My take: Assault on Precinct 13 (1976)

HD Goofnut · 08-15-2009, 10:08 PM

Title: Assault on Precinct 13 (1976)
BD-25 Single-Layer Disc
Video: 1080p/AVC MPEG-4
Audio: 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio
Aspect Ratio: 2:35:1
Subtitles: English and Spanish
Run time: 91 minutes
Studio: Image Entertainment
Rating: R
Player used for review: LG BH200

My take: (the breakdown)

John Carpenter certainly made a name for himself as a movie maker during the 70s and 80s, but in my opinion Assault on Precinct was not one of his better movies. Don't get me wrong, it's still a decent movie, but it is far from fantastic when compared to The Thing or Escape From New York. The story is extremely simple. When a man kills a gang member for shooting his daughter he runs into a police precinct that has minimal staff since it is being shutdown. When the police decide not to give the man up it becomes an all-out-war between the cops and the gang. Since the plot is so paper thin I really can't recommend more than a rental on this one, but it does fare better than the remake that was released in 2005.

For a 32 year old movie upon its release on Blu-ray the video presentation is better than expected. Colors are fairly strong and saturated for the most part. Flesh tones seem to be accurate. There is a good amount of grain, but it does stay steady and consistent. The problems come with unresolved blacks and delineation issues, but despite these faults I felt it was an above average transfer.

Taken from the original mono mix (which is also supplied) we are given a DTS-HD Master Audio track. To be honest this is essentially a front ran show. There's nothing going on in the surrounds channels that I could detect. However, dialogue is crisp and clear for most of the run time. When shots are fired the sub never really comes alive and that is definitely a let down. For the age of the movie the audio is about average.

We are supplied with a decent supplemental package as well. We are given Carpenter's usual commentary, an interview with Carpenter, a large still gallery, the isolated score to the film, the theatrical trailer, and some radio spots. All of these features are presented in 480.

Movie: 7/10
VQ: 7.5/10
AQ: 6/10
Supplements: 5/10
Final word: Worth a Rental

As always thanks for reading folks.

08-15-2009, 10:08 PM	#1
HD Goofnut The Official HDF Reviewer Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Mississippi, U.S.A. Your resident Dune, Star Wars, and war film expert Posts: 8,145	My take: Assault on Precinct 13 (1976) Title: Assault on Precinct 13 (1976) BD-25 Single-Layer Disc Video: 1080p/AVC MPEG-4 Audio: 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio Aspect Ratio: 2:35:1 Subtitles: English and Spanish Run time: 91 minutes Studio: Image Entertainment Rating: R Player used for review: LG BH200 My take: (the breakdown) John Carpenter certainly made a name for himself as a movie maker during the 70s and 80s, but in my opinion Assault on Precinct was not one of his better movies. Don't get me wrong, it's still a decent movie, but it is far from fantastic when compared to The Thing or Escape From New York. The story is extremely simple. When a man kills a gang member for shooting his daughter he runs into a police precinct that has minimal staff since it is being shutdown. When the police decide not to give the man up it becomes an all-out-war between the cops and the gang. Since the plot is so paper thin I really can't recommend more than a rental on this one, but it does fare better than the remake that was released in 2005. For a 32 year old movie upon its release on Blu-ray the video presentation is better than expected. Colors are fairly strong and saturated for the most part. Flesh tones seem to be accurate. There is a good amount of grain, but it does stay steady and consistent. The problems come with unresolved blacks and delineation issues, but despite these faults I felt it was an above average transfer. Taken from the original mono mix (which is also supplied) we are given a DTS-HD Master Audio track. To be honest this is essentially a front ran show. There's nothing going on in the surrounds channels that I could detect. However, dialogue is crisp and clear for most of the run time. When shots are fired the sub never really comes alive and that is definitely a let down. For the age of the movie the audio is about average. We are supplied with a decent supplemental package as well. We are given Carpenter's usual commentary, an interview with Carpenter, a large still gallery, the isolated score to the film, the theatrical trailer, and some radio spots. All of these features are presented in 480. Movie: 7/10 VQ: 7.5/10 AQ: 6/10 Supplements: 5/10 Final word: Worth a Rental As always thanks for reading folks. __________________ Living Room Sharp LC-46SB57UN 46" 120Hz 1080p LCD (24fps)-Onkyo TX-SR606 7.1 Receiver-Onkyo SKS-HT540 7.1-Phillips OTA HD Antenna-Nintendo Wii-LG BH200 Super Blu-Toshiba HD-A20 Bedroom Sanyo DP46848 46" 60Hz 1080p LCD-Terk OTA HD Antenna-Magnavox NB500MG9 Office HP G60 Laptop-HP 2159m 21.5" 60Hz 1080p LCD-Logitech X-540 5.1-Sony 40 GB PS3-ASUS SBC-06D1S-U External BD Drive-Toshiba HD-A2 My Movie Collection 417~139 Latest BD Review: *Ip Man*

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