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"I Wonder Where
I'll Escape From Next" |
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Directed by John
Carpenter - Written by
John Carpenter, Nick
Castle
Starring Kurt Russell,
Donald Pleasence, Isaac
Hayes, Lee Van Cleef
Distributed by AVCO
Embassy - 1981- 99mins -
Rated R |
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1997. New York City is now a maximum security prison. Breaking out is
impossible. Breaking in is insane. |
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Normally, when I write a review, I attempt to expose my feelings for
the film in an intelligent manner and use evidence of excellence (or
the opposite) to express my opinion. Such a review would not work for
"Escape from New York." So, I will just tell you what my mind was
telling me when I finished watching it:
Snake Plisskin (Kurt Russel) is one of the greatest film badasses of
all time! He's the definition of a perfect anti-hero! For those of you
who do not know the plot of this cult classic, here it is: by 1988,
the murder rate in the United States has risen 400%. Manhattan has
become so dangerous, that it has been sealed off and turned into a
maximum security prison. A few years later, Air Force One crashes into
the city, and the president (the always entertaining Donald Pleasance)
is taken hostage. Enter Snake, a criminal about to be put away for
armed robbery. He will be given a full pardon if he can infiltrate New
York and retrieve the president. The catch is that if he doesn't
retrieve him within 24 hours, explosive devices implanted in his neck
will kill him.
(I loose control again) What a kick-ass film! Bloody, intense action
in an apocalyptic warzone! One of my favorite protagonists ever! Even
though Snake is a criminal, Kurt Russell plays him as such a Master
Badass, that we love him! Russell is such a great actor, and the fact
that he actually CAN act (unlike so many other action heroes) makes
the character even more interesting.
The other force behind the film is writer/director/composer John
Carpenter, also known for "The Thing" and "Halloween." This was the
age of John Carpenter. Although he only directed horror and action
films with no redeemable social values whatsoever, he did so with such
style and skill that he ranks among my favorite directors (it's a
shame he's been reduced to directing "Ghosts of Mars").
"Escape from New York" was made 20 years ago, so naturally, some of
the effects look rather cheap. But I was surprised to learn that the
film only cost $6 million to make. It looks like a huge budget film!
This was an independent film! I mean holy crap, it looks great!
There are some detractors: the film takes place in 1997, and while
that was the future to the filmmakers, it's the past to us. Its rather
laughable. The film also showcases a destroyed New York and several
scenes take place at the World Trade Center. These scenes may make
many viewers uncomfortable.
But if you like action, see this movie. If you like cult films, see
this movie. If you like John Carpenter or Kurt Russell, see this
movie.
A truly magnificent action film.
***(A special edition DVD has recently been released. Go buy it, its
great, and John Carpenter and Kurt Russell share one of the greatest
commentaries ever.) |
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© Written by Jacob Hall -
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TC Candler's Comment
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