In this super-sized episode, Chris and Nick tackle John Carpenter's critically acclaimed second film, Assault on Precinct 13 -- for us, the source of a killer podcast title, and for Carpenter, a springboard to (eventual) Hollywood success. The film is a gritty, low-budget action/thriller that draws on Howard Hawks' Rio Bravo in its story of a straight-laced cop and a smooth-talking criminal who lead a dwindling band of survivors against the vicious street gang that's trapped them in a decommissioned L.A. police station. The discussion covers everything from the film's western influences and homages to its still-striking onscreen brutality to the character dynamics that make it a standout in the Carpenter catalog.
In this super-sized episode, Chris and Nick tackle John Carpenter's critically acclaimed second film, Assault on Precinct 13 -- for us, the source of a killer podcast title, and for Carpenter, a springboard to (eventual) Hollywood success. The film is a gritty, low-budget action/thriller that draws on Howard Hawks' Rio Bravo in its story of a straight-laced cop and a smooth-talking criminal who lead a dwindling band of survivors against the vicious street gang that's trapped them in a decommissioned L.A. police station. The discussion covers everything from the film's western influences and homages to its still-striking onscreen brutality to the character dynamics that make it a standout in the Carpenter catalog.