Plot
At the same time of civil unrest between the LAPD, and the crime gang of Anderson – a newly promoted Lieutenant – Ethan Bishop is tasked with overseeing the last shift of a decommissioned precinct.
During his shift, where he is joined by a skeleton staff of two secretaries (Leigh and Julie), and Sgt Chaney.
Their shift is uprooted, when a prison bus carrying an assortment of baddies, including the educated Napoleon Wilson – and prison guard Starker among others arrives as one of the inmates is near death from the flu.
When the gang, on a mission to eliminate the police – kill a small girl on their travels, the father kills her killer out of revenge – and in a state of shock – finds sanctuary in the same police station.
Now a simple wait till the lights go out themselves shift becomes a fight to the death, when the gang come for retribution for their fallen comrade.
Direction
Directed by horror legend John Carpenter, this was one of his first films (directed at the tender age of 28), he also wrote it and was responsible for the musical score!!
I really enjoyed this, and was engaged in all the characters journey’s, especially that of Napoleon and his moments with both Starker, and later Bishop.
Cast
Featuring what I assume was a mostly ‘of the time’ cast who I didn’t know many names sadly…
Austin Stoker played Lt Ethan Bishop.
Darwin Joston played Napoleon Wilson
Laurie Zimmer played Leigh.
Martin West played Mr Lawson (the father of the girl murdered).
Tony Burton (Duke from the Rambo series) plays Wells, one of the convicts travelling with Wilson.
Charles Cyphers as Starker
Nancy Loomis as Julie.
Breakdown
Starting with a bloody opening where a gang of thieves are gunned down by the police, as they are attempting a robbery. What appear to be their gang leaders – seemingly make a blood pact and start a stalking parts of the city . As this was both a decade before I was born, and in a city of a country I don’t live in – much of this was foreign to me.
The “gang leaders” who mostly go unspoken comprise of four men (each of different races; white, Hispanic, black etc) – spend the first twenty or so minutes driving around the neighbourhood, finally making an attack on an ice cream truck driver and a little girl.
This was quite graphic, and I can only imagine that at the time for a movie to kill off a child in such a way would have been groundbreaking. This leads her father to shoot and kill the man who killed his daughter, and the shock of what happened takes him to the almost abandoned police station. The gang then wage war on the police station, in retaliation for their fallen comrade.
The screenplay cleverly explains that the entire neighbourhood is almost abandoned too – so when the following ‘assault’ on the precinct isn’t heard by anyone nearby.
The way the prisoners are brought in to the station is quite organic as well, and while some of the characters are more ‘cannon fodder’ – the way Carpenter wrote Napoleon Wilson was fun. He is handsome, charismatic, and educated. The ‘why’ he did what he did is never fully explained (he was going to tell Starker one day, but alas… poor Starker). Wilson has some fun moments, and some of his idiosyncrasies are well written (he wants a cigarette, his name isn’t actually Napoleon).
When the gang do unleash hell on earth on the station, Bishop entrusts Wilson to assist in keeping them all alive. There is a one by one they die trope that is done well, and at times you don’t actually find out they are gone, until after they have been killed (poor Julie).
The way the time keeps displaying on the screen is a creative choice that I didn’t disagree with, but there needed to be more of it, if you’re going to do it, do it consistently!
The action when it does occur is bloody, and there are great usage of squibs when bullets hit targets. The attack itself lasts for a good half an hour, and takes some time to set up. The attack starts at roughly the 45m mark, and doesn’t really end till about 25 minutes to the end of the film. This was maybe one gripe I had, in regards to the pacing.
The ‘last stand’ is fine – and you really fear for those inside as the size of the gang outside is way bigger than the survivors left alive inside by this point. The way it does end, and how the survivors get out has ups and downs – I loved the union between Wilson and Bishop (and their explosive plan), but didn’t care for ‘the cops show up at the last second to help’.
Overall
Pretty solid, and intense action, siege attack film – which is even more impressive when you discover the director was also the writer and score composer.
The pacing felt a ‘little’ off – and ends somewhat abruptly, but it has some incredible moments within it, especially how cruel the gang are in the early parts of the film (RIP little girl).
The big up, is the films ‘not’ antagonist Napoleon Wilson, who is one of the best written characters I’ve seen in a while. RIP to his portrayer Darwin Joston.
4/5
Please check out the YouTube channel I have with my mate Ant, where we discuss this one (and more!) Please subscribe if you haven’t yet!
Ryan's Movie Reviews 