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Escape From New York

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Escape From New York

R

Released Jul 10, 1981

1h 39m

Action

Adventure

Sci-Fi

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Popcornmeter

86%

Tomatometer

72 Reviews

77%

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50,000+ Ratings

In 1997, a major war between the United States and the Soviet Union is concluding, and the entire island of Manhattan has been converted into a giant maximum security prison. When Air Force One is hijacked and crashes into the island, the president (Donald Pleasence) is taken hostage by a group of inmates. Snake Plissken (Kurt Russell), a former Special Forces soldier turned criminal, is recruited to retrieve the president in exchange for his own freedom.

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Critics Consensus

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

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Anton Bitel

Little White Lies

1997 is the year in which the film's events are set, but far from being a bright, progressive future, it is a hyperbolic deterioration of 1981's here and now

Nov 19, 2018

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Phil Hoad

Guardian

The film plays its social satire broad but strings it along a rail of self-awareness.

Rated: 4/5

Oct 25, 2018

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Arthur Knight

The Hollywood Reporter

It has got an intriguing premise, an effective cast, and it has been expertly mounted.

Jul 10, 2017

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Alan Jones

Radio Times

Despite a marvellous night-time opening sequence, this slice of escapism never really delivers on the ingenuity of its premise.

Rated: 3/5

Sep 13, 2024

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Kevin Carr

Fat Guys at the Movies

Not my favorite classic Carpenter film, it still offers a scrappy look into the director’s political edge.

Rated: 2.5/4

Aug 5, 2023

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Phil Brown

That Shelf

The filmmaker’s cynical sense of humor and anti-authoritarian stance are all over the movie without overwhelming the suspense/entertainment focus.

Jul 8, 2023

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Jason

They don't make movies like these anymore. Thank you for bringing it back to the big screen.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

02/08/24

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Joby

What a great way to see a classic Carpenter/Russell collaboration. I never saw it in the theater, but this limited released allowed me to take my son to see it on the big screen. Movie still hold up today. Amazing

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

02/05/24

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S. Thomas

Kurt Russell's most iconic role ever

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

02/09/24

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03Cobra

An all-time classic. Never gets old. Carpenter in his prime ('76-'94).

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

02/05/24

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Michael W

This action movie was pretty good. Kurt Russell, Lee Van Cleef, Harry Dean Stanton, Donald Pleasance, Ernest Borgnine, Adrienne Barbeau, Isaac Hayes, and the rest of the cast did a pretty good job in this movie. The plot of the movie was insane and a bit dull. It's about rescuing the President in a futuristic vision of New York filled with crime and chaos. If you haven't seen this movie yet, you might like it. It wasn't as good as I thought it be.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

05/05/25

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Jacob B

I'd hate to get an angry mob of John Carpenter fans out for my blood but...I think Escape from New York is overrated. It's not bad but for how adored this film is and how influential it was for things like the Metal Gear franchise, I was expecting something more mind-blowing. But that's what I get for watching this film after Big Trouble in Little China since I ended up comparing how much Carpenter's craft improved there. Kurt Russell does deliver a terrific performance that proved naysayers who only knew of him from Disney movies at the time wrong, the production design really sells the crappy state NY is in, the side characters are fun, the music's good and it is impressive how they managed to craft this film on such a tiny budget. And yet, I felt underwhelmed thanks to the slow pace, lack of action with what little there was being disappointingly brief and perhaps not aging as well as Carpenter's other films. I'd gladly rewatch this film over The Fog but Halloween remains the superior film of Carpenter's no-budget directorial efforts...if I ever see it, I'm going to feel just as underwhelmed by Assault on Precinct 13, aren't I?

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

04/02/25

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John Carpenter

Director

Kurt Russell

Snake Plissken

Ernest Borgnine

Cabbie

Adrienne Barbeau

Maggie

Lee Van Cleef

Bob Hauk

Donald Pleasence

President of the United States

John Carpenter's Escape From L.A.

54%

39%

John Carpenter's Escape From L.A.

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Synopsis

In 1997, a major war between the United States and the Soviet Union is concluding, and the entire island of Manhattan has been converted into a giant maximum security prison. When Air Force One is hijacked and crashes into the island, the president (Donald Pleasence) is taken hostage by a group of inmates. Snake Plissken (Kurt Russell), a former Special Forces soldier turned criminal, is recruited to retrieve the president in exchange for his own freedom.

Director: John Carpenter
Producer: Larry J. Franco, Debra Hill
Screenwriter: Nick Castle, John Carpenter
Distributor: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, Embassy Pictures, AVCO Embassy Pictures, MGM/UA Home Entertainment Inc.
Production Co: AVCO Embassy Pictures, Goldcrest Films International, International Film Investors
Rating: R
Genre: Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Jul 10, 1981, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): May 23, 2016
Runtime: 1h 39m
Sound Mix: Surround

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