Parents' Guide to Assault on Precinct 13 (1976)

This 1976 cult favorite has endured long to spawn a 2005 remake and still be regarded as one of writer-director John Carpenter's finest works. Deliberately light on plot and heavy with standoffs and shoot-outs, Assault on Precinct 13 almost immediately puts Stoker's marginalized highway patrol officer Bishop on collision course with Joston's death row-bound inmate Wilson. Together, they must eventually align to defend themselves and others from succumbing to the murderous rampage of L.A. gang Street Thunder, who pen in our heroes at the movie's titular and declining police precinct. Joston in particular is remembered fondly for his portrayal of Wilson as a cigarette-hungry philosopher who just happens to be a convicted murderer. The rest of the leads are largely foils for this act, although Bishop does arrive on our screens with a neat anecdote that suggests he wasn't always destined for the straight-and-narrow of his current job.

The action largely moves around these two and in circles, with the vicious cycles of Street Thunder's thirst for violence gradually escalating. That the movie's most famous set piece -- involving an ice cream truck and some seriously bad timing -- happens long before the climax hints at its shortcomings, though. While Assault on Precinct 13 is impressively tight, modest, and claustrophobic, it's easy to see why the 2005 version expanded its plot and attempted to add a bit more depth and characterization.