Assault on Precinct 13 (1976)

A small group of police officers and a convict must defend a decommissioned precinct against a relentless gang of armed warlords.

First release year

1976

Runtime (minutes)

91

Production countries

United States

Original languages

English

Directors

John Carpenter

Writers

John Carpenter · writer; John Carpenter · director; John Carpenter · scored; John Carpenter · edited

Cast and characters

Austin Stoker · police officer; Darwin Joston · death row–bound convict; Laurie Zimmer · defender of the precinct; Tony Burton · convict Wells; Martin West · defender of the precinct; Charles Cyphers · defender of the precinct; Nancy Kyes · defender of the precinct

Genres

action; thriller; independent

Premise and plot tags

siege; gang revenge; urban western

Source material / true-story basis

Inspired by the Howard Hawks Western film Rio Bravo and the George A. Romero horror film Night of the Living Dead

Reception

Initially met with mixed reviews and unimpressive box-office returns, the film gained critical acclaim in Britain and Europe after premiering at the 1977 London Film Festival. It has since garnered a cult following and is often cited as one of the best action films of its era.

Awards and nominations

British Film Institute award · originality and achievement of his first two films · 1978 · win

Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.

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