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Snake Plissken
Snake isn't your average movie hero. Some would call him to be an anti-hero but I agree with John Carpenter who says he considers him to be an absolute hero. Snake is just a dark angry cynical innocent bad ironic sociopathic world weary self sufficient war veteran who just wants to be free and stay alive the next 60 seconds in a very dark and corrupt world. Unlike most Snake is so true to himself, incorruptible and individual it makes him the most honorable and likable character in Escape From New York and Escape From L.A. We don't care when he destroys the tape in EFNY or shuts down the earth in EFLA. In fact, we root for him. He makes a cruel statement about humanity and there's something we can learn here. He's someone many of us would like to be, but are afraid to be just like Debra Hill have said. He also represent our distrust and anger in authority and it sure is therapeutic watching Snake rightfully getting even with them. He has a universal appeal that people really respond to. He's a wonderful intriguing and complex character really worth exploring and to admire. We somehow need him when things are looking really bad. He's been a great inspiration in my life and I hope I can do my part to keep this underdog's legacy alive and kicking.
Escape From New York
What I really enjoy about these movies is that they're inspired by true events. There's some truth in them. The first draft of Escape From New York was written in 1974 and was a reaction to the Watergate scandal and also to the increasing crime and urban decay going on in New York during this time. Post-Vietnam and the Iranian hostage crisis were also current at the time. It looked dark and instead of making an utopian vision of the future John Carpenter did the exact opposite. He showed us a very grim and bleak future. A world gone too far. Escape From New York is a dark cautionary tale mixed with a unique blend of action, science fiction, thriller, film noir, western and satire. It can also be viewed as a dark comedy. It dares to make fun of authority. It dares to be a little absurd at times. It dares to be really cynical. It dares to show us one of the most ironic ending in cinema history etc. This is why I think this movie holds up and works so well. There's an honest, authentic and also a very entertaining quality about it. The political satire still works and the overall themes still resonates to this day. It doesn't matter if Carpenter's vision didn't come exactly true. It's still something that fear us and can happen and deep down it's something we'd still like to see happen just like Mr. Carpenter has pointed out. What also amazes me is John Carpenter's ability to do great things out of limited budgets. There's many reasons why this movie has become such a cult classic. It really deserves it.
Escape From L.A.
Every time I watch Escape From L.A. I have a blast. This is a different kind of take on Escape From New York. This one is a loud, campy, over the top, ironic, big budget Hollywood movie that deals with a lot of issues while not taking itself too seriously. It practically satirizes, parodies and exploits everything (including itself). It has guts and no one is spared. Even Snake himself has to surf on a freaking tsunami for crying out loud! It's also a wonderful worst-case scenario farce how the conservatives fears the liberals and vice versa as far as I'm concerned with poor Snake stuck in this mess. This is also why I think many fans were a bit disappointed. Some got it while others wanted a more serious approach. I can understand that. Escape From L.A. is VERY fun and unique and I salute John Carpenter etc for their brave move, but I can't deny that a part of me would have liked some more of the realistic action, dark mood and gritty tone featured in Escape From New York. However, L.A. is a more outrageous city than New York is and I also have a sense of humor so it works for me. Snake's integrity is also still there so I'm fine with it. They talked about doing a sequel in 1985 and it would have been a great year for another escape, but there was nothing happening at that time that could inspire them to come up with something of relevance. It took them another eleven years to realize that Los Angeles had become a perfect place to escape from. All the increasing earthquakes, riots, floods, fires, crimes, drive-by shootings and people living in denial gave them inspiration. The timing was right for another escape and I hope someday more people will give it another chance. It deserves a lot more credit than it got. I truly believe it was ahead of its time like many other John Carpenter films. It also has the best ending in a movie ever.
