Press > Cultural References > Escape From New York (Movies & TV)
Saturday Night Live: Episode #7.6 (1981) (TV Episode) (Transcript)
- A commercial parody preview comprised entirely of movie stills and stock footage for a movie where an audience attempt to flee a Maximum Security Prison Cinema where they are forced to see Escape From New York only to be trapped in another cinema showing a nine hour long version of the movie New York, New York instead is featured in this episode.
The Last Horror Film (1982)
- Title visible on cover of Starburst magazine Vinnie is reading.
Mexican Lobby Card2019: After the Fall of New York (1983)
- Similar plot and themes. In Mexico the movie was marketed as 2099: Escape De Nueva York 2.
Night of the Comet (1984)
- Poster is hanging on the wall in the cinema.
Kiraathakudu (1986)
- The second half is basically a remake.
Igla (1988)
- A helicopter landing scene from Escape From New York is edited into this movie.
"Making of They Live" (Video) (1988)
- Producer/First Assistant Director Larry J. Franco (Larry Franco) is seen wearing an Escape From New York crew t-shirt. Franco was a Producer and the First Assistant Director on Escape From New York.
Class of 1999 (1990)
- The virtual map at the beginning of the movie and the premise of the contained lawless zone.
Cyber City Oedo 808 (1990) (Video)
- Criminals have to do missions for the state, with the chance of being pardoned.
Captain Ron (1992)
- It was Kurt Russell's idea to have Captain Ron wear an eye patch. He joked about Ron being a brother to Snake.
Married with Children: The Goodbye Girl (1992) (TV Episode)
- Al watches this movie as part of his 'holidays' on the couch.
Nemesis (1992)
- Alex is implanted with a bomb which will kill him if he refuses to do the assignment and it will only be removed if Alex completes the assignment.
The Kids in the Hall: Episode #3.13 (1992) (TV Episode)
- Poster is hanging on the wall.
Mad About You: Escape from New York (1994) (TV Episode)
- Title reference.
New Crime City (1994)
- Similar plot and themes. Stacy Keach (Malloy) also has a similar role here prior to Escape From L.A.
No Escape (1994)
- Similar plot and themes.
The Critic: The Pilot (1994) (TV Episode)
- Jay and his son play a videogame called "Escape from the Big Apple".
Wings: Escape from New York (1997) (TV Episode)
- Title reference.
Premutos: Lord of the Living Dead (1999)
- German poster is hanging in Mathias room.
Schizophreniac: The Whore Mangler (1999) (Video)
- Poster is hanging on Harry Russo's wall.
Sex and the City: Escape from New York (2000) (TV Episode)
- Title reference.
Aqua Teen Hunger Force: Kidney Car (2003) (TV Episode)
- Boxy Brown makes Meatwad call him "Duke of New York, A-#1".
Spy Kids 3-D: Game Over (2003)
- The watch Juni wears is like the 24 hour countdown watch in Escape From New York.
The Ghouls (2003)
- Poster seen.
B13 - 13th District (2004)
- Wall around part of a city, no police inside.
Christine: Fast and Furious (Video) (2004)
- Co-Producer/First Assistant Director Larry J. Franco (Larry Franco) is seen wearing an Escape From New York crew t-shirt in a photo. Franco was a Producer and the First Assistant Director on Escape From New York.
John Carpenter: Fear Is Just the Beginning... The Man and His Movies (2004) (Video)
- Clip.
The Last Shot (2004)
- Poster is hanging on Steven Schats wall.
Film Geek (2005)
- Title of this film appears on screen.
Horror Business (2005) (Video)
- It is mentioned in a magazine.
I Love the 80's 3-D (2005) (TV Episode)
- Clips.
L'ispettore Coliandro: In trappola (2006) (TV Episode)
- The movie Trombetti is watching in his home.
Planet Terror (Grindhouse) (2007)
- "Black Flight", the name of the Special Forces unit Snake Plissken served in, is featured on the back of a humvee'. Extract from the track Back To The Pod/The Crazies Come Out (The Crazies Come Out) from the Escape From New York soundtrack can also be heard in a hospital scene when things are starting to escalate.
Anatomy of Catastrophe: The Making of 'Doomsday' (2008) (Video)
- Writer/Director Neil Marshall acknowledges this film as an influence on his movie.
Cloverfield (2008)
- Poster inspired the scene with the Statue of Liberty's decapitated head.
Doomsday (2008)
- Many references, including the maps of Scotland using the same animation style and colors as those of New York, the scene where weapons and mission are presented to Eden Sinclair, and the musical themes.
