Escape From New York

Starring: Kurt Russell, Lee Van Cleef, Ernest Borgnine, Adrienne Barbeau, Donald Pleasence
Written by: John Carpenter, Nick Castle

Director: John Carpenter
Year: 1981

Rating: * * *  Stars       +       (Fan Bonus *  )  Total: * * * *

In the near future, with crime at an all time high, Manhattan has been converted into a single, massive prison where no one ever comes out. Yet, when the President's plane is hijacked and he ends up in the middle of the island, authorities send the most wanted man in on a rescue mission.

Kurt Russell plays Snake Plissken, a fugitive who finally gets caught and brought to prison. Yet hope is not lost, Hauk (Lee Van Cleef), the prison's warden, tells him about the President getting lost inside Manhattan, and if he and his tape are rescued, Snake gets a full pardon. Snake agrees, but Hauk isn't as sure, injecting timed capsules in his artery. If he doesn't return by a designated time, the capsules explode and he dies. In this dark future, even the President is expendable. He has to retrieve the President and his tape by a certain time, or an important conference will be missed, and the President becomes useless.

Writer/director John Carpenter creates a truly believable and frightening world, where all of Manhattan is a city populated by criminals. It's a lawless world, where the only rule is the strong survive. Isaac Hayes plays "The Duke", the boss of the prison, who kidnaps the president and is holding him ransom, threatening to kill him if he and his men aren't allowed to go free.  Kurt Russell is absolutely incredible as bad ass Snake Plissken. Don't look for a lot of drama and depth of character in this film. This is gritty, rough and tumble action as cool as it gets. 

With a less than adequate sequel, Escape From L.A., this film holds up 30 years later as a truly epic vision, even if we now are beyond the films "future.:"

SEE THE TRAILER: Escape From New York