I Can't Escape From Escape From New York
What is there to say about Escape From New York? It’s an all-time classic from John Carpenter. It’s a prime example of shooting a big budget-style film on a shoestring. It’s just as much a spoof of the action genre as it is an action film itself. It inspired Hideo Kojima to create Solid Snake, Big Boss, and Metal Gear. Watching Kurt Russell whisper glare his way through this grim, dystopian setting is a treat, and an understated yet stellar soundtrack and fantastic supporting cast make it all the better. I guess there's a lot to say about it.
I watched Escape From New York again last night for the first time in over fifteen years. I’ve been getting back into films lately, having watched as many movies as I have fingers in the last decade. Shout Factory’s new(ish) 4K transfer with headphones on a modern TV is a huge upgrade from the first time I watched this on a 16 inch CRT with the volume turned down low so my parents wouldn't hear it and found out I was watching an R-rated movie.
It struck me how little action is actually in this action movie. There’s a scene where Snake punches and kicks those two guys who try to rob him, a scene where the crazies emerge out of sewers and capture Season in the Chock full o'Nuts (what a phrase), the wrestling match, and the final fight where Chef is chasing after the gang in his chandelier Cadillac (again, incredible phrase). Even these engagements are small in scale, with only a couple of brief shootouts. Thinking about it, I’m pretty sure Maggie has a higher kill count than Snake.
The soundtrack is incredible, that cannot be understated. The very start of the film, with the credits going by one name at a time as this dark, eerie, synth slowly builds is one of the greatest openings in film history. It’s so simple, yet it builds up your hype perfectly. Then you see the people trying to escape on a raft only to get blown up almost immediately. Cut to armed “police” running around their command center decked out in black body armor and helmets, you can’t even see their faces, and you know this is a violent, cruel world overrun by fascism.
Speaking of which, I learned about the cut opening scene, where Snake and his army buddy Taylor rob the bank in the extras. I wonder how the film would be different, if it would still be seen as a classic with that scene left in place? It’s a great scene, and shows there’s at least some good in Snake – which is why it was cut. But its the end that stands out to me. I forgot all about this. Snake, having given Lee Van Cleef the fake tape, asks President Donald Pleasence how he feels after Maggie, Brain, and Earnest Borgnine died saving his life. The president brushes it off and Snake walks off, destroying the real tape.
I couldn’t stop thinking about this scene. We see good in Snake here, or some version of good. Why would he bother asking the president if he didn’t care? If the president was thankful for their help and remorseful over their deaths, I think Snake would have handed over the real tape. He could have destroyed the real tape the moment he got the fake one, or just left it behind. He didn’t destroy the tape until after asking the president.
The model work is excellent. The extra features talking to the model crew was fantastic. Growing up on old school Thomas the Tank Engine, I’ve always appreciated scale model work. Knowing the James Cameron created the scene of the plane flying through the air by cutting up cotton balls and putting them on a black net over a black background is hilarious. Knowing they got the shot of the plane flying in over the city by building the set on the ground because the wavy concrete floor of the studio looked like water is borderline parody.
I’ve come to fall in love with Escape From New York all over again, more this time than ever before. I still think Die Hard is the definitive action film (yes, I’m that guy, and yes, I consider it a Christmas movie) but this is a close second for its cast, biting social commentary, soundtrack, model work, and did I mention the soundtrack?