Escape From Earth
Snake escaping from Earth would have been a blast to see. With all the catastrophes going on and people destroying for each other it's not hard to see why. It all makes sense and I would love to see John Carpenter and Kurt Russell back in action again. I still think they could pull it off. If more had supported Escape From L.A. I'm sure John, Kurt and Debra would have done it. Oh well. I am however very satisfied with the two that we got. Links: News - Cancelled Projects
John Carpenter
My favorite director of course. He makes his movies in his own personal way and puts his name above the title for a reason. He is John Carpenter and he makes John Carpenter movies. He is a talented, multi-gifted artist and craftsman who can write screenplays, make his own music and direct anything etc. His movies also has a unique tendency to get rediscovered and appreciated on VHS, LaserDisc, DVD and such and become cult classics. There's something about them that lasts. There's more than meets the eye about his work. I also love his old school sensibility, anti-sentimentality, honesty, dry sense of humor and hatred of authority. His music too of course. Very much so. He's simply John Carpenter and in Escape From New York and Escape From L.A. he really sets his wonderful rebellious nature free. Thank you John, your movies means a lot to me and I watch them regularly.
Kurt Russell
Some actors are just meant to play certain roles and Kurt was certainly the right guy for the job. His iconic performance as Snake Plissken is one of the big reasons why we keep watching these movies over and over again. I completely forgive him for having been a child actor in Disney movies etc. However, that's also one of Kurt's many gifts. He can play anything and in all kinds of movies, something he has proven again and again during his many years of making movies. Unlike many he dares to take chances and he's not afraid of testing new things. He also got a wonderful playful and ironic side that is contagious. He's just a very fun and intriguing guy to watch. He can do it all and he truly is one of the more underrated actors out there. He also seems to be a very down to earth person with a great personality. He just kicks ass. That's it.
Debra Hill
She was described by John Carpenter as "a real pioneer in this business, who opened the road for women". She was also an environmentalist being a Board Member of Women in Film and a Founding Board Member of the Earth Communications Office (ECO). Aside from producing she also wrote Halloween 1-2, The Fog and Escape From L.A. with John Carpenter (EFLA with Kurt Russell too). She wrote the whole Beverly Hills part in EFLA for instance. A wonderful and brilliant part. She also produced some really remarkable films like personal favorites like The Dead Zone and The Fisher King etc. The list goes on. She was also the driving force for the many Snake projects going on in the early 2000s. She truly was a remarkable woman and leaving us abruptly in 2005 having cancer came as a shock to me. However, I hope someday her dream will become reality. When she was honored by Women in Film in 2003, Hill said, "I hope some day there won't be a need for Women in Film. That it will be People in Film. That it will be equal pay, equal rights and equal job opportunities for everybody."
The Deleted Opening Sequence
Everything is great about this opening sequence except that it demystifies Snake and softens him. It's a great introduction to Snake's world and having him robbing a Federal Reserve Bank makes sense. Snake doesn't care about the money. Listen to how he says the following line to Taylor in the tube train after the robbery: "Congratulations, you're a billionaire!" That line sums up a lot who Snake is. He just wants to fuck with the government and authority figures whenever he gets the chance. Taylor being shot by the USPF at the end refusing to surrender is also a very powerful scene. You really can sense that Taylor was Snake's last living friend (which was also mentioned in the Novel). However, this scene also shows us a softer and more humane side to Snake when he decides to go back for the shot Taylor and tries to talk him into surrendering. I'm sure many out there would prefer to have this scene added into the movie, but I have to agree with John Carpenter that it distracts too much from the rest of the movie and demystifies him. The movie works better without it and the more we don't know about Snake the more intriguing and powerful he becomes. We don't need to know everything about him. We kind of already know what's happened to him and what he's been through. It still works great as an alternate short film and I really think it should be seen by any Escape and Snake fan out there. Links: Multimedia - Deleted Scenes/Press - Alternate Versions
Escape From New York Score
Ever since I heard the Main Title in the opening credits of the movie I knew that this movie was gonna be special somehow. It captures the whole feel of the movie and the music is one of the reasons why this movie works so well. It's eerie, simple and very effective and it suits the movie perfectly. Adding Claude Debussy's Engulfed Cathedral to the mix was also a brilliant move during the glider flight into New York. I still listen to this soundtrack to this day and it never fails to send shivers down my spine. However, I have some problem with the new mixing on certain tracks on the extended version of the soundtrack. I still prefer the original ones in the first release. Links: Multimedia - Memorabilia/Merchandise - CDs/Items - CDs/Items - LPs
