Review of Escape from New York (1981) by Liam C — 11 Sep 2014

The greatest Metal Gear Solid movie never made. Escape from New York is a perfect example of a fantastic idea executed to its fullest by a team of people who really knew how to spend their budget wisely to make an idea fully realised and have be it as atmospheric and engrossing as possible.

As soon as the opening credits start you feel like you've been transported to another world. The music is very fitting of the visuals around you to create a perfect atmosphere. You're given an excellent set up of how the future is by a computer and the film just carries on from there. Snake is just a cool character played excellently by Kurt Russell, the rest of the cast is memorable too, they all have their quirks that makes them all stand out and they're brought to life by the great cast.

It still amazes me what was done with the budget, New York really is a character all on its own and it just looks so compelling and so well realised, even with the advances in what can be done with special effects now, the film still holds up and looks really, really good. There will always be a place for practical effects. The film also has it's horror elements that fit really well and add a lot and given the directors history, it seems all the more fitting. John Carpenter did a really good job here and did a film that wasn't the straight forward horror he had done, mostly, up until that point.

The only complaint I could really find is that the film doesn't really look as great in the daytime, thankfully most of it remains at night but the very few scenes during the day took away quite a lot of the atmosphere and tone. Also, by the time you get to the end it feels a lot different from what was set up at the start. Perhaps it's just me but I did expect it to be more of a stealth film but maybe that's my fault to assume that when I hear the name Snake. I do like the ending though, the film very easily could have succumbed to all out action finale but Carpenter kept a steady hand and just lets the tension of the situation carry the ending.

I can't quite pinpoint what makes this as great as it is, it has so many elements that mesh brilliantly well together to make it a fantastic, engaging experience. It is a very simple set up, go in, get x and get out but directed by someone who knows what they are doing and using their minimal budget to full effect and acted out by a brilliant cast, Escape from New York is game changer of a film and over the years gained a cult that gave it the attention it deserved.