Review of Escape from New York (1981) by Darryl K — 29 Nov 2010
I'm gonna go ahead and classify Escape From New York as the coolest movie ever made, period. Nothing comes close to bringing shear awesomeness to the screen, especially when it's done with such grace.
The plot: Sectioning off Manhattan to create the ultimate futuristic prison and having your main character venture inside to rescue the president. The Hero: Snake Plissken, a man who just flat out doesn't give a shit about anything but himself.
Kurt Russell just fits the role way too perfectly and makes such an iconic film character out of it. We still love Snake because he has the ability to make a simple lighting of a cigarette look like a one handed back flip across burning coals.
His attire just tops everything off, Urban camo, Sleeveless vest, and an eye patch; genius. The visual style of this movie is simply unmatched. It's one thing to say Manhattan has become a prison, it's another thing to bring it to life.
With a B-movie budget, John Carpenter brings a scale like no other. The low key lighting is so effective in turning the city into a nightmarish maze full of freaks. The music is always a key element to any John Carpenter movie and this is certainly one of the most memorable ones.
There's really nothing lacking in this at all, it doesn't even feel as if there was one particular audience they were going for. Anyone who likes movies will undoubtedly love this, it's just got so much to love.
This review of Escape from New York (1981) was written by Darryl K on 29 Nov 2010.
Escape from New York has generally received positive reviews.
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