A Masterpiece!

It's funny, it's tense, it features two great performances from two actors and the director expertly creates a web of odd tension where you actually don't know what is happening for the majority of the run time.

One of the film's great tricks is that, for a time, you think it will go down a rabbit hole of unrealistic glorification.

By the time the dramatic fireworks start popping off, each one feels earned.

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

Escape From New York (1981) stars Kurt Russel and Lee Van Cleef. It's about a hardened criminal who is sent in to rescue the President after his plane crashes in New York, now a massive prison. I found this movie to be a perfect storm of 80's nostalgia with bad CGI, a gritty color palette, gratuitous violence, and a strong lead action hero. Kurt Russel pulls off a fantastic Snake Plissken, the character becoming an icon for years to come. It's not the best movie ever made, but an enjoyable and fun experience nonetheless. 7/10

The film - set in 1997, a great year I must say - is a classic dystopian film, except for the fact that it's not ordinary at all... and I mean that in the nicest way possible. "Escape from New York" is an amazing film. It has an amazing and UNIQUE plot headed with, not to mention, one of the coolest movie characters of all time, Snake Plissken! When I first saw this movie (when I was about 10 years old), I was shocked, intrigued, disgusted, and, at the end, madly in love with the movie. I thought Kurt Russell was the most interesting man in the world. And this may just be one of the best action films out there. It is very creative, cool, and engaging. I'd recommend it to anyone.

This early 80's bit of dystopian sci-fi set in a future America which is now a fascist state has gone on to garner a cult reputation. Set in the future of 1997, Manhattan Island is now a high security prison where the criminal dregs of society are contained. When the president's aeroplane crashes in the middle of this city prison and captured by the resident criminals, a mercenary called Snake Plissken is sent in on a do-or-die mission to retrieve him within twenty-four hours.Escape From New York is another in the long line of strong movies director John Carpenter made in his 70's-80's heyday. After a couple of big horror hits under his belt he returned to the more action-oriented style of his earlier Assault on Precinct 13 (1976), except in this case adding a science-fiction premise to add considerable colour. To this end, the film features dark dilapidated New York settings for the action to take place and these, added to the nice panoramic views of the darkened city add considerable atmosphere. As does Carpenter's main theme music which is amongst the very best be ever composed and given the high calibre of his original soundtrack music, that's saying quite a lot. The film also benefits from a cast of b-movie legends, we have Donald Pleasence as an improbable President of the United States, Isaac Hayes is a blaxploitation styled Duke of New York, Kurt Russell as the iconic eye-patch sporting anti-hero, Adrienne Barbeau appears throughout in an eye-popping low cut tight red outfit, Ernest Borgnine is a comic-relief cabbie, Lee Van Cleef is a hard-bitten police chief and Harry Dean Stanton pitches up as a shifty character called Brain. The film isn't always fully exciting stuff it has to be admitted and it sometimes promises more than it delivers but the set-up, settings and cast are very good, while there are some memorable scenes such as the death match and mine-infested bridge to keep the pace up. Ultimately, this is a very solid bit of early 80's sci-fi action, with enough distinctive elements to ensure its ongoing cult appeal.