Escape from New York (1981)

Director:

John Carpenter

Writers:

John Carpenter (written by) and
Nick Castle (written by)

Release Date:

10 July 1981 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Adventure | Sci-Fi | Thriller

Tagline:

The world's greatest leader is a hostage in the most dangerous place on Earth. Now only the deadliest man alive can save him.

Plot:

In 1997, when the US President crashes into Manhattan, now a giant max. security prison, a convicted bank robber is sent in for a rescue.

Plot Keywords:

Snake | Presumed Dead | Electronic Music Score | One Eyed Man | Cult Favorite

Awards:

4 nominations

US TV Schedule:

Tue. July 29

6:00 PM

AMC

Cast

Kurt Russell	...	Snake Plissken
Lee Van Cleef	...	Hauk
Ernest Borgnine	...	Cabbie
Donald Pleasence	...	President
Isaac Hayes	...	The Duke
Season Hubley	...	Girl in Chock Full O'Nuts
Harry Dean Stanton	...	Brain
Adrienne Barbeau	...	Maggie
Tom Atkins	...	Rehme
Charles Cyphers	...	Secretary of State
Joe Unger	...	Taylor (scenes deleted)
Frank Doubleday	...	Romero
John Strobel	...	Cronenberg
John Cothran Jr.	...	Gypsy #1
Garrett Bergfeld	...	Gypsy #2

Also Known As:

John Carpenter's Escape from New York (USA) (complete title)

Runtime:

99 min

Country:

UK | USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Metrocolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Canada:R (Manitoba) (director's cut) | Canada:R (Nova Scotia) | UK:15 (video rating) | Iceland:16 | Canada:PA (Manitoba) | Germany:16 | Finland:K-15 (DVD rating) | Canada:13+ (Quebec) | Brazil:14 | UK:AA (original rating) | Canada:AA (Ontario) | Australia:M | Norway:15 | Norway:16 (original rating) | Sweden:15 | USA:R | West Germany:16 (w) | Singapore:PG

Filming Locations:

Chain of Rocks Bridge, St. Louis, Missouri, USA

Company:

AVCO Embassy Pictures

Trivia:

Donald Pleasence came up with a backstory to explain how he became President with his British accent but Carpenter didn't use it.

Goofs:

Continuity: When the President shoots The Duke, the cable to bring Snake up from the city is clearly under the railings; but when Snake reaches the top, the cable is over the top railing.

Quotes:

Snake Plissken: [radioing a pullout request] All right, get your machine ready, I'm coming out.
Bob Hauk: 18 hours, Plissken!
Snake Plissken: Listen to me, Hauk. The President is dead, you got that? Somebody's had him for dinner!
Bob Hauk: Plissken, if you get back in that glider, I'll shoot you down! You climb out, I'll burn you off the wall! Do you understand that, Plissken?
Snake Plissken: No human compassion.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Land of the Dead (2005)

Soundtrack:

Engulfed Cathedral

Like fine wine this gets better with age!

John Carpneter's cult classic Escape From New York, is set in a dystopia 1997! New York city has been transformed into a virtual

maximum security prison where some of the most degenerate and deadly criminals have been left to languish. But when a gang of freedom fighters hijack air force one and subsequently crash land there, it's an eerie precursor of events of 911, the president played convincingly by Donald Pleasance is taken hostage by some of the criminals who rule the roost. So the authorities who are led by iconic spaghetti western actor Lee Van Cleef send in Snake Plisskin (Kurt Russell) a once highly decorated soldier who s now imprisoned after a string of thefts, is coerced in to rescue him, but they trick him into thinking they've given him a vaccine, which results in a very clever plot twist which it's a device which will kill him if he doesn't complete his mission in 24 hours. Escape From New York is a surprisingly made action classic it makes great use of Steadicam shots which in-itself is a classic carpenter trademark. the film is best seen in it's 2:35:1 aspect ratio the usual TV showing in pan and scan butcher the composition.