Face Eater (2008)
- The character Romero wears an eye patch in Face Eater. This is a reference to Snake Plissken. Also, the character Harold Hellman who Flecks kills in Face Eater is a reference to Harry Dean Stanton's character in Escape from New York.
Jellyscream! (2008)
- Referenced in the score.
Kevin Smith: Sold Out - A Threevening with Kevin Smith (2008) (Video)
- Mentioned in dialogue.
Micmacs (2009)
- DVD is shown in a video store.
Night of the Creeps: Tom Atkins, Man of Action (2009) (Video)
- Discussed.
The Angry Video Game Nerd: Metal Gear (2009) (TV Episode)
- The Angry Nerd thinks of Snake Plissken whenever he hears Solid Snake's name.
20 to 1: Blockbuster Heroes (2010) (TV Episode)
- Clips.
Casino Jack (2010)
- The film's title is written on Jack Abramoff's blackboard when he is teaching a screenwriting class in prison.
Dragonetti the Ruthless Contract Killer (2010)
- DVD is shown in a store.
Escape from New Jersey (2010)
- Clip.
IMDb's 20th Anniversary Star of the Day: Robert Rodriguez (2010) (TV Episode)
- Robert Rodriguez mentions this movie during interview.
Machete (2010)
- Computer-simulation showing the proposed U.S./Mexico-boarder-fence. During the introduction of Escape from New York, there is an almost identical schematic showing Manhattan-Island-prison and its containment wall. Even details like the blinking triangles at key-points are recreated in Machete. Another almost identical scene taken from Escape From New York is the one where the weapons are presented to Machete.
Video Nasties: Moral Panic, Censorship & Videotape (2010) (Video)
- Video case is shown.
Escape from London (2011) (Short)
- Tribute Film for Frightfest 2011.
Estrenos Críticos: La Cosa (2011) (TV Episode)
- Mentioned.
Dead Shadows (2012)
- Poster is hanging on apartment wall.
Dead Weight (2012)
- Meredith and Thomas drink from a bottle labeled Snake's Poison Whiskey.
Lockout (2012)
- Similar plot and themes.
Apocalypse Marathon (2013) (Short)
- New York prison styled graphics used to outline a city.
Outside Xbox: 6 Tie-in Games That Wouldn't Suck (2013) (TV Episode)
- The hosts review the merits of the movie being made into a video game while clips of the movie are shown.
Rewind This! (2013)
- Video case is shown.
Dean of Darkness with Dean Cundey (2013) (Video)
- Mentioned.
La gente es imbécil (2013) (TV Series)
- Referenced.
Archer: Archer Vice: Palace Intrigue - Part I (2014) (TV Episode)
- Cheryl mentions it in dialogue.
Mike and Mike in the Morning: Episode dated 25 August 2014 (2014) (TV Episode)
- John Anderson says he likes this movie.
Pretty Little Liars: EscApe from New York (2014) (TV Episode)
- Title reference.
Top 40 Ultimate Action Movies (2014) (TV Movie)
- Number 20 in the Countdown.
Bob's Burgers: Adventures in Chinchilla-sitting (2015) (TV Episode)
- One of the Trivia Answers.
Honest Game Trailers: Metal Gear Solid (2015) (TV Episode)
- Snake Plissken mentioned.
GUNSHIP: Tech Noir (2015) (Video)
- A VHS case of this film is shown, also cassette itself is swapped with one of The Care Bears (1985).
Lead Me Astray (2015)
- Alexis mentions watching this movie.
Night City (2015)
- The scene in which Nick asks Angel "Now, who am I?" resembles the Duke asking the President what he learned.
The Graham Norton Show: Kurt Russell/Tina Fey/Josh Widdicombe/Sia (2015) (TV Episode)
- Mentioned by Graham. Kurt Russell talks about filming this movie.
Suicide Squad (2016)
- Similar plot and themes.
The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon: Kate Hudson/David Oyelowo/De La Soul feat. Estelle (2016) (TV Episode)
- Kate Hudson refers to this movie.
Homeland: Casus Belli (2017) (TV Episode)
- The film is referenced.
The Goldbergs: A Night to Remember (2017) (TV Episode)
- Photo of Adam as Snake Plissken.
Talking Dead: The First Day of the Rest of Your Lives (2017) (TV Episode)
- Mentioned in writing during the "Inside the Dead" segment.
Riverdale: Chapter Fourteen: A Kiss Before Dying (2017) (TV Episode)
- Alice asks if it is Snake Plissken calling.
24 Hours to Live (2017)
- Arm timer that shows when the protagonist's 24h left to live is up.
