- Directors: John Carpenter
- Format: PAL
- Language English
- Region: Region 2 (This DVD may not be viewable outside Europe. Read more about DVD formats.)
- Number of discs: 1
- Classification: 15
- Studio: Optimum Home Releasing
- DVD Release Date: 6 Oct 2008
- Run Time: 15 minutes
- Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
- ASIN: B0016207LI
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 44,032 in Film & TV (See Top 100 in Film & TV)
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
The remake is just another cop-thriller, albeit with some good nastiness from Gabriel Byrne, but the original, certainly in this country, caused quite a stir, and made John Carpenter a name to watch. His subsequent career, despite the likes of `Halloween' and `The Thing', hasn't quite lived up to early promise, but this still remains a pretty cracking thriller.
It's a western but updated to a modern-day, (1976 anyway), L.A. ghetto. A scantily staffed police-station, on the verge of closure, is besieged by a multi-national street-gang armed to the teeth with automatic weapons. Can newly-promoted Sgt Bishop, helped only by a spunky police secretary, and a couple of lifer cons, hold out?
It's a good ride, and Carpenter gets plenty of menace out of the situation, helped no-end by his own groovy, (and cheap), synthesiser score. The acting is a little variable, but Darwin Joston, as one of the con's, is particularly good and displays a fine sardonic wit. Shame his career never really went anywhere after this; was he too small to be a leading man? Doesn't seem to have done Tom Cruise any harm...
It's fun, so long as you take it with an extremely large pinch of salt.
You'll never ask for a vanilla twist again!
It's a western but updated to a modern-day, (1976 anyway), L.A. ghetto. A scantily staffed police-station, on the verge of closure, is besieged by a multi-national street-gang armed to the teeth with automatic weapons. Can newly-promoted Sgt Bishop, helped only by a spunky police secretary, and a couple of lifer cons, hold out?
It's a good ride, and Carpenter gets plenty of menace out of the situation, helped no-end by his own groovy, (and cheap), synthesiser score. The acting is a little variable, but Darwin Joston, as one of the con's, is particularly good and displays a fine sardonic wit. Shame his career never really went anywhere after this; was he too small to be a leading man? Doesn't seem to have done Tom Cruise any harm...
It's fun, so long as you take it with an extremely large pinch of salt.
You'll never ask for a vanilla twist again!
8 of 9 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
Having only seen the modern remake (of which I'm a great fan) until I bought the John Carpenter Collection, I was unsure what to expect from this film.
The remake made some clever nods with it's in-jokes and casting tricks. However, what I wasn't expecting was to think this original was the superior film.
The acting by all the leads is excellent, and our hero's charm and likeability is terrific. It also feels like the violence is more immediate and shocking because of the more naturalistic style of filming. The killing that sets off the 'man seeking revenge' shooting that leads to the siege is incredibly shocking even today, and the characters all felt like they acted sensibly and believably.
The sheer numbers of gang members putting the station under siege took me by surprise. Compared to the remake, it feels like there's no end of bad guys in the original, and like the heroes have no hope, the bad guys feeling almost more like a very clever, intelligent zombie horde. Tactics like the modern-day Roman-infantry style of some of their assaults, moving in behind cover, are amazing to watch, and the tension of being surrounded by so many killers while fighting back with rapidly dwindling ammo is superbly conveyed.
A terrific and ground-breaking original which still in many ways surpasses its remake.
The remake made some clever nods with it's in-jokes and casting tricks. However, what I wasn't expecting was to think this original was the superior film.
The acting by all the leads is excellent, and our hero's charm and likeability is terrific. It also feels like the violence is more immediate and shocking because of the more naturalistic style of filming. The killing that sets off the 'man seeking revenge' shooting that leads to the siege is incredibly shocking even today, and the characters all felt like they acted sensibly and believably.
The sheer numbers of gang members putting the station under siege took me by surprise. Compared to the remake, it feels like there's no end of bad guys in the original, and like the heroes have no hope, the bad guys feeling almost more like a very clever, intelligent zombie horde. Tactics like the modern-day Roman-infantry style of some of their assaults, moving in behind cover, are amazing to watch, and the tension of being surrounded by so many killers while fighting back with rapidly dwindling ammo is superbly conveyed.
A terrific and ground-breaking original which still in many ways surpasses its remake.
5 of 6 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
One of THE classic John Carpenter films and my personal favourite. Basically, a cowboy and indians film set in 20th Century suburbia. A little girl is shot by gang members at a ice cream van which sets of a series of events which culminates in gang members surrounding a police station which is being wound down to closure.
The action is fast paced and the dialogue is brilliant, like when a lady police worker is making a coffee for the new black police chief. As she's making it she says "black?" and he says, "yes, all my life!".
Brilliant stuff and hard to beat.
The action is fast paced and the dialogue is brilliant, like when a lady police worker is making a coffee for the new black police chief. As she's making it she says "black?" and he says, "yes, all my life!".
Brilliant stuff and hard to beat.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
Fantastic Film
This is one of the all time great films in my opinion. I liken it to the zombie film genre; a cracking last stand affair.
I would throughly recommend a watch.
I would throughly recommend a watch.
Published 4 months ago by Marco_55
Near Perfect
Remarkable really what Hollywood (post 1970) can do when it puts its mind to it. Mind you it is probably explained by the fact that John Carpenter was the 'new kid on the block'... Read more
Published 6 months ago by Keith M
Assault on Precinct 13
Although there has now been a new remake of this film I recently purchased the original version as it's simplicity is more menacing than the new version, in particular due to the... Read more
Published 10 months ago by Zeger
Nifty hokum
This film (the original) holds up well after all these years. The suspense still mounts, aided by Carpenter's intriguingly simple score used throughout, plus a very excellent cast... Read more
Published 14 months ago by M. P. Campbell
Terrific low-budget thriller
I saw this not long after it first came out and I thought it was terrific. Over thirty years later and I see no reason to revise my opinion. Read more
Published 15 months ago by Ian Williams
A Carpenter Classic
A simple story line with minimal dialect but it doesn't need anything more.
Forget the modern version of this film it's not the same! Read more
Forget the modern version of this film it's not the same! Read more
Published 17 months ago by Mr. S. J. Bracken
In the beginning
I had watched Assault when I was fourteen, and it changed my life and the way I related with cinema. Read more
Published 17 months ago by Nikolaos Oikonomidis
Excellent
I recently watched the new version with Eathan Hawke and hated it. This one is in my opinion far superior.
Published on 22 April 2010 by K. Patel
Classic
Very good film, this. The scenario might not be of the most convincing, but otherwise it has suspense, excitement, and memorable music - just like that other Carpenter classic,... Read more
Published on 13 April 2010 by Commodore
Go a light
This a classic movie, from John Carpenter, I really LOVE the characters. CLASSIC. Good Luck!!!
Published on 13 Feb 2010 by Ruthie0
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