REVIEW – Escape from New York

Published on: 16th December, 2009

REVIEW - Escape from New York  | read this item

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Of all the antiheroes that have graced John Carpenter movies, the most iconic is fan favourite Snake Plissken. First portrayed by Kurt Russell in Escape from New York and then later in Escape from L.A., the character has become something of a cult and Russell’s role and, whilst taking its cue from not only John Wayne and Clint Eastwood but also Assault on Precinct 13’s Napoleon Wilson, would become one of Carpenter’s most influential creations, paving the way for his later cowboy-like protagonists. In fact, in many ways Escape from New York could be considered a western, with the lone outlaw sent into a crime-ridden town to rescue a prisoner. It is no coincidence that Lee Van Cleef, most known for his roles alongside Eastwood in the acclaimed ‘Dollars‘ trilogy, would also be cast in the movie, whilst Russell speaks his lines with an Eastwood-style growl.

In an effort to combat crime, the American government have transformed Manhattan into a maximum-security prison of which there is no escape. With armed guards patrolling the perimeter, the inmates are left to their own devices inside the city and a new hierarchy has been created, with New York now run by The Duke (Isaac Hayes). But when terrorists hijack Air Force One and the president’s (Donald Pleasence) escape pod crash-lands behind the walls of the prison, military leader Bob Hauk (Van Cleef) forces former war hero-turned-convicted thief Snake Plissken (Russell) to covertly head into New York and rescue the president, along with an important recording. Unable to refuse due to being poisoned and needing to complete his mission to receive an antidote, Snake arrives in Manhattan and, with the help of a streetwise cab driver (Ernest Borgnine), sets out to rescue the president before it is too late.

Carpenter first developed the concept for Escape from New York during the mid-1970s but due to his lack of collateral in Hollywood no producers or studios were willing to back the ambitious project. But in the wake of his sudden success with Halloween and The Fog, as well as his acclaimed mini series Elvis (which marked his first collaboration with Russell), suddenly Carpenter became a safe bet for investors. Escape from New York once again demonstrated his love for westerns, with the prison employing frontier law, Hauk representing the sheriff or landowner who hires the outlaw to right the wrongs that the authorities are powerless to fight against and Snake, who is the ultimate antihero: a combination of Eastwood’s ‘Man With No Name’ (from Sergio Leone’s spaghetti westerns) and Wayne’s no-nonsense cowboy.

It is strange to think how much resistance the studio initially showed with regard to the casting of Russell, instead favouring Tommy Lee Jones for the role (who, incidentally, had starred in the Carpenter-scripted thriller The Eyes of Laura Mars). Having previously been known for his Disney appearances and clean-cut roles, Russell is a delight as Snake, with his trademark eye-patch and vicious streak. Snake is an extension of Assault on Precinct 13’s Napoleon and, along with Halloween’s Michael Myers, is Carpenter’s most inspired creation. Refusing to show emotion and more interested in finding a smoke than caring about the carnage around him (another reference to Assault on Precinct 13’s antihero), Snake is a cool-as-ice protagonist that does the right thing, but not usually for the right reasons.

One of the most impressive aspects about the movie is the supporting cast, which is made up of a host of familiar faces. Spaghetti western veteran Van Cleef and the legendary Borgnine are both memorable, whilst Hayes follows his success in the blaxploitation cycle with another strong character. Alien’s Harry Dean Stanton is excellent as the two-faced scientist Brain who, it is revealed, had been Snake’s partner on the bank job that had resulted in him being arrested. Much of the cast are made up of Carpenter regulars, including the always likable Pleasence (Halloween), Adrienne Barbeau (The Fog) and Charles Cyphers (Assault on Precinct 13). It is the host of respected names that helped Escape from New York find an audience and all are on top form.

The script was co-written by Nick Castle, who had previously portrayed Halloween’s Michael Myers for the majority of the movie, and is full of sharp dialogue and interesting set pieces based around recognisable New York settings that have been reduced to a ghetto. The movie was released at the height of Carpenter’s popularity that would eventually dwindle by the end of the decade and even its belated sequel would fail to achieve the same kind of cult status as Escape from New York. There was a time when John Carpenter was the undisputed king of exploitation and fantasy cinema and his collaborations with Russell (later followed by The Thing and Big Trouble in Little China) would usually prove to be his most entertaining.

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