Rating: 
Summary: esacpe from new york
Review: this movie, dated. this is the ultimate in action movie. maybe this movie doesn't have the hundred million dollar budget, but what it does have is an excellent cast, and excellent premise. the visuals and especially the score not to the mention the errieness of this movie is the reason why you all should watch this movie. this movie is highly, highly recommended
Rating:
Summary: Escape to New York
Review: Yet another gem from Carpenter. Donald Pleasance is the President in this film! Kurt Russel, a.k.a. Snake Plitskin, will blow your mind, and some scumbags away! The storyline is ingenious, the acting fine, and the soundtrack is great too. But there's a Debussy song in here! What the hell is there a Debussy song doing in this film? Well, it happens to be a great song and it works well with the scene when Snake is flying in the glider. .... Escape From New York is a great modern science-fiction film that was way ahead of its time when it came out in the early eighties. Check it out! One tip is to watch the film at night with the lights off- many of the scenes are lit very darkly, and that's the best way to see into them.
Rating: 
Summary: Head for New York, it'll be fun.
Review: ESCAPE FROM NEW YORK is a movie that proves that action doesn't have to be excessive and messy to be fun and that if it's kept simple enough it can still be good quality entertainment. The makers tried to practically remake this movie years later as ESCAPE FROM L.A. throwing in everything they could think of and it was a flop. I asked my friend what he thought of L.A. and he said it was great, I showed him NEW YORK and he loved it. Almost same story, and much simplar. Anyway on with the review. Future society's crime rate has risen skyhigh (400%) To help combat this, Manhattan island is transformed into a super lock up prison surrounded by walls, armed guards and mines. The worst criminals get sent here to live till they die, no pardons. Former war hero Snake Plisskin (Russell plays such an unpleasant character, he could almost be one of the villians,) is on his way to New York for getting caught robbing the Federal Reserve, when he is offered a deal. He must rescue the President who'se plane has crashed into New York by terrorists. It is important that the President be rescued in 24 hours so that he can attend a peace summit that could prevent nuclear war. To ensure Snake's loyalty, small explosives have been implanted inside of him that will go off in 24 hours. If he succeeds, he'll get a pardon. It's do or die, but Snake accepts. "Either way, I go in." Maneuvering through the decayed urban mess of New york, Snake must battle scavengers, "crazies" and other unpleantness on his mission to rescue the President. Snake even gets help form some old friends, all of whom tell him, "I thought you were dead!" Chock full of some terrific paseing, great characters, and decent action scenes, ESCAPE FROM NEW YORK is a cool movie that today's action movies can learn a lesson from. Cool box art too.
Rating: 
Summary: Good Old Fashioned Escapist Fare
Review: It's been almost a quarter century since Halloween, and though John Carpenter has yet to recapture that success, he has been making some very entertaining movies since then. Escape from New York is a perfect example of the kind of well crafted escapist fare he's been providing us for the past twenty-four years. Teaming with Kurt Russell for the first, and arguably the best, of their collaberations it's a rock 'em sock 'em action adventure that's sure not to disappoint. Russell stars as Snake Plissken, a reluctant hero who's hamstringed into making a daring rescue of the President of the United States (Donald Pleasence) after his plane crashes on Manhattan Island. You see in the future crime rates have tripled, so to ease the overcrowding of our prision population New York has been quarentined from the rest of the country and used as a mass penitentiary to house the most violent offenders. You can imagine the chaos it sparks when Air Force One is hijacked, taking a nose-dive on the Big Apple as the President winds up in the hands of it's savage occupants. Adding to the tension, the President has twenty-four hours until a summit meeting aimed at ending a potential nuclear war with the Soviet Union and China. In short the fate of the world rests in the hands of an outlaw, Snake, and he's none too happy about it. That's what makes him such an interesting character, that he's not your typical good guy but is cast in the role because of his Special Forces background. To recruit him the secret service lodges explosive charges in his body which are set to go off right around the summit deadline, thus giving him the proper motivation he needs to successfully complete his mission. After flying into the city, he lands on the Empire States Building and beging his search for the President only to discover he's being held by The Duke (appropriately cast in the role is the voice of Shaft Isaac Hayes). He's called The Duke because he rules over his legion of followers as a king would, which goes to show you can find structure even in the most unlikely of places. As he holds the Prez hostage in exchange for amnesty, Snake launches an all out war to retrieve him with the help of a former partner called Brain and his busty girlfriend, Maggie, whom he meets inside. Together they hatch a hastily put together plan which inevitably goes array, as plans tend to do in these types of movies. The action moves along at a swift pace, maintaining itself for the duration of the film, which keeps things pretty lively. There's little chance you'll get bored here, though the special effects do look rather dated by today's standards. The moody atmospheric tone is unsettling and should keep you on the edge of your seat for the hundred minute run time. Adding a few laughs is Donald Pleasence who's always a hoot, you should remember him as Dr. Loomis from the Halloween movies. As for Kurt Russell, his performance as Snake is one of the most memorable of his career, which naturally led to a less satisfying sequel titled Escape from L.A. One of the reasons the follow-up was such a letdown was because in the original Snake isn't cut any breaks. He's got to work his way out of every chase, fight his way out of every dark alley and think his way out of every corner. Another reason I found this so refreshing is that Snake's not one of those sweaky clean action heroes bulldozing through pages of dialogue like they've actually got something to say. Kurt Russell's character is more complex, and I suppose old fashioned, in the way he keeps to himself and isn't always chiming in with witty punchlines like we've become accustomed to seeing from the Stallone's and Schwarzenegger's of the world. Trust me, it's a real treat.
