Escape from New York (1981) - Carpenter introduces Kurt Russell as action star in dystopic dream

♥♥♥♥♥

 

This terrific poster for John Carpenter's Escape from New York recalls the iconic images and posters for sci-fi classic Planet of the Apes (1968) of the beach-inundated Statue of Liberty

Snake Plissken is a prisoner for life in the near future of 1997, but he also possesses fantastic abilities that get him hired, when metropolis-turned-walled-in-prison Manhattan gets a new inhabitant, who wasn't supposed to crash-land there: The US President!

A seductive kind of dystopic air hangs over every part of the marvelous, character-driven Escape from New York, the 5th feature from New-Yorker master co-writer-director John Carpenter (The Thing (1982)), co-written with Nick Castle (Tap (1989), writer-director). It establishes its strong action-thriller concept well and remains compelling entertainment throughout.
Kurt Russell (Tango & Cash (1989)) is the very cool, chivalrous Plissken and is joined by a great cast that includes Lee Van Cleef (Lawman (1958-60)), Ernest Borgnine (Oliviero Rising (2007)), Isaac Hayes (Ninth Street (1999)), Harry Dean Stanton (Stars and Bars (1988)), Donald Pleasence (Eye of the Devil (1967)) and Adrienne Barbeau (The Fog (1980)). It is a film with lots of thrills and a dark beauty to it. It also has a great, electro-synth score, composed by Carpenter and Alan Howard (Boo (2005)), terrific costumes, visual effects and production design.

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Watch the animated opening credits for the film here

 

Cost: 6 mil. $

Box office: 25.2 mil. $ (North America only)

= Huge hit

[Escape from New York was released 10 July and runs 99 minutes. Carpenter conceptualized the film based on Death Wish (1974), specifically its portrayal of New York City as a jungle-like crime center, and on the cynicism that resulted from the 1972-74 Watergate scandal that led to President Nixon's resignation. Big studios were not interested; Carpenter has said that they thought the script was too scary, weird and violent. A worn-down stand-in for a future New York was found in East St. Louis, Illinois, which was mainly rubble after a destructive 1976 fire, and St. Louis, Missouri, with additional shooting in California, Arizona and New York, where the mostly nightly shoot took place from August - November 1980. It involved the production buying a bridge for a dollar from the local government (for liability issues) and selling it back to them for a dollar again after shooting; shutting off electricity of up to ten blocks at night at a time, and the first night shoot on Liberty Island ever permitted. James Cameron (Titanic (1997)) worked as a photographer on the film and helped with the simulated computer-graphics rendition of NYC, which was accomplished with a miniature lined with reflective tape. The film became a summer hit in the US, where it was the year's 32nd highest-grossing film, and was also successful abroad, particularly in West Germany, where it reportedly grossed more than 10 mil. $ alone. The film led to a novelization, a video game, comic books and a less interesting sequel by Carpenter with Russell, Escape from LA (1996). A remake with Gerard Butler was proposed but didn't happen; it now seems a remake and possibly more than one film might be in the works at Fox. Escape from New York is certified fresh at 85 % with a 6.9 critical average at Rotten Tomatoes.]

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