Search

Search only in certain items:

Assault on Precinct 13 (1976)
Assault on Precinct 13 (1976)
1976 | Action, Crime, Thriller
'Why would someone shoot at a police station?' John Carpenter's exemplary action exploitation movie is set in mid-70s Los Angeles but is basically a mash-up of a western and a zombie movie. Two convicts, a secretary and a highway patrol officer find themselves besieged in a soon-to-be-derelict police precinct by hordes of psychopathic street gang members.

One of those examples of a virtually perfect movie: an incredibly economical script with immaculate storytelling is brought to the screen with immensely charismatic performances by the three leads (you watch it now and it's genuinely baffling that none of them had more substantial movie careers). Also a fascinating mixture of old-style and new Hollywood - scenes pastiching the style of Howard Hawks movies sit alongside genuinely provocative moments like the ice cream scene. Overall, though, just a tremendously enjoyable action film, and exhibit A for the case that John Carpenter did his career backwards.
  
Cockroaches (Harry Hole #2)
Cockroaches (Harry Hole #2)
Jo Nesbo | 2014 | Fiction & Poetry
6
6.5 (2 Ratings)
Book Rating
Not bad
I'd be intrigued to know Jo Nesbo's rationale behind this book, as it's a bit of an unusual choice. The first Harry Hole book featured Harry going to Australia, and this second book has him in Thailand... it's a little unrealistic thats for sure and just seems a little too similar to the earlier book.

This definitely isn't one of the best Harry Hole books, but neither is it the absolute worst. It was enjoyable enough to read although I felt like Harry as a character doesn't have as much depth and intrigue as he does in later books. Whilst all characters have to develop across a series, he seems a bit like an empty shell here. The plot too is rather weak. None of the secondary characters seem that well developed either and the story seems to jump quickly from plot points with a rather confusing and ridiculous finale, even for a Hole story.

Overall it was readable, but definitely not particularly memorable.