Stranger Things: Chapter Seven: The Lost Sister (2017) (TV Episode)
- "Bank Robbery" from the expanded soundtrack is heard.
Pray for Death: A John Carpenter Tribute at the Leona Gallery (2017)
- Referenced as a work of art in the Leona Gallery
Ready Player One (2018)
- The Map of Manhattan can be seen in the background at the IOI's headquarters.
Spoofs (Movies & TV)
Abenobashi mahô shôtengai: Huge Reversal?! Abenobashi Hollywood Shopping Arcade (2002) (TV Episode)
- Arumi's grandfather Masayoshi is dressed as Snake Plissken. In addition, he says "friends call me Snake" which spoofs the phrase "Call me Snake" from the film.
Tripping the Rift: Creaturepalooza (2004) (TV Episode)
- Chode gets 24 hours to rescue himself, like Snake Plissken.
Die Hard with a Sponsor (2007) (Short)
- One of the characters is a spoof of Snake Plissken.
The Middleman: The Palindrome Reversal Palindrome (2008) (TV Episode)
- The Middleman's and Wendy's aliases are Russell and Van Cleef: two of the main actors in the movie.
- Carpenter Rd. Transformer Station refers to the director, John Carpenter.
- 1997 Plissken Circle refers to the main character, Snake Plissken, and the year the movie takes place.
- The Duke of New York Toy Factory refers to the name of the movie's main bad guy.
- The mirror Middleman's appearance matches that of Snake Plissken (Kurt Russell) in the movie.
Video Games
Jail Break (Manhattan 24 Bunsho: New York City 151 Nishi Dai 100 Street) (1986)
- Jail Break's premise of a city overrun with convicts and a kidnapped VIP is based on this movie.
Hunter Hunted (1996)
- In the intro of the game, as well as various levels in the game, there is some graffiti on the wall that reads: "Snake P. was here," and "Snake. I thought you were dead."
Grand Theft Auto III (2001)
- A taxi company and two cabs is named after Ernest Borgnine (Cabbie).
To get to The Borgnine Taxi Company, start at your Portland hideout and go right. Then, hang a left at the stop light.
The Borgnine Taxi is a fast car with smooth, precise steering and is one of the best cars on the streets of Liberty City. It is available only after 100 taxi missions have been completed and is parked at "Borgnine Taxi's".
Unlike its brother the Borgnine Taxi, the Cabbie is actually active in Liberty City. It can be used to get some extra cash or if you just need a ride. Responsive steering and average speed make it a good pick if you need to cut across town for a mission or escape the police to a Pay 'N Spray. They drive around just about anywhere, but there is one parked at "Mean Street Taxi's" in Trenton.
Sam & Max: The Devil's Playhouse (2010)
- Sam says they can not escape bloodthirsty CHUDs unless they can... Escape from New York.
Duke Nukem Forever (2011)
- Duke frequently says: "I am the Duke. I'm A-Number-One." This is of course taken from Escape From New York when the President is forced to say to The Duke: "You are the Duke of New York. You're A-Number-One."
Twisted Metal (2012)
- Statue of Liberty's decapitated head from this film can be seen in the Metro Square level.
Miscellaneous
Crazy Magazine (Vol 1/Issue 85/Apr/1982/US)
- Has a six pages long movie parody of Escape From New York called: Escape From Fun City.
Neuromancer (1984) (Book)
- The writer William Gibson credits the character Bob Hauk as an inspiration for his character "Armitage" in the novel Neuromancer. In that novel, Armitage forces the protagonist to cooperate in a manner similar to the way Snake's cooperation is coerced.
(Celebrity Guest Wall. Apparently Kurt Russell himself has eaten here.)Escape From New York Pizzeria
- Escape From New York is a legendary pizza parlor on Portland, OR's artistic 23rd St. It features huge wall murals with a New York City theme and pizzas (whole or by the slice) with slices over a foot in length. It is popular among Portlanders and tourists from all walks of life. Website: Escape From New York Pizza
Escape From L.A. (Movies & TV)
Melrose Place: Escape from L.A. (1997) (TV Episode)
- Title reference.
Pussyman's Escape from L.A. (1997) (Video)
- Title reference.
Ellen: Escape from L.A. (1998) (TV Episode)
- Title reference.
Schizophreniac: The Whore Mangler (1999) (Video)
- Poster on Harry Russo's wall.
Los Angeles Plays Itself (2003)
- Clips.
B13 - 13th District (2004)
- Dangerous weapon in a city abandoned by the government.
Two Guns (2005)
- Poster on wall.
Be Kind Rewind (2008)
- Video case is shown.
Game Boys (2008)
- Poster in Andrea's home.
