Escape from New York Movie Review

Once you accept the premise – that Manhattan, one of the most expensive pieces of real estate on the planet, would be turned into a big jail – you've got a fine sf shoot-'em-up. In fact, this one established the formula that so many others would copy in the ‘80s and ‘90s. When convicts hold the President hostage, a disgraced war hero (Kurt Russell at his best) unwillingly attempts an impossible rescue mission. The pace is quick, the characters are colorful, and the evocation of a desolate urban landscape is effective. Followed by a sequel in 1996.

1981 (R) 99m/C Kurt Russell, Lee Van Cleef, Ernest Borgnine, Donald Pleasence, Isaac Hayes, Adrienne Barbeau, Harry Dean Stanton, Season Hubley; D: John Carpenter; W: John Carpenter, Nick Castle; C: Dean Cundey; M: John Carpenter. VHS, Beta, LV SUE, NLC, FUS