Escape From L.A. Score
I think the score for Escape From L.A. deserves more recognition. I would have preferred the movie to be scored by John Carpenter only, but I think John did the right choice to bring in Shirley Walker too. Escape From L.A. is a more action packed adventure movie than Escape From New York and the music they made for the movie really suits it. It's serious, not too serious and over the top. Just like the movie is. John Carpenter's minimalistic electronic style together with Shirley Walker's bombastic orchestral style is an interesting fusion that's cool listening too. The remixed Main Title is also a pleasure to hear. Links: Multimedia - Memorabilia/Merchandise - CDs/Multimedia - Music/Sounds/Items - CDs
Escape From L.A. Album
Heavy metal is really not my cup of tea except for a few bands. However, the songs suits the movie and White Zombie (and Rob Zombie) is one of these few bands I really appreciate in this genre. Their song The One is a song I really get a kick out of and it ends the movie perfectly. Links: Multimedia - Memorabilia/Merchandise - CDs/Items - CDs
Escape From New York Special Edition DVD
Everything is great about this DVD except for this: The documentary was a little too short and I really missed Ernest Borgnine in it. Snake Bites trailer montage looked like a fan made thing that was found on YouTube. Why no more deleted scenes? Why no more documentaries? Inside John Carpenter's Escape or the interview with John on the Director's Version VHS and Collector's Edition LaserDisc would have been nice additions? Maybe even a documentary of New York in the 70s early 80s etc. Links: Multimedia - Memorabilia/Merchandise - DVDs/Items - DVDs
Escape From New York Movie Tie-In Novel
I enjoy this book. It fleshes out the characters and the escape universe more and adds another dimension to it while still being true to the movie. It also has a different back story of how New York was turned into a prison and we also get to know what caused the increased crime. It's a fun read, but I still prefer the original movie because it's perfect the way it is and I personally think it works better without these additions. I think the gas explanation simplifies things, softens it and makes the story unnecessary bleaker. I also dislike Mike McQuay's more humanized approach to Snake. He kept the deleted opening scene that softens him and we also get to know his feelings more with very mixed results. We also get to know more about his war past in Leningrad and that he lost his eye due to gas. By the way, we also get to know that his parents were killed by the USPF from a hostage situation. Not my cup of tea at all. However, the Steri-Chamber is an interesting addition. I would also like to take the liberty to recommend Über fan Hector De La Rosa's Escape From New York 1.5 which is even better than this novel. Will King's Escape From New York Novel Rewrite also has some good stuff. These are however not finished yet. Links: Multimedia - Memorabilia/Merchandise - Books/Press - Escape From New York Novel
Coleman Luck's Escape From L.A. Script
Coleman's version would sure be more different than the one that we got. There's a lot of dark comedy that I like and turning L.A. into a lunatic asylum is not such a bad idea. However, I really hate the idea of this being a prequel to EFNY and I really have a problem with the whole clone thing involving Snake. It's an interesting concept, but most Snake fans would have hated it. Links: Press - Alternate Versions
Peter Briggs Escape From L.A. Script
Peter's version seems to be the most serious version of them all. The dark comedy seems to be gone and it feels like a very straightforward action thriller with a more believable scenario. It only takes place a couple of years after the first movie and Snake's consequences is taken in consideration. Snake is also a bounty hunter in the beginning of the script which kind of would have been fun to see and Rehme is also back. However, I can't really accept that Snake agrees to do the mission only to find out why Fresno Bob (yes the Fresno Bob) has begun working for scumbags in a mercenary Cartel. I also miss the dark humor. Links: Press - Alternate Versions
Escape From New York Remake
Escape From New York is a movie that doesn't need to be remade. Just look at the other remakes of John Carpenter's movies. Assault on Precinct 13 was the only one I felt that didn't discriminated Carpenter's classics. Escape From New York works fine just the way it is and a big reason for it is because the movie is considered to be THE quintessential John Carpenter and Kurt Russell film by many. Snake Plissken was also created with Kurt who embodied this character with John and I really can't see anyone else but Kurt to play Snake. I don't think Snake is a character that could easily work without John and Kurt. Maybe for a new audience, who knows? However, for curiosities sake it would be interesting to see what they could've done with it. The two scripts I've read (Ken Nolan's and David Webb's) have their