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Directed by: John Carpenter Starring: Kurt Russell, Lee Van Cleef, Issac Hayes, Donald Pleasence Since its release in 1981, Escape from New York has continued to grow in stature as a science fiction classic, and its main character, Snake Plisken, has become something of an immortal figure in cult film history. Despite being made on an encumbering low budget, the film was a box office smash and adored by critics everywhere. It has continued to thrive on video as well, enjoying an unusually long life for a film of such small stature, made in the era when blockbusters were becoming an exercise in science and marketing rather than filmmaking, and there were little surprises to be found at the local cinema. Escape from New York is set in the (then) future of 1997, when America has become an authoritarian dystopia. The island of Manhattan has been turned into a giant prison, with its borders fortified by an army-like police force to keep the criminals within its walls. After revolutionaries hijack and crash Air Force One into the island prison, former war hero turned disillusioned criminal Snake Plisken is recruited to stage a one-man rescue operation to find the President in time to get some valuable documents to a peace summit his plane was en route to before the attack. Escape has two big things going for it: director John Carpenter and actor Kurt Russell, one of the greatest actor and director partnerships in recent film history. Carpenter’s economical style is perfect for the bleak urban landscape of future Manhattan, and his filmmaking sensibilities work well under tight budget constraints, where other directors might lose their vision and their cool. Teamed with his favorite DP Dean Cundey, Carpenter is able to make city streets and desolate buildings look like a war zone with even light set design and minimal lighting. The tone of the film is captured very well through the visual style and the performances of the actors. Russell, playing against his Disney-family image, plays the dark, nihilistic Snake Plisken. Russell channels equal parts John Wayne and Mike Hammer for the character, giving him an air of mystery and moral ambiguity, but preserving an engaging sense of masculine strength. The film does a great job of establishing the mythology behind Snake’s character as well, with each character he meets claiming “I heard you were dead,” upon first seeing him. The fact that Snake’s past is for the most part left in the dark also helps establish him as an enigmatic figure, though just enough information is given to define him in understandable terms. The supporting cast is outstanding, and creates many memorable characters. Lee Van Cleef plays the operator of the prison, Hauk, who has a lot in common with Snake, both in personality and in his past, despite the antagonizing relationship between the two. Issac Hayes plays the Duke of New York (A#1), the one who runs the prison from the inside, a cool, intimidating crime lord. The best is Donald Pleasence as the President though. He obviously has a lot of fun with the character, never being afraid to make himself look the fool or take a jab at politicians. Escape contained some scenes that were shocking and original for its time. When Snake is searching through a shadowy building for the President, he sees a group of thugs beating up and, suggestedly, raping a girl. Rather than engage in some heroics to rescue her, he just walks on by, concerned only with his own situation. That might not seem particularly shocking alongside today’s fare, but at the time, it was incredibly daring, and was edited out of television broadcasts and even some video releases for a long time. The final shot of the film was also difficult to accept for many audiences at the time. Dark visions of the future were also uncommon in film at the time, with Escape and Blade Runner being among the first to pave the way for future dystopias and cynically-minded future worlds. The only flaw with Escape is the somewhat inconsistent morality of Snake. At times, he is completely unsympathetic and unmoved by acts against others (such as in the above scene), but at other times, he comes close to having something of a moral code, going out of his way to help others in the prison. It isn’t obvious initially viewing the film, but it begins to stand out more and more with each subsequent viewing. The well-handled mythology behind Snake’s character is enough to prevent it from becoming too distracting though, so it’s only a minor complaint. Escape from New York is a vintage classic from the closing era of B-movies and genre films, and Carpenter is the master of that style of filmmaking. Often imitated (even in an inferior sequel, which retreads a lot of the same territory), this film remains one of the best of its kind. Catch it on the new special edition DVD if you can, the audio commentary by Carpenter and Russell is one of the best out there. It also contains an alternate opening sequence, which the film works better without, but might be a curiosity to fans. RATING: 4.5 PROS: great atmosphere and performances, innovative attitude towards morality and sci-fi CONS: some inconsistencies in Snake's character, low budget look ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0082340/
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May 28, 2004 21:54
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| # ? Apr 24, 2024 05:14 |
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I caught this on IFC a month or two ago and I wasn't particularly impressed by it. I liked the Snake character and I agree that he's a really good cult icon. I liked certain parts like the fight in the wrestling ring and Isaac Hayes was a cool character as well. The problem was that I expected it to be a good sort of cult fun with wacky story developments but it ended up being just lame. The way the story went was certainly wacky but it just seemed too wacky and badly planned. The movie wasn't bad overall I just was expecting more considering the cult status this movie has. 2.5/5
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May 29, 2004 03:50
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Music matchs perfect with the movie, very dated look.
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Jun 9, 2004 11:29
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It's a good action flick for its time and budget, but nothing that particularly impressed me. I hadn't even noticed the supposed rape scene before reading about it here, but maybe, like the original poster said, it was editted out when I saw it or I'm just desensitized. This movie was, I believe, followed up by a really horrible sequel by the name of "Escape From LA." Basically the exact same story, it just has better special effects and takes place in LA. 3.5
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Jun 15, 2004 14:04
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I gave Escape a 5.5 and with good reason. I saw Escape From New York in 1983 when I was 8 years old. My father sat me down in front of a TV in the client's lounge of a Dedham, Mass. post production facility while he finished up some cuts on an ad he had been working on. That day I watched it three times in a row. Since then, it's sat atop my list of favorite movies of all time. I watch it on DVD regularly and if I see it on TV, no matter what channel (I've even watched it on one of the local spanish broadcasters), I watch it. As far as I'm concerned, it's the perfect B movie. The dialog in this movie is awesome. There is no one badder than Snake Plissken. His first encounter with Lee Van Cleef's Police Commissioner is one of the best exchanges I've ever heard. The photography is also great. Even though the exterior shots were done in St. Louis, for the most part, you get the feeling that the dreary setting is really New York City. The low light shots are very impressive and moody. The entire movie is grimy and dirty. Awesome stuff! The supporting cast is great, as well. The Duke of New York has few lines but is a very excellent bad guy. The one thing I'll never understand is what compelled Carpenter to cast Donald Pleasance as the President. I just don't get it. It's dated and a bit of a relic these days, but B movies don't get much better than this.
