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This science fiction action film from imaginative director John Carpenter was released in July
of 1981, and grossed over four times its small $6 million dollar budget. In the distant future
of 1997, the entire island of Manhattan is a giant super-max prison, and a convicted
bank robber and ex-special forces operative is sent in to rescue the President of the
United States. Playing the famous war veteran everyone thought was dead is Kurt Russell,
who does a great job portraying the gruff and heartless wounded anti-hero. The iconic,
eye-patch wearing protagonist eventually became the inspiration for the "Solid Snake" character
in the hugely popular "Metal Gear Solid" franchise, and is easily the most entertaining part of
this 99-minute feature, especially when he answers the Commissioner's question of "what
are you doing?" with a sarcastic, "Playing with myself!" One fun, but entirety unrealistic
sequence has Russell fighting to the death in an underground battle against a giant brute
twice his size. Lee Van Cleef, Ernest Borgnine, Adrienne Barbeau, Donald Pleasence, Issac
Hayes, and Harry Dean Stanton make up the large supporting cast - some of whom do a
better job than the others blending in with their dangerous surroundings. The consequences
and stakes are clearly spelled out early, with frequent cut-aways to a ticking digital
clock reminding us how much time Russell has left. Despite this urgency, the movie drags
along at a snail's pace... with a very quiet and almost incomplete-sounding audio mix - paired
with Carpenter's heavily synthesized self-composed score, which is often grating, and even irritating.
The movie does boost some inventive special effects though, like a rendering of New York
from above, accomplished by painting a scale model of the city entirely black, with neon
trim - giving the illusion of a 3D computer animation. The production design is quite
tremendous, vividly portraying a hellish and futuristic landscape, including Los Angeles's
Sepulveda Dam sitting in for the prison's massive control center. A dark a shadowy universe
filmed with a wide, anamorphic frame, Carpenter's slower, static approach to cinematography
is a welcome one: and a far cry from the shaky mess most action films today look like. That
said, this is the sort of unique premise, hampered by the limitations and style of its
era, that could likely benefit from a 21-century remake. Fortunately, the equally ridiculous
1997 sequel is a strong improvement in several of the categories this R-rated film comes
up short. Mindless cinema with no real purpose, this is still a mildly amusing picture worth
checking out at least once. "Escape From New York", "Patently absurd. Weird, but watchable."
Now that you've heard my review, let's read some of yours from the YouTube comments.
Our scores for "Escape From New York"... an EIGHT and a FIVE. You applauded the fresh
style, action, and of course, Russell's performance, giving this a GREAT. From a technical standpoint,
this film seems a bit half-baked, and despite its unique characters and premise, I just
wasn't really all that entertained... I think it's ALRIGHT. Which, I feel needs reiterating,
is a *positive* score under my system.