Film Details

Frequently cited as John Carpenter’s best film, this taut mash-up of Howard Hawks’ Rio Bravo and George A. Romero’s Night of the Living Dead (see 10/27 at 9:25) is set at a decommissioned Los Angeles police precinct house on the night before it is permanently closed. A ruthless gang of armed street criminals lays siege to the building, and since the phones are disconnected, only a skeleton LAPD crew (and a convicted killer) are there to defend it. Carpenter also composed the music. “One of the most effective exploitation movies of the decade…Laughs and suspense in perfectly balanced proportions…Sheer delight from beginning to end.” –Time Out Film Guide. Scope. 91 min.