Assault on Precinct 13

It’s not often that you see a movie where characters are simple and get no arc, and yet the movie is well done and effective. This is one of those movies. It doesn’t need complicated character arcs or morals. It doesn’t need deep, psychological examinations. It’s a movie about a gang laying siege to a closing police station and outnumbering them 20 to 1. It’s about the action, that’s all, and in that regard, it accomplishes its goal admirably. There’s no fat to be seen here; this is a lean 90 minutes that sets up the scenario, gets all the players in place, and then executes. I appreciate when a movie knows its lane and stays in it. John Carpenter may be known for horror, but don’t sleep on his action movies, and don’t sleep on this.