ASSAULT ON PRECINCT 13
The vengeful warlords of a Los Angeles gang terrorize the city while laying siege to an LAPD precinct in John Carpenter’s influential exploitation classic, newly restored in 4K.
Following his sci-fi send-up debut DARK STAR, iconoclast John Carpenter took a paltry budget and total creative control and created the endlessly influential, action-packed stunner ASSAULT ON PRECINCT 13. The legendary director of HALLOWEEN combined his love for Howard Hawkes westerns like 1959’s Rio Bravo and the social commentary horror of George A. Romero’s NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD with a gritty, contemporary Los Angeles. What starts as a quiet day for Lieutenant Ethan Bishop (Austin Stoker) unfolds into complete carnage after the arrival of unexpected prisoners at the soon-to-be-closed precinct. Unbeknownst to Bishop, a violent Los Angeles gang has taken to randomly targeting its helpless citizens, including a young girl, in retaliation for the death of six of its members. After exacting revenge on his daughter’s killers, Lawson (Martin West) inadvertently sets the gang’s bloodlust sights on Bishop’s underguarded precinct. As wave after wave of attackers descend upon Bishop, Lawson, and the rest of the holed-up cast, they find help from the most unlikely of sources. Misunderstood upon its release, Carpenter’s synth and suspense-laden action film has emerged as a seminal work influencing the likes of under-siege staple Die Hard and beyond.
CAST: Austin Stoker, Darwin Joston, Laurie Zimmer, Tony Burton
All sales are final. Admission is not guaranteed after scheduled start time.
CLICK HERE to return to the complete 30th Philadelphia Film Festival schedule.
A Note on Health & Safety
As of September 1, PFS will require masking as well as proof of vaccination at the Film Center & PFS Bourse.
Acceptable forms of proof of vaccination include your CDC record/card or a picture of the vaccination card along with photo I.D.
Masks are required at all times except when eating or drinking in the theater. Children under the age of 12 are currently exempt from this requirement.
Click HERE for all of our health and safety regulations.