Escape From L.A.

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Escape From L.A.

R

1996

1h 41m

Action

Adventure

Sci-Fi

Mystery & Thriller

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Popcornmeter

45%

Tomatometer

155 Reviews

39%

Popcornmeter

50,000+ Ratings

In 2013, the United States president was exiling all citizens who don't conform to his hyper-conservative views to Los Angeles, which became an island after a huge earthquake. But, when the president's daughter nabs the detonator to her dad's apocalyptic weapon and sneaks into L.A. to be with the rebel leader she loves, the government taps commando-turned-crook Snake Plissken to retrieve the young woman. And, if he doesn't succeed quickly, he'll be executed.

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Critics Consensus

Escape from L.A. strains to recapture the anarchic energy of its predecessor, squandering Kurt Russell's enduring charisma with cartoonish excess and a disappointingly rehashed narrative.

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Kevin Jackson

Independent (UK)

Aug 4, 2026

LA has so few new treats that for the most part it leaves you brooding on the lost of inspiration that can plague those who burned most brightly in youth.

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Duane Byrge

The Hollywood Reporter

Aug 4, 2026

Under Carpenter's uninspired directorial hand, the film's visualization of post-catastrophe decadence is amazingly mundane.

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Milford Reid

Minneapolis Star Tribune

Aug 4, 2026

4/5

It's taken 15 years, but Snake Plissken, one of filmdom's best antiheroes of all time, finally returns in the explosive, trashy, violent and just plain fun "Escape from L.A."

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Larry Ratliff

San Antonio Express-News

Aug 24, 2026

2.5/4

"Escape From L.A." is more like "Escape From New York-West" than anything truly original. But it's fun to see Snake slither back out from under his rock after 15 years of hibernation.

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Michael D. Reid

Victoria Times Colonist (B.C., Canada)

Aug 4, 2026

2/5

Bursts of occasionally clever tongue-in-cheek humor and a dazzling production design aren't enough to redeem John Carpenter's noisy, incoherent and patience-trying sequel to his 1981 hit Escape from New York.

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Holly McClure

Orange County Register

Aug 4, 2026

D

The script is lousy, the dialogue limited and the plot is so thin, everyone escapes.

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Robert P

@Superbad Sep 20, 2026

Escape From L.A. = a *2* star Movie!

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Andrew A.

@rt_andrew May 3, 2026

If the first Escape was a weird dive bar, this one is a sleazy strip club

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Hailee G.

@MetalSiren95 May 2, 2026

The only redeems quality is Kurt Russel, I have to force myself to ignore the CGI surfing scene

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John C.

@RT18968112 Apr 1, 2026

Say What you will, I'm a fan of both Carpenter and Russell having fun. 5 Stars 🤩. Snake is Back!

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Smyles A.

@Smyles Mar 24, 2026

This one was pretty cool. Took on a completely different vibe than the new York one... Left me wanting a 3rd movie

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Jason H

@RT50328122 Feb 16, 2026

It's fun to see Kurt Russell as Snake again, but this sequel just regurgitates the original. Some of the special effects are laughable.

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John Carpenter

Director

Kurt Russell

Snake Plissken

Stacy Keach

Cmdr. Malloy

Steve Buscemi

Map to the Stars Eddie

Cliff Robertson

President

Peter Fonda

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Synopsis

In 2013, the United States president was exiling all citizens who don't conform to his hyper-conservative views to Los Angeles, which became an island after a huge earthquake. But, when the president's daughter nabs the detonator to her dad's apocalyptic weapon and sneaks into L.A. to be with the rebel leader she loves, the government taps commando-turned-crook Snake Plissken to retrieve the young woman. And, if he doesn't succeed quickly, he'll be executed.

Director: John Carpenter
Producer: Debra Hill, Kurt Russell
Screenwriter: John Carpenter, Debra Hill, Kurt Russell
Distributor: Paramount Pictures
Production Co: Paramount Pictures, Paramount Pictures International, Rysher Entertainment
Rating: R
Genre: Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi, Mystery & Thriller
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Aug 9, 1996, Original
Release Date (Streaming): Aug 1, 2013
Box Office (Gross USA): $25.5M
Runtime: 1h 41m
Sound Mix: Stereo, Dolby Digital, Surround
Aspect Ratio: Scope (2.35:1)

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