Escape from New York (1981)

Director:

John Carpenter

Writers:

John Carpenter (written by) and
Nick Castle (written by)

Release Date:

10 July 1981 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Adventure | Crime | Sci-Fi | Thriller

Tagline:

The world's greatest leader is a hostage in the most dangerous place on Earth. Now only the deadliest man alive can save him.

Plot:

In 1997, when the US President crashes into Manhattan, now a giant max. security prison, a convicted bank robber is sent in for a rescue.

Plot Keywords:

Snake | Prison | Rescue | New York City | Bridge

Awards:

4 nominations

Cast

Kurt Russell	...	Snake Plissken
Lee Van Cleef	...	Hauk
Ernest Borgnine	...	Cabbie
Donald Pleasence	...	President
Isaac Hayes	...	The Duke
Season Hubley	...	Girl in Chock Full O'Nuts
Harry Dean Stanton	...	Brain
Adrienne Barbeau	...	Maggie
Tom Atkins	...	Rehme
Charles Cyphers	...	Secretary of State
Joe Unger	...	Taylor (scenes deleted)
Frank Doubleday	...	Romero
John Strobel	...	Cronenberg
John Cothran Jr.	...	Gypsy #1
Garrett Bergfeld	...	Gypsy #2

Also Known As:

John Carpenter's Escape from New York (USA) (complete title)

Runtime:

99 min

Country:

UK | USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Metrocolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Canada:AA (Ontario) | Canada:R (Nova Scotia) | Canada:R (Manitoba) (director's cut) | Canada:13+ (Quebec) | Canada:PA (Manitoba) | Iceland:16 | UK:15 (video rating) | UK:AA (original rating) | Germany:16 | Brazil:14 | Finland:K-15 (DVD rating) | Netherlands:16 | New Zealand:R16 | Australia:M | Norway:15 | Norway:16 (original rating) | Sweden:15 | USA:R | West Germany:16 (w) | Singapore:PG

Filming Locations:

California Institute of the Arts, Valencia, California, USA

Company:

AVCO Embassy Pictures

Trivia:

The only scene actually filmed in New York was the opening dolly shot, which follows a character pass the Statue of Liberty.

Goofs:

Continuity: When the bombs in Snake's arteries are deactivated, he raises his right hand to his left wrist to display the time on his countdown clock. When we see a closeup of the clock as time runs out, Snake's right hand is not there. But when we switch back to the previous view, his right hand is still pressed against the clock.

Quotes:

Snake Plissken: Where's the President?
Cabbie: The Duke got him. Everybody knows the Duke's got him. You don't have to put a gun to my head. I'll tell you.
Snake Plissken: Who's the Duke?
Cabbie: The Duke? The Duke of New York, A-Number-1, the Big Man, that's who!
Snake Plissken: I wanna meet this Duke.
Cabbie: You can't meet the Duke! Are you crazy? Nobody gets to meet the Duke. You meet him once and then you're dead!

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Planet Terror (2007)

Soundtrack:

Bandstand Boogie

Terrific

Escape from New York (1981)

**** (out of 4)

John Carpenter's cult classic is one of the greatest "B" movies ever made thanks in large part to Kurt Russell's terrific performance as the one and only Snake Plissken. Set in the future, the President of the United States (Donald Pleasence) crashes inside Manhattan Island, which has been turned into a prison. The Duke of New York (Isaac Hayes) takes him hostage so the government sends in the criminal Snake Plissken (Russell) to get him out alive. It's hard to believe this film was shot for $5 million but it certainly gets every penny out of the dollar. Russell's performance is clearly the highlight of the film and he carries the movie due to the performances, which gives Snake the perfect personality of a great anti-hero. The supporting cast does a wonderful job including Lee van Cleef, Ernest Borgnine, Harry Dean Stanton, Adrienne Barbeau, Tom Atkins and Charles Cyphers. The film has a great atmosphere and Carpenter's score perfectly sets the mood. Clearly one of the most fun movies of the decade.