Escape from New York

Escape from New York is Dark and Bleak

I liked Escape from New York and I wish I had had a hand in making the film. The cast is good and the dark, dangerous mood of New York was well portrayed. The bleak and dangerous theme of Escape has fortunately Not come to pass. However, the World Trade Center, used in the beginning and the end of the story, appears--today-- more haunted in that we know what happened to The Towers in 2001. There was no Snake Plisskin to stop the terrorist pilots in real life. But, as bad as our prisons are, we do not have a Devil's Island in New York or anywhere else. Obviously, the world's richest piece of real estate would never be used as a maximum security no-man's-land, regardless of the crime rate, which seems to have declined in recent years. And the movie does not deal in any depth with the criminal society inside Manhattan, except that it's a dirty,dangerous and very dark place to live. Would not disease and epidemics break out on Manhattan, where there would be little in the way of medical care? Also, the subways could not hold the &quot Crazies&quot in that the N. Y. underground would be flooded due to neglect. Also, with women, as well as men, on the island, there would be children born, many to die at birth, and the trecherous nature and mindset of John Carpenter's future American society would attract protests from both Americans and from many people around the world. These ideas probably could not have been included in Escape from New York due to time of the film. We do not sympathise with the US government and certainly not with Donald Pleasance as president and Lee Van Cleef as head of security for the island prison. Kurt Russell playing Snake Plisskin has our sympathies, in an anti-heroic way. Plisskin almost alone survives the twenty-four hour ordeal in rescuing the president from capture in the Big Apple. We like Plisskin's destroying the cassette tape so vital to world peace in the final scene. And we are relieved that our world has not become so bad as the one we see in Escape From New York. We hope our lives never will be....God help us....

A reviewer

heard a lot about this and finally saw it. and i was like oh so that's where the name snake came from from metal gear solid. another great john carpenter film where this is about a guy with an eye patch who heads into a crazy manhattan like prison to rescue the president with some help along the way. and of course it got kurt russell who was just awesome as well as all the other actors.

Snake Plissken- The Ultimate Anti-hero

This film was made in 1980 so the future is a little dated here, but in the year 1997 the world is a different place. New York is now a dumping ground for the scum of society and is guarded by the United States Police Force with high walls, a mined bridge and men with guns to prevent escapes. What bad luck for the President of the United States (Donald Pleasance) when Air Force Three is taken over by a domestic terrorist group and forces our esteemed president to eject in his escape pod and crash land in the middle of the prison. The Chief of Police Bob Houck (Western film veteran Lee Van Cleef) decides to use Snake Plisken as a means to extract the President, but puts a very tight leash on him. Snake is an eye-patch wearing, Ex Special Forces lieutenant that turned to a life of gun fighting and bank robbery and got caught during his latest scheme. Snake is about to serve a life sentence in NY for his crimes. After being offered a full pardon for his past criminal acts he is injected with a capsule carrying an explosive charge that will burst his carotid artery open if he does not get back within 24 hours with the President along with a cassette tape that must be played at a summit in Hartford, The tape is the primary reason Snake was dispatched as it has information that would be useful in the hopes of ending the current war based on a new way of creating energy with Nuclear fusion, but doing it safely. The clock is ticking and even with all the high-tech gear Snake is given, the odds are still against him. A real cult classic directed by a master of the “What if?” theory of filmmaking John Carpenter. What’s great about this version is a 10-minute additional scene that shows how Snake got captured as well as a great transfer and re-mastering process. There is also a cool audio commentary featuring Carpenter and Russell who are both old friends and seem to be having fun watching their movie together. R- Graphic Violence and profanity

A good director firing on all cylinders!

This along with 'The Thing', and 'Assault on Precinet 13' show that John Carpenter is a true cult director and at the same time make you ask ...So what happened to him?? None of his other movies have come close in quality, style or entertainment value. He just seems to be going through the motions..case in point: 'Ghosts of Mars'. Still if you want to see a creative director doing brilliant work with a low budget you cant go wrong with 'Escape from New York' or the afore mentioned titles.

Cult classic!

A definite cult classic Sci-Fi that is dark, bleak and thoroughly enjoyable! Kurt Russell is outstanding as the over the top anti-hero Snake Plissken and has a lot of fun with the role. The story line is fairly solid and keeps you watching. And although by todays standards the special effects may be a little dated... they are still adequate. A fun no brainer for sure! Just don't see the terrible sequel Escape from L.A. It basically was a bad remake of New York and was very cheesy and almost sad to watch.

A great ''bleak future'' sci-fi action flick- Take it or leave it.

This movie is kind of like ''The Road Warrior.'' But where that film was in the orange-brown desert, this takes place in a blue-black city. It is more uncompromising than newer stuff, and feels like something out of an early-80s comic book or video game. But it has weak spots. The strong mood comes at the expense of feeling for the characters. Snake Plissken definitely makes the 'cool' grade, but does not connect with the audience nearly as much Mel Gibson's ''Max.'' That said, it has good pacing, good action, and a good villian. It could probably have used more money in a few places, but it's watchable. And the plot has a quality like ''Jaws'': In a modern movie, the result would be terrible. But done 20 years ago, it feels right. If you're the type even interested in a 20-year-old, dark sci-fi action movie, you'll probably like it.

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