ESCAPE FROM NEW YORK (1981)
Reviewed by Jerry Saravia
I recall seeing "Escape From New York" back in 1981 and mostly I remember specific images. I recall the eyepatch-wearing Snake Plissken, the red escape pod that had the President of the U.S. in it, the fact that it mostly took place at night, and that's about it. Having heard recently that there may be a potential remake, I decided to watch it again. "Escape from New York" is a mesmerizingly bleak action film, set in a future that didn't quite happen, and I can't say that I know why it works so well. The downtrodden, claustrophobic look of the film is nothing new for films set in the future (though somewhat new in its time), but the film has an atmospheric power that keeps you glued to the screen.
Kurt Russell is, of course, the iconic, reluctant, taciturn Snake Plissken, a prisoner inside Manhattan, which has become a maximum security prison. The waters are electrified around the island, the bridges are mined and walled - basically, no one can get out alive. It is 1997 and the Air Force One plane has crashed into New York, thanks to the soldiers of The National Liberation Front of America who have taken over the plane (it is never made clear why except for the fact that the President has turned New York, if not the country, into an imperialist nation). The President (Donald Pleasance) manages to escape in a pod that lands in the middle of the city. This is dangerous territory since criminals and thieves known as the Gypsies will kill and maim if necessary (they are led by the Duke of York, well-played by Issac Hayes).
Enter Snake Plissken, a former war hero, who is recruited by Police Commissioner Bob Hauk (Lee Van Cleef) on a rescue mission to find the President in 24 hours. Apparently, the President was on his way to a summit and has papers that could help save the U.S. from being demolished. If Plissken succeeds, he will be pardoned of all his previous criminal charges (I wonder if he can leave New York too!)
"Escape From New York" is fascinating for its low-key style and low-key performances. Nothing detracts from the story and everyone performs without necessarily standing out. Of course, this is what director John Carpenter often does best - maintain a certain degree of tension by building it slowly and effectively and getting his actors to tone it down a few notches. Russell has the look of a leather-jacketed, unapologetic badass punk with an apolitical agenda ("The President of what?"), who doesn't think too highly of himself (and he has no time for love). Essentially, he is the Man With No Name character Eastwood perfected back in the days of the spaghetti westerns. And having Lee Van Cleef on board helps to make that homage to the West even clearer.
And for fans of westerns, there is also Ernest Borgnine as the only taxi cab driver alive who warns Plissken about the Duke; Harry Dean Stanton as Brain, who knows how to navigate the mine traps in the 69th St. Bridge; cleavage-bearing Adrienne Barbeau as Brain's girlfriend; Ox Baker as Slag, a vicious wrestler who wields a baseball bat with ease; and Frank Doubleday as a screaming punk who might very well be the physical incarnation of Edvard Munch's "The Scream."
"Escape From New York" is a strong entry in the futuristic action genre, far more expressive and contained than anyone could've expected. Its view of an imperialist, bleak, nihilistic future (thanks to cinematographer Dean Cundey) seems somewhat prescient, and its antihero, Snake Plissken, seems close to being today's average apolitical citizen who's fed up. Le't hope that potentially imperialistic notions in the future exclude turning a city into a maximum security prison.
