Escape From New York

Starring: Kurt Russell, Lee Van Cleef, Ernest Borgnine, Donald Pleasence, Isaac Hayes, Harry Dean Stanton
Directed by: John Carpenter
Rating: PG
Genre: Action, Adventure, Science Fiction
1981

Times Seen:
Tim: 1

Summary: In the future, New York City has been completely walled off, creating a deadly prison. When the U.S. President crash lands in NYC, the most dangerous man in the world, Snake Plissken (Kurt Russell) is forced to rescue him to save himself from a jail sentence.

Review:

Tim: This is a landmark film that really revitalized the science fiction genre. It is quite thrilling, and impressive for its time. The movie has not quite stood up to time, and it does appear a bit outdated.

There is still enough sci-fi action to impress most people. The post-apocalyptic world comes fairly vividly to life here. It is interesting to see NYC completely isolated from the rest of the world, now just a giant, festering, deadly prison. This sets up some pretty entertaining action sequences.

The film works because Kurt Russell is so good as Snake Plissken. Snake is such a great antihero- he's this impressively experience, seen-it-all, war hero who is now just looking out for himself. He is a great character, and Russell does a superb job bringing him to life. He is so enjoyable to watch.

Escape From New York may feel a bit dated, but it is still an important movie in the science fiction genre. It does have some very excellent scenes, and the movie moves along quickly enough to keep its audience interested throughout. It is a worthwhile movie to see for any fan of the genre.



Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: 6.5


If You Enjoyed This Movie, We Recommend: Escape From L.A., Grindhouse: Death Proof, Breakdown