Assault on Precinct 13 (1976) is a gritty, low-budget action thriller written, directed, scored, and edited by John Carpenter in one of his earliest directorial efforts. Inspired by Howard Hawks’ Rio Bravo and George Romero’s Night of the Living Dead, the film follows a newly promoted police lieutenant, Ethan Bishop (Austin Stoker), who must defend a nearly abandoned Los Angeles precinct alongside a death row inmate (Darwin Joston) and a secretary (Laurie Zimmer) when it’s besieged by a vengeful street gang. Notorious for its stark violence—including a shocking early scene involving a child—the film blends Western tropes with urban paranoia and minimalist synth-driven tension. Though it flopped in the U.S. upon release, it gained cult status after acclaim in Europe and is now considered a cornerstone of Carpenter’s legacy.
