Escape from New York
buy dvd movies, videos
|
 |
List Price: $28.98
Features
• Widescreen
• NTSC
In Theaters : 10 July, 1981
DVD Release : 23 May, 2006 |
| [ + Zoom ] [ Buy Now ] |
DVD : This item is currently not available. |
|
Escape from New York Customer Reviews
|
|
|
|
♥♥♥♥♥ |
Wicked cool movie
|
Only goes to show you Clint Eastwood and Charles Bronson aren't the early 80's only people who can portray a wicked-cool tough guy. Escape from New York is John Carpenter's post apocalyptic answer to those lone wolf anti-heroes we used to see in the classic westerns. Though the movie is rough around it's edges I see this one as one of Carpenter's better movies.
Stick an anti-establishment ex-military dude, load him up with weapons and drop him in a city controlled by roving gangs of convicts. That's Escape from New York in a nutshell. What makes it work? The characters. What makes the characters work? The actors. You get a nice slice of star power in this movie with the likes of Lee Van Cleef, Ernest Borgnine, Donald Pleasance, Adrienne Barbeau and a slew of others. Put them together and you have some pretty sweet performances. Even Isaac Hayes (Chef of South Park) plays a surprisingly interesting role as the Duke of New York. Considering he was a popular singer back then and not an actor I'm impressed. Of course Kurt Russell owns the screen as Snake Plissken. Thanks for Russel's portrayal that name will go down in sci-fi history.
Special effects aren't much to speak of. Most of the movie is based on set design of a ruined New York City. Not exactly high budget and it shows. The special effects that are on the movie are in the beginning and are quite impressive in a very subtle way. First off you have the model work that really brings the trashed city to life. Also there are some images they put on a display screen that have an impressive and very convincing three-dimensional effect you wouldn't expect by first looking at it. Although it's brief, it's neat enough to be worth noting.
Action there is plenty. You get running gun fights, arena death matches, exploding land mines, and a race against the clock. Kind of like a street gang movie with more props. They do get into that tired clichA of killing off as many good guys as you can so the hero can be left alone. Such a shame when considering alternatives to that predictable formula. Plissken is a relatively one dimensional character, but in a way that's the beauty of him. Just keep in mind you won't see much character growth in him.
Escape from New York could be called your standard post apocalyptic/gang war type movie, only this is the one that set that standard in the first place. Many people consider it a classic and I tend to agree. It's an interesting look into that harsh cyberpunk future without all the gadgets and tech in the way. It's not a classic in the sense of the greatest of the great, but it is a landmark in science fiction heritage and should be respected as such.
|
|
Escape from New York dvd movie.