders of the precinct, as well as victims of the ensuing siege. Carpenter was approached by producer J. Stein Kaplan to make a low-budget exploitation film for under $100,000, on the condition that Carpenter would have total creative control. Carpenter's script, originally titled The Anderson Alamo, was inspired by the Howard Hawks Western film Rio Bravo and the George A. Romero horror film Night of the Living Dead. Controversy with the MPAA over a scene involving the violent killing of a young girl nearly caused the film to receive an X rating. Assault on Precinct 13 opened in the United States on November 5, 1976. It was initially met with mixed reviews and unimpressive box-office returns, but when the film premiered in the 1977 London Film Festival, it received an ecstatic review by festival director Ken Wlaschin that led to critical acclaim first in Britain and then throughout Europe. It has garnered a cult following and reappraisal from critics, with many evaluating the film as one of the best action films of its era and of Carpenter's career. A remake was released in 2005, directed by Jean-François Richet and starring Ethan Hawke and Laurence Fishburne. #assaultonprecinct13 #johncarpenter