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Regardless of Carpenter's views on art and entertainment, "Assault on Precinct 13" stands tall as a tremendous work for these three imperative reasons:

1. The Characters

2. A Truly Negative Portrayal of Gangs

3. Symbolism of the Struggle of the Individual

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1. THE CHARACTERS
The main reason why "Assault on Precinct 13" stands far above most other movies is because the three main characters are examples of how men and women ought to be. Because i love these characters so much, the majority of this review will be centered around their splendor.

Bishop:
In "Assault on Precinct 13", the lead character is a black man who is not racist, sassy, excessively hip, or immoral. It's a amazing to see. Bishop was born into gangland, L.A. When growing up, he decided himself to rise above the filth of his neighborhood. He educated himself, worked hard, lived a straight-edged life, and eventually became chief of the local police station. Throughout the movie he is treated as an equal, not because he is black, but because he is righteous. He has earned his respect. Bishop is a great leader because he makes the decisions that nobody else wants to, and he makes them with a rational mind. He thinks before acting. He will not give up under any circumstances. Bishop always does what is right. Characters like him just don't exist in today's cinema...especially if they are black.

The existence of Bishop in this 1976 film disproves any popular notion that we are LESS-RACIST today than we were even ten years ago. The fact is that there was far less racism yesterday or 30 years ago than today. Our media-driven establishment has increased racism in America and elsewhere. Until black men choose to portray themselves as real heroes like Bishop, they will forever be regarded as his opposite. And i will not accept the excuse that all movies are fronted by racist white males. It has never been cheaper or easier to make movies today. And there are several wealthy black film makers out there today who continue to give us the worst possible role models to idolize.

Leigh:
Can you imagine a woman who pleasantly serves her male counterparts coffee, then picks up a gun to blast away worthless zombie gang members? I never would have thought i'd fall in love with a girl holding a gun until i saw Leigh in "Assault on Precinct 13". She is the perfect model of a strong woman. Just like Bishop, she is righteous and moral. She doesn't live to overturn a supposedly male dominated society. She lives to be the best person she can be. She admires Bishop as a leader and is pleased to have the opportunity to serve him. It is obvious by her interactions with the other characters that Leigh is an educated woman. Why then would an educated woman choose to work as a secretary in a police station rather than join the ACLU? Because she loves men. Leigh is one of the sexiest characters i've ever seen on screen because of her visual admiration towards the other main characters and because of her loathing towards the gang members. If i were making movies today, every heroine would be designed in Leigh's image.

Wilson:
To many people, Wilson may appear as a just another sympathetic serial killer. But if you watch "Assault on Precinct 13", you'll see that the only time he is ever treated with sympathy is at the very end where Bishop insists that he is not hand cuffed as they walk out of the battle zone victoriously. He is only treated with sympathy here because he has earned it. Compare this to one of today's movies where the viewer is forced to understand and have compassion for those who commit the most heinous acts of butchery and mutilation (both physical and mental mutilation). And Wilson, above all other fictional serial killers, deserves the most compassion because there are deep subconscious reasons why, as a young boy, he killed so many people. Any film maker today would have forced the viewer to dive into his brain to identify with his pain. Carpenter (perhaps accidentally) used appropriate restraint when dealing with Wilson's history. The only way to know exactly why he chose the life of a serial killer is to judge him based on what we are shown on screen of his life as an adult. Thankfully, Carpenter provides us with enough information to formulate an accurate measurement of Wilson's constitution. Therefore, his past may be slightly hidden, but it is not kept secret from the viewer. We are given the opportunity to look into his life ourselves, if we choose to absorb the deeper aspects of this incredible film. Because Wilson's depth is optional to the viewer, we are permitted to formulate our own opinions on his character.

Why then, did Wilson turn to a life of murder? Let's look at him as an adult, as he is portrayed in the film:
- His only friends are those who have proven their worthiness to him.
- His only romantic loves are women such as Leigh.
- There are two things he'd never run away from: An innocent man in need of help and the woman he loves.
- He is a stark individual, who will risk his life to fight an army of conformist gang members.
- When given the opportunity to flee for his freedom (and abandon the others), he chooses to stay and fight because he knows that he has accepted his crimes and will await his inevitable punishment by society.
- He, like the other two main characters, is intelligent, rational, heroic, and volitional!

Being that this is all we have to go on to judge Wilson's character, what would cause him to murder the masses? Perhaps the same reasons why Steven Mallory tried to murder Elsworth Toohey in the Ayn Rand novel, "The Fountainhead". In this novel, Steven Mallory is the struggling artist...not struggling to make his art good, but struggling for his perfect art to be accepted in an irrational evil world. He is driven to murder Elsworth Toohey because Toohey represents all that is evil in the world, a faceless beast with the desire to devour magnificence in the name of social/spiritual/ethical welfare. Steven Mallory can not stand to live in fear of subversive oppression. He lashes out at Toohey because his art is the best of the best and Toohey is the worst of the worst.

I am not inferring that "Assault on Precinct 13"'s Wilson is a struggling artist, but he was once a young person whose ideals were threatened by the irrational world. Judging his life as an adult, i can see no other non-contradictory explanation for his actions as a child. Being that there are no contradictions to be found in "Assault on Precinct 13", this is the only explanation possible. There are so many reasons to love this movie, but perhaps none as exceptional as the depth of Wilson's character.

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2. A TRULY NEGATIVE PORTRAYAL OF GANGS
"Assault on Precinct 13" shows gangs as what they really are: Mindless hordes of the living dead, bent on spreading their disease to the thinking minds of everyone around them. They live to infect the healthy. They expect respect, but only at the point of a gun. They spread from the shadows like cockroaches, acting collectively and selflessly for their nest. This movie does not ask us to understand the gang members. None of them have names. They hardly even speak, let alone act as individuals. And what is most inspiring about the gangs in this movie is how they attack the police station like zombies. They pour into the building through windows, broken doors, etc... These scenes in "Assault on Precinct 13" are visually identical to the best zombi films. When the gang members are shot, they do not show signs of pain. They just fall to the ground. Just like zombies, they do not put up much of a struggle. They had no joy in life, so why should they struggle to keep it?

No other film has attacked gangs like "Assault on Precinct 13". Today, gang members are often treated as equals to brain surgeons and rocket scientists. It is refreshing to see a movie that condemns them for what they really are: Mindless parasitic scumbags.

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3. THE STRUGGLE OF THE INDIVDUAL
Throughout "Assault on Precinct 13", the three main characters do their best to defend their police station from the zombi gang members. As strong and intelligent as they are, the zombies far outnumber them. Eventually the three heroes are driven to the basement of the building (symbolic of today's "underground") and into a corner where they make their final stand.

This whole sequence is symbolic of the struggle of the individual versus today's apparent mob rules mentality.

The heroes manage to defeat the zombies with a combination of brains and brawn. Using their wits, they find a way to destroy the horde, and live to enjoy themselves another day.

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"Assault on Precinct 13" is a must-see for anyone who believes that popular movies are an inappropriate medium to express beneficial philosophy. Using the word "popular" is a bit of a stretch, but this film does have a pretty faithful following. It was never a blockbuster, but may people enjoy it. In fact, there is a re-make in the works for a 2005 release. Let's hope we are not disappointed. The bottom line is this:

It IS possible to make a righteous AND entertaining movie. "Assault on Precinct 13" is proof.