Nov 182013
 

Assault on Precinct 13 is an intense suspense-thriller by John Carpenter well worth checking out if you have not already (especially so before viewing the 2005 remake which itself wasn’t bad).

 

 


Assault on Precinct 13: Collector’s Edition (1976)


 

Genre(s): Suspense/Thriller, Crime, Drama
Shout Factory | R – 91 min. – $29.93 | November 19, 2013

MOVIE INFO:
Directed by:
John Carpenter
Writer(s): John Carpenter (written by)
Cast: Austin Stoker, Darwin Joston, Laurie Zimmer

Theatrical Release Date: November 5, 1976

DISC INFO:
Features:
Commentary, Featurettes, Theatrical Trailer, Radio Spots
Number of Discs: 1

Audio: English (DTS-HD MA 5.1), English (Dolby Digital 1.0)
Video: 1080p/Widescreen 2.35
Subtitles: English SDH
Disc Size: 35.1 GB
Codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Region(s): A

THE MOVIE – 4.0/5

Plot Synopsis: Isolated and cut off from the city inside a soon-to-be-closed L.A. police station, a group of police officers, staffers and convicts must join forces to defend themselves against the gang call Street Thunder, who have taken a blood oath to kill someone trapped inside the precinct.

Quick Hit Review: A tense and suspenseful pre-Halloween John Carpenter film, Assault on Precinct 13 is fantastic from beginning to end with good performances from the cast, especially Austin Stoker as Officer Ethan Bishop, Darwin Joston and Laurie Zimmer. This is a treat of a suspense/thriller well worth checking out.

SPECIAL FEATURES – 3.0/5

This “Collector’s Edition” Blu-ray comes with a matted slip cover.

Audio Commentaries – There are two commentary tracks: 1) Writer/Director John Carpenter and 2) Art Director Tommy Lee Wallace with the former available on the Image Entertainment Remastered Version Blu-ray. As with his other tracks, Carpenter is fun to listen to as he recounts filming the movie and the origins of the story. Wallace’s track meanwhile is more technical and the work he did on the film.

Interview with John Carpenter and Austin Stoker (23:07) – Recorded in 2002, Carpenter and Stoker answer questions about Assault on Precinct 13 and their time working on the film. The sound quality isn’t the best but it’s not a bad little Q&A.

Bishop Under Siege with Austin Stoker (7:48) is a short profile piece on the actor and features a new interview with Stoker.

The Sassy One with Nancy Loomis (12:43) is another newly recorded interview with the actress as she discusses the movie, her career and working with Carpenter.

Also included are the Original Theatrical Trailer (2:03), Radio Spots (1:04), a Still Gallery and an Isolated Score Track.

VIDEO – 4.5/5

Although I suspect this is the same transfer released by Image Entertainment back in 2008 (both video and audio), Assault on Precinct 13 is presented in its original 2.35 widescreen aspect ratio and an excellently and finely detailed 1080p high-definition transfer. The picture has excellent clarity throughout and the colors look well balanced. The picture also appears to be free of artifacts, pixilation and dust marks and scratches making for a clear transfer.

AUDIO – 4.25/5

The disc includes both a DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 and, presumably, original Dolby Digital Mono tracks. The lossless audio track was surprisingly resounding starting with John Carpenter’s robust theme while most of the action and dialogue or centric heavy. It’s not an amazing track but it’s still well done and most effective building the intensity.

OVERALL – 4.0/5

Overall, Assault on Precinct 13 is an intense suspense-thriller by John Carpenter well worth checking out if you have not already (especially so before viewing the 2005 remake which itself wasn’t bad). This new Blu-ray released by Shout Factory I suspect has the same audio/video transfers from the Image Entertainment release and the features, with two new interviews, is quite good and informative.

 

 

Published: 11/18/2013

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