Escape from New York (1981)

In the distant future of 1997 the world has dissolved into a dystopian hell. so much so that the Island of Manhattan has been turned into a huge prison. Enter the man with the coolest name since Clint Eastwood's character which was cool enough to not even have a name.

'call me Snake'

Probably the roughest, toughest, coolest, badass since Bob Fett and he has an eye patch. Not only is Snake one cool son of a bitch but he is hired for the mission by another cool son of a bitch. Lee Van Cleef is Hauk, the guy in charge of this operation and is one hardass leather faced amigo...even at this ripe old age. The mission, we all know it, get into Manhattan, get the President and bounce back across the prison walls before anyone knows they were there, simple.

'the name's Plissken!'

What can I say about this action thriller? its the best damn flick Carpenter made, its got everything you could need. For a start the cast in this film is truly epic, I mean look at it! some massive cult names there and this film was still a small budget affair! Carpenter having made some already great small budget films continued to hammer out top class thrills whilst utilizing basic simple ideas and without the aid of top effects.

The atmosphere of the film is electric all the way through, so dark, creepy and almost medieval in appearance as Plissken wades through the criminal scum. Naturally the bad guys are your typical cliched 80's bunch of fantasy cyberpunk fetish gear wearing bikers that wouldn't look too outta place in the Mad Max universe. Stereotypical now...twas how it was then.

The visuals for the film are bleak and gloomy, plenty of shadow, not much is shown despite the sky high concept. Much is clever use of lighting, camera angles, models, matte work, sets and hard work. You really have to give it to Carpenter and his team for the way they managed to get this film looking so flippin' good, at no point would you think your not on the grimy streets of NY. On top of that the film does have that near futuristic feel as though it could be accurate. Its not over the top with silly gadgets, weapons or robots etc...a reachable possible apocalyptic future which makes it more scary.

'When I get back, I'm going to kill you'

To be honest this film is all about Plissken, the new sheriff in movie town at the time, the new Dirty Harry. If it wasn't for this character the film would never have been as good, this character makes the film. Not only is he ice cool with deadly smartass verbal, he dresses uniquely (for the time), looks butch, plenty of stubble, doesn't give a shit and is a complete loose cannon. Cinematic history was made when this fellow stepped out from the shadows, the ultimate anti hero.

Always amused me how Russell's costume kinda looked as if Carpenter and co simply threw it together at the last minute. Some military cargo pants, a vest and those odd silver shin pads...job done. Such a simple almost crappy look but its now iconic.

Not only is the main character a legend the musical score is also probably Carpenter's best. Previous horror flick 'Halloween' set the bar for its spine tingling tunes, his next film 'The Fog' was also haunting but did seem too similar to 'Halloween'. Before all that 'Assault' had a great videogame-like score which in my opinion is more on track with 'Escapes' theme.

For this film you still have the now classic electric tones but its much deeper than 'Assault', less of a videogame sense and more of a pending doom sense. Its pretty much Snakes's theme tune really, his personal track as he swaggers slowly across this crumbling earth.

'The president of what?'

Like all Carpenter films the plot is simple and straight forward, visuals are just enough but the cast make it work. The fact Plissken is on a health related time limit really adds some tension to the whole plot and keeps you glued to the action. The fact you don't know who will survive, no guarantees for anyone, makes the film even more fun and original for the time.

The action keeps going right to the bitter end and Snake gets his sweet anarchic last word/gesture. The film almost corrupts you as you watch, Snake's badassery is so infectious, you can't help but cheer as he strides away after fudging over the President and what he stands for. An almost anti-authoritarian vibe that runs right through this film which always works well in films.

Ps. Not only is the film tops but the films poster is also excellent.

'No human compassion'



10/10