So awesome! One of my favorites. Never losses its punch.

A rough and enjoyable film built on a great character in Snake and a great performance from Russell.

Before watching this I knew the plot was excellent, what I wasn't prepared for was how excellent the directing was. Hot take: from a technical stand point (and other points as well), _Escape from New York_ is Carpenter's best work.

Kurt Russell is fun but the movie is weird and slow.

Movies usually only reach ==cult== status when they are so bad they are good but here is an exception. The action is not great, the story is not great, but there is something entertaining going on. It is surely not the musical score which sounds like it was done on a Toys 'R Us synthesizer by a 12 year old. I think I heard a part in there that was sampled for the _Doogie Howser M.D._ intro theme. Some great shots of Adrienne Barbeau, great one-liners, and Ernest Borgnine seal the deal of this cult classic

I expected more. Slow.

Escape from New York is bad. However, the technology presented is awesome, as are the sets, Romero, and Kurt Russell's pants. Russell's performance may be the campiest of all time.

I can definitely see the appeal of "Escape from New York", but the movie hasn't really aged that well. The fact that the effects are rather poor is something I can live with, but the action as a whole is also pretty underwhelming. On top of that, the pacing is poor, which repeatedly results in boring stretches. However, the dystopian world presented here is quite interesting. This vision of the near future has obviously inspired several other films. The characters, on the other hand, are a little too shallow for me, but even with them, at least the look is convincing. For example, you can't say much in depth about the character of Snake Plissken, but you immediately recognize his distinctive look. On this level, the movie works quite well, but in the end, I still didn't have much fun watching it because of the pacing issues.

I don't give a fuck about your war... or your president.

"I'm an asshole..."

Totally forgot what an awesome cast this movie has, Kurt Russell, Lee van Cleef, Donald Pleasence, Isaac Hayes, Harry Dean Stanton, Tom Atkins and Adrienne Barbeau? Decent right?

Anyway still love that Carpenter just drops off of in the middle of the movie. Just a voice over by Jamie Lee Curtis and BAM we are there. Snake Plissken needs to save the president from a dark prison New York. Really glad New York cleaned up his act the past 20 years! He also has to fight a huge guy with a baseball bat! We have people coming up from the ground, we have so many great stuff. Really love this world.

And the duke. HE IS A NUMBER ONE! His car wit the chandeliers? How fucking awesome is that?!?! Love Iscaac Hayes in this. And Kurt Russell with his Clint Eastwood light performance. It just works.

So happy I've finally rewatched this. Still soo much fun.

Definitely a classic John Carpenter movie. I love all the sleazy advance technology of the 80’s!

Love the worldbuilding and atmospheric directing in this, visuals and soundtrack are great (though the sound effects haven’t aged that well). What seperates the film from other 80’s action films is the fact that it isn’t trying to be cheesy and light, but I don’t think that was the right call in the end. The plot is a little too dumb to take seriously, and none of the characters are even remotely interesting. Way too heavy on exposition during the first act, a lot of that felt unnecessary and could’ve been cut, especially if you’re trying to make this a more serious film for a mature audience. The acting’s also pretty poor for the most part, as is a lot of the dialogue. Again, it should’ve just embraced its own kitsch, this would be so much better if it was directed like a Schwarzenegger film. Also could’ve used just more memorable scenes in general, there’s very little action in it.

4.5/10

A good movie and great performance by Kurt Russell as Snake Plissken, the anti hero who is tasked with saving the life of the POTUS while Manhattan is being overrun by criminals during a time when crime stats are up 400 percent. The best part of the movie you ask. Those chandeliers
on the front of the King of New York’s car...... so funny but so cool!

A good movie to check out in case you have not yet.

I've watched this movie a few times from '81 to '92, I just started watching it again tonight and I just noticed that Kurt can see through his eye patch. You can see Kurt's eye really well when he's talking to Lee, just after Kurt gets injected with the capsules. ;)

The John Carpenter cult classic Escape From New York is a dark and gritty action film with a unique vision. In a dystopian future the island of Manhattan is turned into a maximum security prison controlled by the inmates, but when Air Force One crashes into the prison the military turns to notorious criminal Snake Plissken as their only hope to sneak onto the island and rescue the President. Kurt Russell, Isaac Hayes, Donald Pleasence, and Ernest Borgnine make for a strong cast and deliver good performances. Russell in particular does an excellent job; creating a captivating anti-hero that became one of the most iconic film characters of the ‘80s. Additionally, Carpenter's directing is quite vivid, and creates a fascinating aesthetic and atmosphere that enhances the story. Escape From New York is a compelling and edgy thriller that has become a sci-fi classic.

Surprisingly little action for a film of this ilk and frankly what action there is isn’t particularly well staged or inventive for a film where it’s low budget nature usually demands something to make it stand out. The premise is fun and the first half is much stronger in setting up the stakes and building the world of New York as a prison and there are some creepy moments as the hero first infiltrates the city. But as Plissken encounters more and more characters, it quickly loses its way as none of them stand out and whilst Russell chews the scenery for all its worth, there is little else to maintain interest as the film shuffled towards its end.

Pretty sure this wasn't the first time I've watched this but I didn't remember anything about it. All I can say now is that, while it may have been a blockbuster when it was first released, it's VERY dated. The acting was very sub-par on ALL parts (sorry, Kurt; I loved you in _The Thing_ but you seemed to kind of "phone it in" in this one) and the story was so completely unoriginal and just goofy that it was hard to watch (again, by today's standards). The ending was very predictable - right down to the 00:00:02 left on his "digital" watch (the size of a mini-fridge that somehow strapped around his wrist) - and really the only thing I can think of positive about this was the small part played by Ernest Borgnine as "Cabbie". This really was just too outdated to be considered "good".

No doubt “Escape from New York” has influenced at least two generations of movies and video games. Now it can be enjoyed for John Carpenter’s usual irony and cynicism (everyone, including the hero and the authorities, is rotten), but as a straightforward action flick, I doubt it will be able to entertain new viewers.