sweet moments. Both are respectful and understands the universe and characters Carpenter created while still bringing a new, interesting and fresh take on it. David Webb's script is maybe a little too far out for most fans. A problem I have with the scripts is that too much is explained in detail. I also think that both scripts are a little too epic and action packed. It takes away the mystery and suspense that I really enjoyed from the original movie. Everything doesn't need to be explained or be so epic. John Carpenter's movie is rather restrained in some areas, but that means that the audience get to participate and fill in the blanks for themselves and I think it works great for the movie. Some more stuff would've been nice, but in this case I think a little less can actually be more. I'm very delighted that the movie has been canned for the moment. No one can replace John Carpenter, Kurt Russell and Debra Hill. You can try but you will fail. Links: News - Escape From New York Remake
Here's reviews of the scripts. I agree with pretty much everything here:
Ken Nolan's EFNY 2007 Draft/Script Ain't It Cool News By Merrick
Ken Nolan's EFNY 2007 Draft/Script (pdf) IESB By Stephanie Sanchez
Jonathan Mostow's 2009 Draft/Script Ain't It Cool News By The Doctor, From Merrick
The Adventures of Snake Plissken
Ok, let's hear this. Snake is hunted by a cyborg that is based on Snake himself! It's a fun idea, but it's too silly and far fetched for my liking. It's also very one-dimensional (including Snake). I also don't like that Snake looks like a super man with hair that looks like it belonged to an old lady at times. However, I do like that the USPF is in it. I also like that Snake in this comic book has a little more charisma than the one featured in Snake Plissken Chronicles. This comic book only lasted one issue and I think I speak for most fans that it was for the better. Links: Multimedia - Memorabilia/Merchandise - Comics/Press - Comics
Snake Plissken Chronicles
Better than The Adventures of Snake Plissken comic book for the obvious reasons. It's more grounded in reality and it's a lot better drawn too. I have some minor issues with Snake who looks too angry and the resemblance with Kurt Russell isn't quite there. Also, some problems that the first comic has still remains in this one. Sure, it's fun to see Snake on the outside, but it's still very one-dimensional and Snake feels like a very empty character. I also really miss the USPF and it would be fun if Bob Hauk or Rehme could be in it. Oh well. I don't think Snake is a character that suits the comic book format. In fact, I don't think Snake is very suited to be exploited at all. Snake was never really a character that John Carpenter intended to make a franchise out of in the first place. I think he works great in Escape From New York because of that. It also makes the movie more powerful. We don't need to know his past or more about him. We kind of know all these things already and you can't offer him anything, you have to force him with his life to get him to do anything. Although, he could be bored and in need of some money sometimes but in general, all Snake ever wanted to do was to get even with the authorities, strike a blow for his own beliefs and move on and he got to do that in the movie. It's a perfect ending for the character. His circle is complete and I think it can only go downhill from here. I think John Carpenter and Kurt Russell were aware of this and therefore decided to have a little fun with the concept when they decided to bring Snake back for another adventure in the second movie. It sure would have been fun and interesting to read more adventures to see what else they had in mind for Snake, but I can't say that I miss this comic book very much. Links: News - Cancelled Projects/Multimedia - Memorabilia/Merchandise - Comics
"Escape" TV Series
This sounds like a terrible idea. Snake working for the President before the events in EFNY trying to bring normalcy to devastated cities around the world. It would have been an interesting concept if it wasn't Snake related. I have absolutely no desire to watch this. It wouldn't be the Snake I like so much. I'm grateful it didn't got made. Links: News - Cancelled Projects
Cancelled Projects
The thing I was looking forward the most was the video game. Playing Snake in this game with provided likeness, motion capture work and voice by Kurt Russell and cooperation from John Carpenter and Debra Hill would have been great. I actually think this could have been a great game. Snake and his universe would really suit a video game. The anime movie could also have been interesting since Kurt would provide his voice here too. John Carpenter and Debra Hill would also help them out with the screenplay and there was a rumor saying that John Carpenter would do the score. I still feel that Snake is a character that is best suited for regular motion picture work (or game?), but it sure would have been interesting to see what they could have done with it. The Novels too. I am willing to give everything a chance. I don't desire new Snake stuff (except for a third movie with John and Kurt and maybe a video game), but it sure would be fun if something good was made. Snake deserves more attention if the right people gets involved. Links: News - Cancelled Projects