Just before the rise of the slashers and the rise of John Carpenter as a horror director, remember Halloween and The Thing he made this gem. After the SF turkey Dark Star it wasn't simple for John to proof himself. It is nowadays that he is much more appreciated then in the 70's. Even with the much acclaimed The Thing John was spit out by the press, The Thing was a flop at the box offices and failed to have a great support, well we know better these days, what a classic that is, the effects, but back to Assault. That one too was not a favorite of the public. It was a bit the time of cop revenge movies like Dirty Harry and Death Wish but Assault had one problem, the murder of a child in front of the camera. Even up to today standards that scene is explicit. But in his first major attempt you already can feel the atmosphere that he created for Halloween, the way he uses the camera and the score, excellent. Due the remake, won't bother to see it, the movie is now available at last. A must have in your collection.
Review of Assault on Precinct 13