Rating:
Summary: Plissken
Review: I've been a huge fan of this movie since the first time I saw it. I know that 1997 has already passed but the way America is headed, this movie is believable...in every aspect. First of all we have Plissken, the hero, or should we say the bad guy...? Plissken is injected and told he must save the President...He goes in and fights through every impossible odds, and still he is cool during the whole thing. I say that this is believable because it lifts the crook to super hero status. Just look at how we, today, lift up serial killers to that status.
Rating:
Summary: Fast Paced dark action thriller by director-Carpenter.
Review: The world has change into a dark and cruel planet by 1988, every year there been more crimes getting worse. Now most major cities become maximum security prison. Now in 1997, one of the world most will known cities cities of world become a prison in the city of New York City, the innocents and the criminals are all mixed together in the city. When an air force one has about to crush into the city, the presdent of the united states (Donald Pleasence) escape in pod ship and then he gets kidnap by the criminals in the city. New york special police force need an man who knows to get in the city and without getting caught. An new prisoner get into the state police before they sent him to prison, a former Special Forces named Snake Plissken (Kurt Russell in a cool standout performance), they ask him to save the president and he become a free man. But once he gets into the city, his mission become hard than he expected and he meets some of his old friends, but he has one day to save the president if he doesnt save him in time, his deal with the state police is off. DVD`s has a terrfic anomorphic widescreen format (2.35:1) and Pan and Scan is alivable in this single layer disc. Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround is dated but it has some strong moments of surrounds including in the end credits. Theatrical Tralier is included. We hope MGM DVD will do a special edition like an remastered Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround, original commentary track by director John Carpenter and actor Russell. Benind the scenes footage, i hope Carpenter could find the whole original opening footage where Plissken steal money in a maximum security bank, that how he got to go and sent to new york. Original interview by Carpenter was interesting also. New interviews with the cast and crew. My favorite Carpenter film is The Thing, second is Vampires and Thrid is Escape from New York. Carpenter is one of the best directors in our geneation, including the ones who love his third film Halloween which become an unexpected original unique horror film. Escape from New York become an original science fiction with a blend of action and dark humour. The Latest DVD from MGM has now a HD anamorphic Widescreen (2.35:1) transfer and an sharp-Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound. DVD has Two Great Commentaries by the Filmmakers and Cast Member:Kurt Russell. One of the Coolest Extra on the Second Disc is the Original 11 Minute Deleted Scene that was supposed to open the Movie with/without commentary by Director:Carpenter and Actor:Russell. It has Behind the Scenes documentary, Trailers and More. Trivia:Russell has a scene with the actress Season Hubley, that his ex-wife. Carpenter was married to actress Adrienne Barbeau (The Fog, Creepshow). Issac Hayes played the villian here as the duke of new york, he`s will known singer, including the immortal classic song Shaft and he also voiced Chief in the cult T.V. show-South Park. This movie has one new york shot, the scene takes in the island, the rest was shot in St-Louis. Jamie Lee Curtis (Uncredited) voiced the opening credits, telling the audience, what happen to the world and now become an dark and dangerous place to be in. Grade:A. Panavision.
Rating:
Summary: New York, love it or....your stuck!
