Escape from New York is a giant hammy ‘80’s action movie sundae. The ice cream base is the dirty gritty Manhattan prison island from the mind of John Carpenter. On top of that is the chocolate syrup cast with Kurt Russell (Death Proof), Harry Dean Stanton (Big Love), Lee Van Cleef (The Good, the Bad and the Ugly), and Donald Pleasence (You Only Live Twice). On the very top is a tasty cherry, which is Isaac Hayes (South Park) as the Duke. I never thought that I would see Chef presiding over gladiator-style battles between hardened criminals, so thank you Escape from New York for being the great movie I did not know that I was missing.
In Escape from New York, crime rates have risen so high (400 percent to be exact) that Manhattan has become a prison island. Air Force One crashes in New York, and the President of the United States (Donald Pleasence) is kidnapped and held ransom by the Duke (Isaac Hayes) and his gang. Snake Plissken (Kurt Russell) is a criminal who was in Special Forces during World War III, and he just happens to have been captured and incarcerated into Manhattan right when Air Force One crashes. Hauk (Lee Van Cleef) sends Snake into New York armed with military weapons and a gigantic cell phone to rescue the President and bring him back alive in 24 hours. Otherwise, the tiny bombs injected into his arteries will explode and kill him.
Escape from New York is not a movie known for being true to life. When I watched it, I felt like I was back in the basement of my Aunt Debbie, the woman who taught me to love bad movies. Together, we watched Hell Comes to Frogtown, Monster in the Closet, and Showgirls. Escape from New York would fit into my Aunt Debbie’s movie line-up perfectly. It is a movie with big explosions and cheesy special effects, meant to be watched with handfuls of buttery popcorn and a cold beer. This is a movie made of few brains and lots of fun, and viewers need to have the right expectations to really enjoy it fully.
Kurt Russell’s Snake is the ultimate 80’s anti-hero. He glares at the audience with his one good eye, limping towards the screen as though daring me to make fun of his mullet (which is pretty epic, by the way). If Snake, Rambo, and the Terminator teamed up, they could probably conquer the world, but right now, Snake is too tired. Maybe he will take a nap and conquer the world later.
Overall, the element of the movie that I liked most was just how much it revels in everything 80’s. The film’s soundtrack is almost entirely done on a synthesizer. The green computer grids on the supposedly high-tech government airplanes are laughable. The post-apocalyptic future is the year 1997, and World War III was the United States vs. Russia. Also, need I point out, scientists have still not come up with tiny bombs that go into a person’s blood stream and explode. Even if there were such tiny artery bombs in existence, they would not be as easy to disarm as holding silver paddles up to someone’s neck, but really, who cares? Escape from New York is cinema junk food with Kurt Russell growling every line and chewing the scenery into a saliva-soaked pulp. If you are a long-time fan, watch it again on Blu-ray. If you are a new fan like me, call up your friends, grab a beer, and have a good time…and avoid Escape from L.A., whatever you do.
Blu-ray Bonus Features
The combo pack comes with a Blu-ray copy and a DVD copy of the film. Special features are limited to the theatrical trailer on the DVD. Die-hard fans of Escape from New York will be satisfied that the movie is finally available on Blu-ray, but it would have been nice to maybe get a commentary or a retrospective from the cast.
"Escape from New York" is on sale August 3, 2010 and is rated R. Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi, Thriller. Directed by John Carpenter. Written by John Carpenter, Nick Castle. Starring Adrienne Barbeau, Donald Pleasence, Ernest Borgnine, Harry Dean Stanton, Isaac Hayes, Kurt Russell, Lee Van Cleef, Season Hubley.
