The Siege In Assault On Precinct 13 Is The Best Action Scene Ever

(Welcome to Best Action Scene Ever, a column dedicated to breaking down the best, most effective action sequences throughout the genre. In this edition, we revisit the high water mark for one-location thrillers: the central siege in John Carpenter's 1976 classic "Assault on Precinct 13.")

There's a hypothetical version of "Assault on Precinct 13" out there that does away with the restraint and foreboding atmosphere of the original, recklessly tossed out in favor of high-wire thrills and a never-ending collection of narrative tropes. In place of a handful of straightforward (yet effective) archetypes thrown together as strangers but who come out as something else altogether after the crucible of one endlessly violent night, someone might've had the inclination to try and "humanize" these characters by burdening them with edgy backstories or an overcomplicated plot. In essence, imagine stripping away all the idiosyncrasy and personality just to end up with another generic action/thriller. Anyway, thankfully Hollywood had the good sense not to attempt a modern remake of this particular story, am I right?

The reason why the original "Assault on Precinct 13" continues to age magnificently while its 2005 remake quickly came and went is actually pretty simple. The fingerprints of John Carpenter (who wrote, directed, edited, and scored the film) are on every frame of the film — almost literally! Taking the thinnest of premises, where a defunct police precinct slated for relocation and the unsuspecting souls inside become the target of a formidable street gang's relentless siege over the course of one bloody night, Carpenter does what only he can and weaves together an unbearably tense ode to, of all things, old Westerns of yore.

And true to the film's title, the prolonged siege continues to stand out as one of the very best sequences in all of action.

In a stark difference from its genre contemporaries, "Assault on Precinct 13" sets itself apart through the pregnant pauses and eerie silences that frequently separate each wave of the siege. At first, the occupants can hardly even believe that anything is amiss — that is, until one cop ends up shot dead just outside the precinct doors and a rapid staccato of gunfire through the windows and walls forces everyone to the floor. But for those trapped inside, time isn't the only thing they're running out on. Trust is also in short supply, as the engine of the entire movie is fueled by the dynamics between the unexpected allies and uncomfortable bedfellows mixed up in the precinct. When they're not mowing down waves of intruders coming in through the windows and doors, the trio of the straight-laced Bishop, the wildcard Wells (Tony Burton), and dreamy-but-deadly Napoleon Wilson (Darwin Joston) are kept busy maintaining their uneasy truce among themselves.

The longer we go between attacks, the more likely it seems that the tension and stakes among our so-called good guys will prove to be their undoing.

By cutting off our characters from the outside world by a shutdown power grid and a devious enemy using every trick in the book to maintain appearances of normalcy, Carpenter twists the screws — and the irony of feeling such existential loneliness while located in the middle of a bustling city. When the script isn't taking direct aim at the incompetency of the police bureaucracy and the prison industrial complex, the bursts of violence hit that much harder as we watch this disparate group of individuals forged into a genuine team unit before our eyes. Almost without our even noticing, Carpenter conveys all sorts of character-focused storytelling through action.