JOHN CARPENTER'S
ESCAPE FROM NEW YORK

"Call me Snake"

In the not too distant future the crime level will increase by four hundred percent turning the US into a police state. To cope with all the criminals, the once great city of New York is turned into the country's maximum-security prison by surrounding Manhattan Island with a fifty-foot wall. Once you where sentenced you would never get out. When terrorists take over Air Force One and crash it into New York, the president escapes and is held for ransom by the prisoners. Police Commissioner Bob Hauk (Van Cleef) is given twenty-two hours to get him out before a world summit collapses so he forces the only man who can complete the job, Snake Plissken (Russell).

John Carpenter was the cult director of the 70s and 80s and with hits like 'Halloween', 'The Fog', 'Assault on Precinct 13', 'Starman' and 'The Thing' but chief amongst these was 'Escape From New York'.

When it comes to defining the cinematic anti-hero, you should look no further than Snake Plissken. John Carpenter and his star Kurt Russell in 1981 created a character that would become a classic. Here we have a character that you really shouldn't like, let alone get behind. He is a man that has taken the wrong path. A once hero who choose a criminal path and is about to be punished for his crime, is forced into the task with only the threat of death pushing him to do the right thing. He isn't your all-American hero, he is selfish man who is driven to save his own skin and the only way he can do this is to save the day.

Made for absolutely no money, this is a visually impressive look at an alternate version of the US that many people thought might become a reality in the early 80s. The film's only draw back is the time frame that immediately dates the movie because it is set in 1997 but this aside it is a still a fascinating look at an apocalyptic vision of the future. The idea of transforming on the world's biggest and greatest cities into a prison is a brilliant concept and Carpenter and his team transform the Big Apple into a war zone. Ruled by the prisoners, the city is character of its own as the team recreate famous settings that are now on the verge of disintegration.

Key to the success of the film is the ensemble cast. Along with the brilliant creation of Snake Plissken, Carpenter and his creative team have gathered together a set of memorable characters. Veteran actor Lee Van Cleef brings some class to the production as Police Commissioner Bob Hauk. His scenes with Plissken really set up the movie and his presence brings something more to the film. Ernest Borgnine's Cabby brings some fun and comedy to the film. Harry Dean Stanton and Adrienne Barbeau reluctantly help Snake achieve his mission as Brain and Maggie. Donald Pleasence looks suitably presidential as the US commander and chief. Isaac Hayes plays the Duke of New York with just the right about of menace to make his a decent villain.

'Escape from New York' lacks the big action sequences and story development that the excellent characters and premise deserved but you can see why the film has become a cult classic. The reason is Snake Plissken and this is because he is one of the best cinematic anti-heroes ever to grace the silver screen.