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Movies / On DVD / Escape from New York
Escape from New York

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Escape from New York (1981)

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81 %
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Reviews Counted: 42

Fresh: 34

Rotten:8

Average Rating: 6.7/10

Consensus: Featuring an atmospherically grimy futuristic metropolis, Escape from New York is a strange, entertaining jumble of thrilling action and oddball weirdness.

Runtime: 2 hrs 6 mins

Genre: Science-Fiction/Fantasy

Synopsis: Another John Carpenter cult classic, ESCAPE FROM NEW YORK was one of the best entries in the once popular post-apocalyptic genre which included ROAD WARRIOR and THE TERMINATOR. In 1997, the island of Manhattan has been turned into the... Another John Carpenter cult classic, ESCAPE FROM NEW YORK was one of the best entries in the once popular post-apocalyptic genre which included ROAD WARRIOR and THE TERMINATOR. In 1997, the island of Manhattan has been turned into the world's largest maximum security prison, a place where the worst of humanity is sent to rot. The U.S. Government finds itself in a major crisis when the president's plane crash lands in New York only days before a vital peace summit between major warring nations is to take place. The president survives the crash, but is taken hostage by the denizens of Manhattan and held for ransom. Only war hero turned felon Snake Plissken can save the day, and he is offered a simple deal for his work: save the president and live, fail to save him and die. The one-eyed bandit sets to work, cutting a path of destruction to the president that has to be seen to be believed. Kurt Russell creates the indelible character of Snake Plissken as no other actor could have. Wisecracking and cool under the very worst of pressures, Snake is the ultimate bad good guy. Often copied, but never duplicated, ESCAPE FROM NEW YORK is full of the wit, energy and action that marks a John Carpenter picture. [More]

Starring: Kurt Russell, Lee Van Cleef, Ernest Borgnine, Donald Pleasence

Starring: Kurt Russell, Lee Van Cleef, Ernest Borgnine, Donald Pleasence, Isaac Hayes, Season Hubley, Harry Dean Stanton, Adrienne Barbeau

Director: John Carpenter

Director: John Carpenter
Screenwriter: John Carpenter, Nick Castle
Producer: Debra Hill, Larry J. Franco

[See More Credits]

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Release:

Feb 23, 1999

[DVD Details]
 
 

DVD Features:

  • Region 1 Encoding
  • Keep Case

Reviews for Escape from New York

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1 - 20 (sorted by date)
Text View | 1 2 3 >> >|
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Ratings Image

viewing the film today is akin to having one's sense of youthful nostalgia violated. ...the terrible dialogue, patchy pacing and silly costumes, so easily overlooked during one's wild-eyed teen years, now seem so much more obvious and distracting.

Full Review Source: Eye for Film | comment Comment
11/04/08
Anton Bitel
Eye for Film
Ratings Image

Its influence cannot be understated.

Full Review Source: eFilmCritic.com | comment Comment
07/30/07
Rob Gonsalves
eFilmCritic.com
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Combustible Celluloid | comment Comment
06/30/07
Jeffrey M. Anderson
Combustible Celluloid
Ratings Image

It's a rare film that has so many ideas and yet fails so consistently to make use of them.

Full Review Source: Chicago Reader | comment Comment
06/05/07
Dave Kehr
Chicago Reader
Top Critic Icon Top Critic
Ratings Image

A generally gripping actioner, the film can also be read as a percipient satire of a society irreparably split along lines of class and race.

Full Review Source: TV Guide's Movie Guide | comment Comment
06/05/07
TV Guide's Movie Guide
Ratings Image

A solidly satisfying actioner.

Full Review Source: Variety | comment Comment
06/05/07
Variety Staff
Variety
Top Critic Icon Top Critic
Ratings Image

Com exceção de seu interessante anti-herói, é um filme medíocre: pouco imaginativo, com cenas de ação frouxas e uma trilha amadora (marca registrada de Carpenter), é um daqueles exemplos de longas que se tornam cult sabe-se lá por quê.

comment Comment
09/11/06
Pablo Villaca
Cinema em Cena
Ratings Image

The plot gradually winds down into predictable though highly enoyable histrionics.

Full Review Source: Time Out | comment Comment
01/26/06
Time Out
Ratings Image

Boasting one of the most iconic characters ever in Plissken, and an effective sci-fi set-up, this is entertainment of the highest order.

Full Review Source: Empire Magazine | comment Comment
11/03/05
Ian Freer
Empire Magazine
Ratings Image

No review available.

comment Comment
09/02/05
Jon Niccum
Lawrence Journal-World
Ratings Image

No review available.

comment Comment
07/22/05
Randy Shulman
Metro Weekly (Washington, DC)
Ratings Image

No review available.

comment Comment
06/26/05
Emanuel Levy
EmanuelLevy.Com
Ratings Image

No review available.

comment Comment
05/11/05
Rob Blackwelder
SPLICEDWire
Ratings Image

No review available.

comment Comment
04/21/05
Thomas Delapa
Boulder Weekly
Ratings Image

No review available.

comment Comment
02/14/05
Philip Martin
Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
Ratings Image

Reagen-era horseshit.

comment 4 Comments
11/22/04
John Esther
Pasadena Weekly
Ratings Image

It's a toughly told, very tall tale, one of the best escape (and escapist) movies of the season.

Full Review Source: New York Times | comment Comment
08/30/04
Vincent Canby
New York Times
Top Critic Icon Top Critic
Ratings Image

Vicious scenes are often juxtaposed with comic sequences in a tap dance of contrasting tones that is both bizarre and grandly entertaining.

Full Review Source: Cinemania | comment Comment
07/02/04
Dan Jardine
Cinemania
Ratings Image

No review available.

comment Comment
04/11/04
Greg Maki
Star-Democrat (Easton, MD)
Ratings Image

No review available.

comment Comment
02/20/04
Daniel M. Kimmel
Worcester Telegram & Gazette
1 - 20 (sorted by date)
Text View | 1 2 3 >> >|
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Latest News for Escape from New York

October 26, 2008: LI Woman: Exclusive With Adrienne Barbeau Opens in new window
More...

May 06, 2008: Neil Marshall's 10 Post-Apocalyptic Picks
The Doomsday director runs RT through the movies that inspired his cyber-punk vision of a dodgy future. More...

October 30, 2007: Ratner Escapes from Escape from New York
Well, that didn't take long: Just a little over three weeks after the rumor mill started spinning about Brett Ratner taking over for Len Wiseman as director of the Escape from... More...

October 05, 2007: Escape from New York Escapes from Len Wiseman
If you read the news that Len Wiseman would be directing the pending remake of John Carpenter's Escape from New York and groaned, we've got some good news for you. And also... More...

See More Topics...

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