John Carpenter’s low-budget homage to Howard Hawks’ Rio Bravo relocates the action to a derelict LA police station where a lone black cop (Austin Stoker) and a couple of convicted killers en route to Death Row are beseiged by a heavily armed street gang. Carpenter’s economical narrative, prowling camerawork, fast cutting and pitch-black humour ensured that this seminal exploitation item became a major influence on the likes of Quentin Tarantino, Robert Rodriguez and John Woo.
DVD Extras:
Theatrical trailer. Apparently legal complications prevent us Brits from getting the goodies that the Americans were treated to on the Region One disc. Okay, so we get a decent print of a cult favourite item, plus a trailer, but it's hardly worth the premium price! A rare case of "might as well dust off that old VHS instead..."