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Jun 18, 2004 04:53
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It certainly has lost its charm over the years. Snake Plissken is ultimate hero... for a 12 year-old. All tough guy talk and bad attitude, and essentially no depth whatsoever. The movie is all-around pretty ridiculous (particularly the character of "Romero") but fun in a few spots. Horribly paced, though... takes forever to get going. The alternate opening (available as a bonus feature on the DVD) would have been much better. Rating: 3
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Jan 26, 2005 23:58
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I think the thing to keep in mind is that Escape From New York is really a B-movie that was a massive overachiever, not an A-list action movie. It was made for about $6 million, which even for the time was hardly any money at all. It definitely has not aged well, but is still entertaining, and the DVD is almost worth it just for the John Carpenter & Kurt Russel commentary track. 3.5/5.
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May 11, 2006 22:03
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I thought it was pretty good. For an action movie. I think Kurt Russel really overdid the "tought-guy" act during the start of the movie, but it got better after a while. What I liked was that everything that could go wrong pretty much did. However, it didn't really seem like any of it mattered after the fact. I don't think I'll be watching it again, but I don't feel like I wasted my time. 3/5
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May 17, 2006 21:01
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ClumsyThief posted:I hadn't even noticed the supposed rape scene before reading about it here, but maybe, like the original poster said, it was editted out when I saw it or I'm just desensitized well, it wasn't a real obvious rape scene....it was more him walking past a door and two guys tossing a new wave chick back and forth...it just eludes to rape...but it ends up looking more like a S&M fantasy than anthing else. In 1981 you really just didn't show anything more and get away with anything less than an X. and to the OP, i didn't really catch him having a moral code, except maybe the last stand on the bridge. Most of what I thought was perceived as a moral code was him just trying to get things worked out the best he could...much like the Special Forces/Special Ops solider he was (which was why he was picked for this mission). He didn't have any issue with blowing Brain's brains out on the floor at the drop of a hat but ended up using him to his advantage for his maps and area knowledge. Also, you have to consider your own death makes strange bedfellows with those you need to trust to get the job done. If he didn't help those to help him he and the prez. would have died for sure.
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May 18, 2006 20:28
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| # ? Apr 24, 2024 05:14 |
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I love this movie, for a number of reasons. When I put it in the DVD player, I had an idea of what I was going to get - a dated, sci-fi B-movie. I wasn't making an early judgement call so much as I was looking forward to seeing a dated, sci-fi movie. It delivered to me what I expected, albeit a little less action than I imagined. I was introduced to the Snake character in Escape From LA, which I will defend until I die because I enjoy the over-the-topness of it. Escape From LA is cheesy as hell and the characters aren't that deep, and that's what I liked about the movie. Based off of the characters in LA, I had a small idea of what to expect from NY. Haha, you could almost view Escape From LA as a parody of Escape From NY if you were so inclined. But anyway. The mood of the movie is superb, and captures the "post apocalyptic/dystopian" future well. I had no clue it wasn't a massive studio movie until someone told me, as I figured it was a minimalist type set design. It works very well in the movie. The music is fairly well done. It doesn't really describe the movie or create any memorable moments except for the main title sequence, which often gets stuck in my head for some reason. Snake Plissken is, as previously stated, a badass. I love the character for some reason, and think Kurt Russell plays him perfectly. His interactions with Lee Van Cleef are some of the most memorable parts of the movie for me. Cleef does an excellent job of playing a hardass as he always does in movies. Now, as for the cons of the movie (if you don't consider the above to the cons themselves). As much of a badass as Snake is, there are times when his decisions don't make any sense. A number of times he had the chance to lay waste to characters who were attempting to kill him, but simply didn't. Harry Dean Stanton and Adrienne Barbeau are terrible in this movie. I'm not sure if I have to see more of Stanton's work to appreciate the way he acts in movies, but he is terrible in this movie. His acting as Harold is atrocious, and he delivers his lines like he's made of wood. Adrienne Barbeau's character is completely worthless, and I can't imagine why she was in the story to begin with. I suppose they're there simply to interact with Snake. Ernest Borgnine is sort of forgettable, but that may be just me, although I doubt it. Overall, I'm glad I own this movie. The cast of characters is quite interesting, and the moments where Russell and Van Cleef interact are some of my favorites. The Duke of New York, played by Isaac Hayes, is a simple "big cheese" type of character. While it didn't bother me, I found his "counterpart" character in Escape From LA (Cuervo Jones) to be much more interesting. Donald Pleasance as the President of the United States adds a little to the hilarity, and the cheese. A British President? Haha, okay, whatever. Don't expect too much and you'll be happy with this movie. Kurt Russell is awesome, Carpenter's directing is well done, and the pace is fine if you enjoy 80s dystopian future movies. "Call me Snake." 4.0/5
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Jun 3, 2006 09:52
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