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Post by Popeye Doyle on Oct 20, 2021 20:22:56 GMT
As director/writer/composer John Carpenter discusses on his audio commentary, this was his first movie filmed in Panavision. Filmed on a budget of $100 grand, the widescreen framing gives the sense of a big movie despite the minimal funds. Also, if it wasn't obvious already, Rio Bravo is a heavy influence on the story (Carpenter mentions Howard Hawks being his favorite director). Said story being a roving gang casually killing a young girl who just wanted some ice cream. Grieving papa manages to kill the man responsible but he quickly finds himself on the run as the other gang members come after him. Grieving papa runs to Precinct 13, which is open for its final night. The gang takes it upon themselves to kill everyone in the titular location. With the aforementioned low budget and brisk running time of 90 minutes, it's a solid teaching in economical film-making. It's overall a tense and exciting movie with the typically awesome Carpenter score.
3 out of 4
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Post by petrolino on Oct 20, 2021 20:40:23 GMT
It's one of the movies that made me a movie nut for life. I stayed up to watch it on late night tv as a boy and was stunned. The symphony of silencers that became a cacophany of industrial noise was a musical masterpiece in iteself (perhaps matched only around the time by the rhythmic use of guns in Walter Hill's 'The Long Riders'), yet John Carpenter aligned this to a propulsive, compulsive, addictive score. It was the first time I recall seeing the murder of a child in full sight in a movie. The people locked in the police station were funny, charismatic and supercool, facing down blood-bonded adversaries who came at them like the night of the living dead on steroids. It was structured as a call and response call to action, an existential thriller akin to what Ray Charles pioneered in rock 'n' roll, shot through with a dark, narcotic ambience that developed into wave upon relentless wave of balletic gunplay, escalating tension and orchestral bouts of violence.
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Post by Marv on Oct 20, 2021 21:25:45 GMT
The score especially always sticks out to me. I absolutely love it. Decent story too...very gritty feel to it.
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Post by Hurdy Gurdy Man on Oct 21, 2021 6:52:30 GMT
Darwin Joston does a great impression of Charles Bronson from Once Upon a Time in the West.
Original: 8/10
Remake: 5/10
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Post by frankcaprica on Oct 24, 2021 10:43:04 GMT
I found it a bit of a chore.
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