ESCAPE
FROM NEW YORK (1981)Director: John Carpenter
MGM
ESCAPE
FROM NEW YORK (1981)In 1997 America has been ravaged by war and a rise in crime. To counter the problem of increasing crime, the U.S. government has set up the ultimate security prison -- New York City. The entire city has been sectioned off and no one gets out -- alive.
Ex Special Forces war hero, and now criminal after being betrayed during a high security bank robbery -- "Snake" Plisken (Kurt Russell) is being sent to a New York maximum-security prison. But the U.S. government has other plans for Snake when terrorists cause the president of the United States (Donald Pleasance) to crash land into New York in an emergency pod. The head of the prison (Lee Van Cleef) makes Snake an offer -- rescue the president of the United States in 24 hours for a full pardon for his crime.
While inside New York, Snake befriends Cabbie (Ernest Borgnine), who introduces him to the one person who can lead him to the president -- Brain (Harry Dean Stanton), who abandoned Snake during the bank robbery. It turns out that the Duke of New York (Isaac Hayes) is holding the president hostage in a bid for the freedom of all criminals held in New York. Snake, Cabbie, Brain, and his girlfriend Maggie (Adrienne Barbeau), begin a quest to rescue the president. The road ahead is not easy for the would-be heroes as they come face to face with the Duke and his henchmen. 1997 -- New York City is now a maximum-security prison. Breaking out is impossible. Breaking in is insane.
After viewing MGM's new DVD premiere of ESCAPE FROM NEW YORK, I have to admit to feeling both happy and upset at the same time. I was really looking forward to seeing this film on DVD, as it is one of my favorites from director John Carpenter. I had previously seen the laserdisc version and was extremely impressed with the running commentary by director John Carpenter and star Kurt Russell. Another extra on the laserdisc was the original theatrical trailer and a newly produced feature on the making of the film, including clips from the deleted opening sequence.
While the MGM DVD looks and sounds fantastic, the only extra feature included is the original theatrical trailer. This was really a sore spot for me since the laserdisc had so many extras on it. Why couldn't MGM do their homework and get the rights to the commentary and deleted scene? Even better, why not put the deleted scene back into the film? While the packaging on the new DVD looks enticing and the DVD itself is priced lower than most new ones (around $15), the overall aggravation can really get to you.
What really saves this DVD is the film itself. It is really an enjoyable action film with characters that seem like they are out of a cartoon with their outlandish stereotypes. Interestingly enough, the studio originally wanted Tommy Lee Jones to play Snake Plisken until John Carpenter got his way and hired Kurt Russell. Russell's former work as a Disney child star made the studio doubt he could pull off such a hard-edged character. Other interesting facts on the film include; that Jamie Lee Curtis (who previously worked with Carpenter on HALLOWEEN) did the opening narration and the voice of the computer, the model set of the city was repainted and reused for the sci-fi classic BLADE RUNNER, the name "Snake Plisken" was changed to "Hyena" for the Italian release, a crew member can be seen giving Isaac Hayes a "stand-up" cue in the left side of the screen when Hayes is quieting the Madison Square Garden crowd, and a continuity problem is evident when the scientist gives Snake the injection (he tells him that they can neutralize the explosion 15 minutes before the deadline, but Snake lets the timer run down to 6 seconds -- he should be dead!).
A few mistakes aside, I do love this film and have fond memories of watching the film as a kid. With a budget of $6 million, it returned a gross net of $25 million. How many films today can claim to have quadrupled their original investment? While a sequel was made in 1996 -- ESCAPE FROM L.A. -- it was a real dud and could not stand up to the bleak and violent world created in the original film. ESCAPE FROM NEW YORK is truly one of John Carpenter's best films. (Chris Gullo)