Review: In 1997, with national crime levels kept in check by the US Police Department, the President is free to concentrate his attentions on a global crisis threatening to tip off WWIII. While enroute to the conference, his plane is hijacked by those opposed to the gov't's police-state, and deliberately crashed into NY. The irony is that by 1997 (as envisioned in 1981 when this wild flick came out) Manhattan has been closed off and turned into the nation's only max-security prison. The only rule is that once you go in, you don't come out. (Manhattan the obvious choice since most of its inhabitants would doubtlessly qualify). Within its walls, there are no guards, no towers, no bars. There is only the law of survival. The US Police is utterly powerless to resuce the President who, immediately after the crash, is taken prisoner by the armies of the Duke of NY. To the resuce comes Snake Plisken (Kurt Russel), a one-eyed, former commando and convicted criminal. Given just 24 hours to find the president before the outbreak of global thermonuclear war (I guess they'll play tic tac toe until then), and implanted with tiny bombs that will explode by then, Plisken flies into the dark former city-of-the-world. Hooking up with other criminals (Adrienne Barbeau, Harry Dean Stanton and Ernest Borgnine) uneasy under the Duke of NY, Plisken penetrates further into Manhattan, battling the Duke's forces and the nightmarescape that was once everybody's favorite city. (Even the shadows seem ready to come alive.) And for Plisken, with those bombs implanted in his neck, the clocks keep ticking..... "Escape from New York" is a great flick, probably one of Carpenter's best mixes of utterly gloom chills ("Prince of Darkness" and "The Thing") and fun thrills ("Big Trouble in Little China"). The irony of NY - already a prison in all but name - becoming the repository for the country's evil is too good to pass up. Besides the premise, Carpenter also gets mileage from his cast - Russel as the amoral Plisken, Stanton ("don't call me Harold") as Brains, Borgnine as a smilingly psychotic cab driver, Isaac Hayes as the Duke ("He's A#1!!") and Donald Pleasance as the President in another of his winning performances as the terrified man winningly covering up how scared out of his mind he is.
Rating: 
Summary: Great fun movie.... but the DVD ruins it.
Review: Ok this movie was good but the DVD is simply not worth getting. Paramount has major issues with DVD's. I dont think they like them becuase hardly any Paramount movies have special features. All this has is a trailer. But that should'nt count as a special feature becuase every DVD has a trailer. They didnt even bother to add production notes or cast/crew biograhpies. I hope that Paramount can one day set aside they're DVD issues and make a a jammed packed DVD like Gladiator or something. Oh, if you do buy this movie dont bother getting Escape From L.A. beucase you will just be paying for the same movie twice as they are both the same movie.
Rating: 
Summary: Great Movie, but a really disappointing DVD
Review: This is one of my all-time favorite movies, but I was terribly disappointed with the DVD. There are simply NO extra features (the trailer doesn't count, guys). The DVD was billed as having a commentary with Russell and Carpenter when I ordered it (although I can't recall whether it was Amazon or another movie site which made that misrepresentation). I understand that even the laserdisc version had a commentary! Come on, can't you just TRANSFER the old commentary to the DVD?!!? The commentary with Russell and Carpenter on THE THING is great, so I'm sure I'm really missing a treat by not hearing their commentary on this film. Also, I understand from an interview I saw with Carpenter (on the VHS version of ESCAPE) that there's a whole opening scene which was cut from the final release, which shows Snake robbing the Federal Reserve Depository and escaping on a bullet train. Now wouldn't that footage make a nice extra feature? Frankly, in retrospect, we should probably all just boycott this movie. Think about it... first, the original ESCAPE comes out, and it's AWESOME. Then, twenty years later, I buy a VHS "Special Edition" which claims to have "unseen footage." That footage turns out to be about 5 seconds of Snake in the deleted opening scene, inserted as part of a long, fairly boring interview with Carpenter plugging "IN THE MOUTH OF MADNESS." Next, ESCAPE FROM LA comes out, which film I won't even dignify by trashing. Then finally, we get a DVD with NO features, not even a remastered soundtrack! The more I write the madder I get! I realize I'm reiterating a lot of what the previous reviewer said, but I waited a LONG time for this to come out on DVD (some of you may remember that it was to be issued almost a year and half ago... I pre-ordered it then only to have the release delayed). Maybe the plan is to issue a "special edition" with the extra features, and I'd probably buy it, but I'd sure feel like I'd been shafted!
Rating:
Summary: Poorly acted and directed.
Review: Poorly acted by Russell and poorly directed by Carpenter in this 1978 movie that finds NYC turned into a prison colony (Hope Spider-Man has moved out by now) and The President of the USA is going to be killed there unless Rusell can get him out. The only shining actor who gives a good performance in this film is Lee Van Cleef.
|
