Escape from New York (1981)
Director: John Carpenter
Screenplay: John Carpenter, Nick Castle
Stars: Kurt Russell, Lee Van Cleef, Ernest Borgnine, Donald Pleasence, Isaac Hayes, Harry Dean Stanton, Adrienne Barbeau, Season Hubley, Tom Atkins, Charles Cyphers, Douglas “Ox” Baker, Jamie Lee Curtis (voice) and Frank Doubleday.
Tagline: 1997. New York City is now a maximum security prison. Breaking out is impossible. Breaking in is insane.
The Plot…
In the future New York City has been turned into a maximum security prison. Forty-foot walls with armed sentries make sure anyone imprisoned there never gets out. Inside there are no guards. Gangs created by the worst of the worst rule. Marauding cannibals live in the tunnels underground. New York is hell on earth.
The United States, Russia and China are on the verge of war. US President John Harker is scheduled to speak at a peace conference in a little over 24 hours. Harker has in his posession a tape that explains a secret process for nuclear fusion. This would create an endless energy source for all nations — if peace can be achieved.
When an attack on the President’s life brings down Air Force One, the President survives in an escape pod… that lands behind the New York City prison walls.
A rescue squad is sent in only to be met with the news the President is alive but the prisoner of The Duke of New York, leader of the prison’s biggest gang. The squad is given 30 seconds to leave or the President will be killed.
They leave.
Deterrmined to save the President, and retrieve the cassette he carries, a plan is developed. Snake Plissken, a former Special Forces soldier, recently arrested will be offered immunity for his crimes, if he successfully rescues the President in time for the Peace conference. Plissken reluctantly agrees.
Worried that Plissken won’t follow through, he is injected with an explosive micro-capsule that will explode in 23 hours. If he returns with the President before time has expired, the capsule will be neutralized.
Plissken is on his way in. The clock is ticking.
Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…
Jamie Lee Curtis provides the opening narration as well as the computer’s voice in the first prison scene.
Kurt Russell has said that Escape from New York is his favorite of all his film and that Snake Plissken is the favorite of the characters he’s played. It was also Russell’s idea to give Snake an eyepatch. Also once Lee Van Cleef was signed, it was Russell’s idea to imitate Clint Eastwood’s delivery.
Although most consider Snake Plissken to be Kurt Russell’s signature role, studio execs were not sold on him. At the time Russell was still best known as a Disney star. Execs wanted someone like Charles Bronson, Chuck Norris, Nick Nolte or Tommy Lee Jones.
Snake was written with Kurt Russell in mind. Same for Adrienne Barbeau as Maggie and Ernest Borgnine as Cabbie.
James Cameron created the matte-painted buildings.
Season Hubley and Kurt Russell share a scene and were also married at the time. John Carpenter and Adrienne Barbeau were also married when the film was made.
Warren Oates was originally signed to play Brain. Oates became ill and suggested Harry Dean Stanton for the role. Stanton was perfect. Sadly Oates died later that year.
Frank Doubleday, who plays Romero, is only in a couple of scenes, but is so memorable.
I saw Escape from New York the weekend it was released (and many, many times over the years). It remains a favorite.
Escape from New York (1981) rates 5 of 5 stars.
