1997. New York City is a walled, maximum security prison. Breaking out is impossible. Breaking in is insane.
In a world ravaged by crime, the entire island of Manhattan has been converted into a walled prison where brutal prisoners roam free. After the US president crash-lands inside, war hero Snake Plissken has 24 hours to bring him back.
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Character
Cool, plot-driven, relentless and grave.
- cooloverwhelming
- character-ledplot-driven
- contemplativerelentless
- gravecomic
- classical in formformally daring
Who loves it, who doesn't
39 profiled raters. Loved most by The Cartographers; disliked most by The Ironists.
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“Is Escape from New York better than The Thing?”
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“Does the pace leave no room to feel anything?”
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“Is Kurt Russell the best thing in Escape from New York?”
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A yes-or-no question, answered from what people wrote here, on TMDB and on Wikipedia. Never made up.
Reviews
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Reviews on TMDB
Written by TMDB members; each links to the original. Not part of Tastebuds's numbers.
- John Chardon TMDB · Feb 20199/10
A Snake, a Brain, a Cabbie, a Duke and the President Of The USA. It's 1997 and Manhattan Island is a walled off prison, during the flight of Air Force One the president's plane is taken over by a terrorist and the president ejects out in the safety pod. Sadly for him he lands right in the middle of Manhattan Island. When an armed unit lands inside the walls they are told that the president has been taken hostage and they must get out of their prison ASAP. At a loss what to do, the authorities decide to send one man in alone, ex war hero turned criminal, Snake Plissken, not only does he have to contend with surviving the incredibly hostile prison, he also has a time bomb implanted in his body that, should he not get the president out safely within 24 hours, will explode and mean no more Snake Plissken! Made in 1981 and set in 1997, it's safe to say John Carpenter is not the best predictor of the future around. However, his vision of a future where America has thrown all its criminals on one island, where they create their own society out of harms way, has to rank as an incredibly adroit piece of work. This place is grim and deadly, the flotsam and jetsam of society thrust together i
Read the whole review on TMDB - Gimlyon TMDB · Jun 20208/10
Nails the "post-apocalyptic except the world didn't end" vibe. _Final rating:★★★★ - Very strong appeal. A personal favourite._
Read the whole review on TMDB - Graviteeron TMDB · Dec 2014
"Too little of too much" would describe this movie well, which presented us a dystopian New York with development potential and characters whose background is shared, exposed with brief moments of characterization that made me feel like I was missing this movie's predecessor. It didn't exist, and so the end result was of an expanded universe of unknown circumstances - except for the brief introduction we got in the opening credits - where the events barely told the story during the time it was running. But where this movie failed in terms of script, it almost made up with atmosphere and music. It sounds great throughout, but the credit goes to the opening theme that is as minimal as the presentation is grounded, in that humble approach of whom ambition wasn't unheard. Sadly, it's not the case of a classic whose production values challenge the computer generated visuals of today (and ironically this movie's novelty was the wireframe view), but if you're interested in history and want to make a contextual analysis, you may find something worth treasuring. __________________ When authors create they sign. When editors hack they design.
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Cast
- Kurt RussellSnake Plissken
- Lee Van CleefPolice Commissioner Bob Hauk
- Ernest BorgnineCabbie
- Donald PleasencePresident of the United States
- Isaac HayesThe Duke of New York
- Season HubleyGirl in Chock Full O'Nuts
- Harry Dean StantonHarold 'Brain' Helman
- Adrienne BarbeauMaggie
- Tom AtkinsRehme
- Charles CyphersSecretary of State
Crew
- John CarpenterDirector
- Nick CastleScreenplay
- John CarpenterScreenplay
- Dean CundeyDirector of Photography
- Alan HowarthOriginal Music Composer
- John CarpenterOriginal Music Composer
- Todd C. RamsayEditor
- Larry FrancoProducer
- Debra HillProducer
Where to watch
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Pairings
Companions we picked from the closest works, and how to take them.
Similar in taste
Closest on the same fourteen dimensions, from everything scored on Tastebuds Other media included when they land close.
A Fistful of Dollars 196475% alikeBoth plot-driven.
Django 196674% alikeBoth plot-driven, relentless.
Red Rock West 199374% alikeBoth cool, plot-driven.
Cowboy Bebop: The Movie 200173% alikeClose across the board.
Vera Cruz 195473% alikeClose across the board.
The Warriors 197973% alikeBoth relentless, plot-driven.
Young Guns 198873% alikeClose across the board.
Sleepy Hollow 199972% alikeClose across the board.
Sym-Bionic Titan 201072% alikeTelevision · Both plot-driven, relentless.
Death's Door 202169% alikeGame · Both plot-driven.
Often watched with
Recommendations from TMDB. Opening one adds it to Tastebuds
