Escape from New York

1981 "1997. New York City is a walled maximum security prison. Breaking out is impossible. Breaking in is insane."
7.1| 1h39m| R| en| More Info
Released: 26 June 1981 Released
Producted By: AVCO Embassy Pictures
Country: United States of America
Budget: 0
Revenue: 0
Official Website: http://www.theofficialjohncarpenter.com/escape-from-new-york/
Info

In a world ravaged by crime, the entire island of Manhattan has been converted into a walled prison where brutal prisoners roam. After the US president crash-lands inside, war hero Snake Plissken has 24 hours to bring him back.

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Director

John Carpenter

Production Companies

AVCO Embassy Pictures

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Escape from New York Audience Reviews

Solemplex To me, this movie is perfection.
AnhartLinkin This story has more twists and turns than a second-rate soap opera.
Allison Davies The film never slows down or bores, plunging from one harrowing sequence to the next.
Logan By the time the dramatic fireworks start popping off, each one feels earned.
yuengling215 This is a classic 80's movie! Definitely worth watching if you like sci-fi movies! They don't make movies like this anymore, that's for sure... It doesn't have all those special effects and CGI nonsense. It's how movies still should be made. With actors not overacting and not all the computer generated crap. A bare bones sci-fi flick. If your looking for something different and are tired of all the crap out there check out this movie!
Benedito Dias Rodrigues Almost a masterpiece,even a tight budge this movie really stands test of time,when l saw it in 1983 on first time in my teenage years this picture hooked me,since then l've watching six times,a priceless sci-fi classic,the anti-hero Snake delivery in every way,the late Stanton as The Brain in a fine and complex role,Adrienne Barbeau in most sexy character ever made,those twin breast were unforgettable forever,Lee Van Cleef and Ernest Borgnine are fantastic as supporting casting and finally Isaac Hayes as the Duke had a best performance ever...on a dark atmosphere spent almost in the night this top notch movie explain how John Carpenter becomes a cult director!!Hoping see it on a double Blu-ray in dubbed version and a lot of bonus materials as already release in USA!!! Resume: First watch: 1983 / How many: 6 / Source: TV-Cable TV-DVD / Rating: 9
Samuel-Shovel This is a movie that I'd actually be okay with Hollywood remaking. The premise is solid but the execution leaves a lot to be desired. It has a weak script that starts slow, picks up speeds in the middle, and then loses complete control down the stretch. The significance of the tape is never significantly explained, why Snake decides to destroy is a bit convoluted (because the President was non-appreciative I guess?). None of the characters are fully fleshed out, even Snake is fairly one-dimensional. Why does everyone assume he's dead? Why does everyone know him? What's Snake & Brain's relationship before this movie? I'm shocked this movie is 1 hour 39 minutes because, even though I just finished watching it, I can't imagine what we were doing the entire time! All the acting is fine, nothing to shout about though. The set design is pretty good. I wish we could have spent more time in New York and less time messing around in the Army base. I also wish we would have spent a lot more time learning about the different gangs in New York? We barely know anything about The Duke's gang. Who are those people on Broadway chucking bricks at the cars? Who are the people coming out of the sewers, these Crazies? Who are these Tribesmen roaming around the World Trade Center? So many loose ends that I would like to have seen cleared up. There's a lot of promise here but the payout is not great.
aj0899 I've been on a kick of watching movies from around this time period. Escape From New York is one I had never seen, but had heard a lot about. I was disappointed. It is a very low budget movie, with almost no plot. The action scenes, which would be the only selling point, are mostly bland and lack any kind of excitement or impact. The premise is kind of interesting, but with the hindsight of history, being set in 1997 with late 70s technology makes it tough to buy in. Other movies from the same time period did a much better job in the same territory (The Terminator had a small budget, but is a much better movie). Looking for positives, it has some good actors who do their best with the minimal script. Russell, Van Cleef, Borgnine and Pleasance all do their job well with what they're given. Which isn't much. Adrienne Barbeau provides ever-present cleavage to distract from the lack of plot. The music is good considering Carpenter did it himself, but it's not anything great.Overall, I can't say it was worth the time. I probably won't watch it again.