Escape from New York
Director: John Carpenter
Cast: Kurt Russell, Lee Van Cleef, Ernest Borgnine
Reviewed by Brian M. Sammons
It’s Escape from New York, on Blu-ray, looking better than ever and loaded with extras from Scream Factory. Do I really have to tell you to get it? Sometimes something is such a given, I feel like all I’ve got to do is point out to you that it’s now available and the rest should be automatic. I mean, this is one of the most iconic action movies of all time. This is John Carpenter back when he was at the very top of his game. This is Kurt Russell delivering one of the best growly-voiced antihero performances ever. And all this is now out from the masters of all thing Blu-ray, Scream Factory. So yeah, go get it.
What, you still here? Really? Okay, fine, let’s do this.
In the not too distant future, which is actually our past now, but whatever, crime is out of control in the US, so the country comes up with a great idea: turn all of New York City into a maximum security prison. Into that vast prison the US president falls one night when Air Force one is hijacked. The cops with all their military-like might are powerless to go in and save the president, so they turn to a legendary (no, fooling, as everyone has heard of him) criminal badass named Snake Plissken to save the day. Naturally, being one of the most anti of anti-heroes, he tells “The Man” to screw off, so he’s blackmailed into doing their bidding. The catch: he only has 24 hours to find the president and get him out of the gang-infested hellhole that is New York City, or else he’s a dead man. Sure, no problem.
Simply put, this is one of the best action flicks ever made by one of my all-time favorite directors. To say that this thrill ride was a huge success would be a major understatement. There were Escape from New York pajamas, board games, t-shirts, posters, and more, and this was before every movie got the crossover marketing treatment. And the team of John Carpenter’s writing/direction and Kurt Russell’s acting gave the world one of its most memorable movie tough guys. You ever play Metal Gear series of video games? Well they wouldn’t exist, not as you know them, if not for this movie. The same can be said for a whole bunch of movies that were made in the wake of this film and who wanted a piece of that sweet Escape from New York pie. There’s a reason for all that, and that’s because this movie is that good.
Now we come to the special features and extras part of the review, and I hope you’re sitting comfortably and brought a lunch because damn there’s a lot of them. First and foremost there are three audio commentaries here. One is all new and is with actress Adrienne Barbeau and director of photography Dean Cundey. Another is a port from an older release, but it is with director John Carpenter and star Kurt Russell and therefore it is made of awesome. Last but not least, there is one with producer Deborah Hill and production designer Joe Alves.
On to the featurettes. There is a 23 minute long retrospective called “Return to Escape from New York.” There is another one about the visual effects from the movie that runs 14 minutes, another about the score that’s 19 minutes and a 13 minute behind the scenes bit about making the movie. If you are into interviews, this set has you covered. There is one with actor Joe Unger and another with filmmaker David DeCoteau. The infamous missing bank robbery sequence that was deleted from the movie is here and it comes with its own commentary track, if you want to listen to it. There are two photo galleries: one for behind-the-scenes pics and the other for posters and lobby cards. Finally, the trailer brings this impressive list of extras to a close.
So yeah, Escape from New York is one of those must-see, must-own, classic, genre-defining movies. Every movie lover needs to have this film in their library and this is easily the best release this movie has ever received. So consider this one beyond highly recommended. Run, don’t walk, to get your copy today. Or, you know, sit at your keyboard and hit up your favorite online retailer as is more often the case these days. However you do it, just get this Blu-ray.
