![]() ![]() Overall this is a cult film that looks cheap, has dated effects and a plot that starts to crumble after the first half. Borgnine and Stanton are both good and, along with Hayes, all serve to increase the cult appeal of the film to this day. It is very clear what Barbeau brings to the party - and the costume selected for her makes no secret of it! I am a man and I'm not proud of it, but she is very easy on the eye here - just a shame that that's all I remember about her performance. Cleef is a good foil for him as he is tough too but lacks screen time for the majority. He looks tough and talks tough and is a great homage to the Clint Eastwood character from the old westerns (a fact made clearer in the sequel). He is iconicly cool and his performance and his character are the two main things that have kept this film well known down the years. The casting of Kurt Russell is a major thing. The plot is full of silly moments and sheer gaps in logic but, if you buy into the mood of the film, you can get by these and enjoy it - though I define you to call this a 'great' film, maybe good. The effects, music and even the use of tapes make this film feel very old and dated but it actually goes hand in hand with the very rough feel that Carpenter gave to several of his films at the time (whether deliberately or budget influenced I don't know). This is not to say that it still isn't quite fun and cool because it is. This story continues quite well but, once all the main players have been introduced, the film falls back on the expected series of 'running away' and fighting. This is followed up by a great rough energy as we are introduced to this future (which is now the past!). The film opens with that very distinctive electronic theme music that gives it such a cool feel from the very getgo. If the remake had any value, hopefully it's value was in bringing a new audience to the original film and watching it for the first time. Snake, with little other choice, accepts the mission to save his own neck (literally). ![]() With very little time and no way to mount a full on attack, Chief Hauk forces the newly captured ex-war hero Snake Plisskin to launch a covert rescue mission - adding the extra incentive of timed bombs implanted in his body. On his way to an important conference that will determine the fate of America, Air Force One is crashed into Manhattan island - leaving the President and vital information trapped within the single largest prison in the world. But, what the hell, this movie is a must for every film lover! In 1996, Carpenter also made "Escape from L.A." and even though it's good entertainment, it can't compete with "NY". Particularly because the first hour is so great, the ending seems quite tame. My only slightly negative remark is that the story should have had a better, more explosive climax. The action sequences are impressively photographed and John Capenter professionally camouflages that his film is, in fact, and independent production. The downfall of America's number one city is atmospherically portrayed and Carpenter's own music score creates an excellent mood of despair. Even the smaller supportive roles are well distributed, with the underrated Tom Atkins as Van Cleef's sidekick and Adrienne Barbeau in a very sexy part. Class-A actors play all these utterly cool characters, which makes it even more memorable! Apart from Kurt Russell, "Escape from New York" also stars icons like Lee Van Cleef ("The Good, the Bad and the Ugly"), Isaac Hayes ("Truck Turner"), Donald Pleasance ("Halloween") and Harry Dean Stanton ("Repo Man"). Especially the first sixty minutes of this movie are terrific, since there constantly is the introduction of new and imaginative characters. Offered no other choice, Snake infiltrates NY for his mission and for a personal race against the clock. One problem though ever since crime rose with 400% in 1987, New York has become one giant and demarcated prison where criminals determine their own "civilization". Kurt Russell, with eye patch and nihilistic 'you-don't-like-it-go-to-hell' attitude, plays the role of his life as anti-hero Snake Plissken, recruited by his authority-nemesis Bob Hauk to bring back the American president who crashed with his plane in New York. ![]() ![]() This is, simply put, one of the coolest productions ever with legendary characters, ingenious plot and pitch-black humor. Nearly 25 years and an endless amount of viewings later, John Carpenter's "Escape from NY" still ranks high among the chosen few, quintessential cult films of the 80's. ![]()
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