Escape From New York

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Escape From New York

R

1981

1h 39m

Action

Adventure

Sci-Fi

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

85%

Tomatometer

71 Reviews

77%

Popcornmeter

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

11/19/2018

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

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Phil Hoad

Guardian

10/25/2018

4/5

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

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Arthur Knight

The Hollywood Reporter

07/10/2017

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

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Richard Freedman

Newark Star-Ledger

Jan 7

The film suffers from its almost unrelieved gloom.

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Alan Jones

Radio Times

09/13/2024

3/5

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

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Kevin Carr

Fat Guys at the Movies

08/05/2023

2.5/4

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

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Jason

02/08/2024

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

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Joby

02/05/2024

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

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S. Thomas

02/05/2024

Kurt Russell's most iconic role ever

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03Cobra

02/05/2024

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

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Jens B

@Jens97 5d

Carpenter impressively demonstrates how he can realize even ambitious science fiction stories with limited resources. "Escape from New York" looks fantastic, is brilliantly acted, and has a great score—everything you'd expect from a Carpenter film. However, I would have liked a deeper exploration of the isolated Manhattan. Ultimately, the film feels a little too superficial to me.

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Smyles A.

@Smyles Mar 24

Amazing film. The concept is simple yet implemented perfectly. The acting is spot on and snake will always be one of my favorite characters in any film

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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

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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: Embassy Pictures, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, MGM/UA Home Entertainment Inc., AVCO Embassy Pictures
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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