Year of release
1976
Directed by
John Carpenter
Written by
John Carpenter
Starring
Austin Stoker
Darwin Josten
Laurie Zimmer
Tony Burton
Assault on Precinct 13
Finally got around to seeing this. As a fan of John Carpenter and cult movies in general why it took so long is a bit of a mystery. Anyway now that I have I can see just what I was missing out on.
This is a very early effort from John Carpenter, indeed it was only his second full length feature following Dark Star. As a result it's not as accomplished as some of his later work, it feels a little callow and a bit rough round the edges. In a way I actually think that's beneficial to the film however, helping to build the raw power and intensity. The same could also be said of the acting. It's certainly not the most skilled but as a result it feels quite genuine and honest. It makes the actors resemble underdogs, and that transfers to the characters, just making them more relatable in such a dreadful situation.
With no real budget, no big stars and no great ground-breaking ideas, the film is brilliant in its simplicity. This is impressively economical, taut film-making. It's a lean film that benefits greatly from a tight plot, and from Carpenter's creativity, who seems like he is just taking great joy in creating the chaos. He has laced the film with some classic, colourful dialogue; delivered an extravaganza of shattering windows and non-stop bullets and offered us some rich, lively characters; the pinnacle being convicted killer turned hero, Napoleon Wilson.
With a running time clocking in at less than 90 minutes the film doesn't have a lot of time to waste. In the opening seconds we are with a series of gang members who are gunned down by the police in a tight alley; a real case of shooting fish in a barrel. After such a blistering opening, the ensuing 20/30 minutes are actually a bit of a slow build, and slightly on the weak side. I was starting to get a little worried that this wasn't going to live up to my expectations. And then four members of the gang get into a car and everything starts to ratchet up. Driving along, one of them pulls out a rifle and catches a number of people in the crosshairs. Holding their lives in his hands it is very chilling. They then begin to stalk an ice cream van, going back and forth along the street. And then everything just explodes with a truly shocking moment. A young girl; a picture of innocence, is violently blown away by a gunshot to the chest. It's a real 'woah' moment and really shows what these guys are capable of. That was the moment that really made me sit up and take notice of this.
From there on in it is pretty much a relentless and ruthless assault on our nerves and senses, as well as the precinct. We are given brief interludes, or a touch of humour which allow us to briefly relax before the next shock or volley of ammunition come hurtling our way. The pace is frantic, the developments unpredictable, the action coming in furious bursts. Breaking from the norm is one respect however is the gunfire. While in most films it would be a deafening cacophony throughout, here Carpenter has the gang predominantly using silencers. As a result we get a unique ping from each shot, which creates a slightly offbeat, even eerie atmosphere. It all adds up to an extremely tense and suspenseful experience, amplified I think by the setting of the police station. No matter what happens we can always see the police as an escape, a reliable source of help. Well if even they are powerless against such terror what hope do we have?
Now while I like to think I can appreciate a movie score as much as the next film fan, it's only on rare occasions that I would list it amongst my absolute favourite elements of a film. Well Assault on Precinct 13 is one of those rare films. Carpenter's self penned, moody synthesised score is just a joy to behold. As a device to ramp up the tension during the siege it is an extremely effective tool. However it was the theme tune used for the opening and closing credits which was just absorbed by mind, and that I've been playing over and over ever since. There was something about it that made me feel as if I were transported to a dark, grimy video arcade; and over in the corner that tune is emanating from a side scrolling beat-em-up. But maybe that's just me!
What I'm saying is that it's fantastic. Will most likely register as one of my favourite scores.While it is quite common knowledge that the film is inspired by Howard Hawks' classic western, Rio Bravo, that's not the genre that I was most reminded of. Instead it was of a horror film, a zombie flick in particular. The way the gang members emerge from the shadows, and slowly advance upon the police station certainly evoked images of shuffling zombies closing in like a pack of wolves. Add to that the way they try and stumble in through the windows, crashing into the blinds as they do so, in an almost mindless manner. And the fact that throughout the gang members remain nameless, pretty much faceless and almost wordless, and it just builds up their surfeit of malevolence and viciousness. They are brutal and merciless; and no matter how many of them are killed more just seem to appear out of the woodwork.
Though did I just pick it up wrong or should this actually be called Assault on Precinct 9?
Conclusion - Compared to much of the other 70s fare I've been enjoying of late this certainly isn't as subtle, nuanced or cerebral. But who cares? It's fast, furious balls out fun! Despite it's meagre budget it's a film that certainly stands the test of time, and with this out there as great educational material as to how you make a riveting, thrilling action film, how is it still so much better than most recent entries in the genre? A B-movie it may be, but that doesn't mean it can't be brilliant. A film truly deserving of it's cult classic status.
No comments:
Post a Comment