John Carpenter's science fiction film has long been regarded as a cult classic, but after finally seeing it I find it difficult to see what all the fuss was about. What starts off as an interesting premise is wasted in a film which feels a little disjointed, and is more about visuals than anything else. It's just one sequence after another with little to recommend it in terms of special effects, acting ability, even pacing. For movie fans, there are plenty of reasons to watch ESCAPE FROM NEW YORK as it's not all that bad. The first third of the film is rather good, but the rest just lacks in momentum and comes across as slightly limp and lifeless.
Kurt Russell looks cool with his eye patch and bulging muscles but doesn't have the interior toughness he brings to THE THING. The rest of the cast is exemplary, although opportunities for actual acting are limited. Mixing such old-name stars as Ernest Borgnine and Lee Van Cleef with more recent familiar faces like Harry Dean Stanton and Isaac Hayes, the whole cast really is something to die for. But...while Van Cleef is good as the chief guard, Borgnine is fairly annoying as a jovial taxi driver. Stanton is given little to do apart from walk around in a white coat and look moody, while the sole purpose for Adrienne Barbeau to be in the film is to wear a low-cut dress. Isaac Hayes is a charismatic but not-at-all fearsome villain, and Donald Pleasence is odd as the president.
The action sequences, when they come, are fairly exciting, but not memorable. The best bit is in the opening where Russell is chased by a gang of mutants, this brings to mind Carpenter's earlier ASSAULT ON PRECINCT 13 with the grubby locations and faceless rabble of murderers (in this case cannibals). As a plus, the film does offer some excellent set design, with streets full of broken cars, rubbish etc. This kind of "barren wasteland inhabited by mutants" was the basis for many later rip-offs and cash-ins, especially by the Italians. The only sad thing is that while ESCAPE FROM NEW YORK could have been something brilliant, it's average at best due to a lack of ideas and originality. Not one to go out of your way for, and far surpassed in quality by many other Carpenter movies, including ASSAULT ON PRECINCT 13 and THE THING.
Kurt Russell looks cool with his eye patch and bulging muscles but doesn't have the interior toughness he brings to THE THING. The rest of the cast is exemplary, although opportunities for actual acting are limited. Mixing such old-name stars as Ernest Borgnine and Lee Van Cleef with more recent familiar faces like Harry Dean Stanton and Isaac Hayes, the whole cast really is something to die for. But...while Van Cleef is good as the chief guard, Borgnine is fairly annoying as a jovial taxi driver. Stanton is given little to do apart from walk around in a white coat and look moody, while the sole purpose for Adrienne Barbeau to be in the film is to wear a low-cut dress. Isaac Hayes is a charismatic but not-at-all fearsome villain, and Donald Pleasence is odd as the president.
The action sequences, when they come, are fairly exciting, but not memorable. The best bit is in the opening where Russell is chased by a gang of mutants, this brings to mind Carpenter's earlier ASSAULT ON PRECINCT 13 with the grubby locations and faceless rabble of murderers (in this case cannibals). As a plus, the film does offer some excellent set design, with streets full of broken cars, rubbish etc. This kind of "barren wasteland inhabited by mutants" was the basis for many later rip-offs and cash-ins, especially by the Italians. The only sad thing is that while ESCAPE FROM NEW YORK could have been something brilliant, it's average at best due to a lack of ideas and originality. Not one to go out of your way for, and far surpassed in quality by many other Carpenter movies, including ASSAULT ON PRECINCT 13 and THE THING.