Kevin Smith: Sold Out - A Threevening with Kevin Smith (2008) (Video)
- Mentioned in dialogue.
The Cinema Snob: Jaws 5: Cruel Jaws (2009) (TV Episode)
- Title reference.
20 to 1: Blockbuster Heroes (2010) (TV Episode)
- Clips.
David Walliams' Awfully Good: Awfully Good Movies (2011) (TV Episode)
- Bad special effect excerpt.
Shameful Sequels: Alien Resurrection (2011) (TV Episode)
- "And suddenly the movie becomes Escape From L.A."
Bad Movie Beatdown: Ghosts of Mars (2012) (TV Episode)
- Said to not be a very good movie.
Unzipping Body Bags (2013) (Video)
- Mentioned.
Mike and Mike in the Morning: Episode dated 25 August 2014 (2014) (TV Episode)
- John Anderson says he likes this movie.
Bob's Burgers: Adventures in Chinchilla-sitting (2015) (TV Episode)
- One of the Trivia Answers.
BoJack Horseman: Escape from L.A. (2015) (TV Episode)
- Title reference.
Face Off: Troll Bridge (2015) (TV Episode)
- Title mentioned.
The Go to Guy: Peter Jason on John Carpenter (2016) (Video)
- Discussed.
The Nostalgia Critic: Why Do Good Directors Go Bad? (2016) (TV Episode)
- Noted in the decline of John Carpenter's work.
Video Games
(YouTube)
Duke Nukem 64 (1998)
- In Duke Nukem 64 on Level 3 (Death Row) it is possible to find the mutilated body of Snake Plissken. Upon doing so Duke mutters "I guess he didn't escape from L.A."
PC Dark Age Ending (YouTube)
PS2 Dark Age Ending (YouTube)Deus Ex (2000)
- After being convinced by Tracer Tong, JC Denton proceeds to trigger a new Dark Age. This is one of the possible endings of Deus Ex, the one which resembles the movie Escape From L.A. in which the technology is destroyed in a similar way.
Duke Nukem Forever (2011)
- In the beginning of the game a boy asks for Duke's autograph. The boy's father then says: "I thought he'd be taller." This could be a reference to the running gag in Escape From L.A.
Snake Plissken (Movies & TV)
Soldier (1998)
- In the movie Soldier starring Kurt Russell a reference to some of his most famous character names can be seen on a statistic screen as commendations. The following are: Cash Medal of Bravery, Plissken Patch, O'Neil Ring Award, MacReady Cross.
Assembling the League (2003) (Video)
- Director Stephen Norrington is wearing a Snake Plissken t-shirt on set of The League Of Extraordinary Gentlemen.
American Dad!: Con Heir (2005) (TV Episode)
- In this episode when Stan's father jumps on Roger, Roger says: "Yeah, can someone tell Snake Plissken here to back off." On a slightly related note, the character of Stan Smith's father, Jack Smith also wears an eye patch.
Jeopardy!: Episode #22.187 (2006) (TV Episode)
- Referenced in clue in "Memorable Roles" category.
Jeopardy!: Episode #26.77 (2009) (TV Episode)
- Subject of a $2,000 clue in the category "Actors & Their Roles".
Regular Show: Terror Tales of the Park V (2015) (TV Episode)
- Muscle Man is dressed up as Snake Plissken.
Miscellaneous
Snake Plissken Quintet
- There is a band called Snake Plissken Quintet playing "Bay area funk and groove jazz" music. Website: Snake Plissken Quintet
Snake Plissken Memorial Playground
- In March 2007 Ain't It Cool News reported on the ongoing efforts to create the Snake Plissken Memorial Playground in Gumniste, Kosovo.
Snake Plissken (Characters) (Movies & TV)
ReBoot (1994-2002)
- Enzo Matrix, a character from the classic CGI cartoon, ReBoot, was very likely inspired by Snake Plissken, due to his similar appearance and attitude, as well as his insistence upon being addressed a certain way ("Call me Matrix!").
Grim & Evil (2001-2007)
- Has a character named Hoss Delgado from 2002-2007 who is modeled after Ash from Evil Dead and Snake Plissken. The cartoon airs on Cartoon Network. Hoss has Snake's gung ho, take no prisoners attitude as well as Ash's replaced arm. Hoss usually has a metal fist or a crossbow for shooting chainsaws. He also wears the clothing of Snake in LA. The television special Underfist also shares a combined resemblance with both Snake Plissken and Ash from the Evil Dead.
Super Robot Wars Original Generation: Divine Wars (2006-2007)
- Has a character called Ingram Prisken. He is a fictional character in the Super Robot Wars series. Ingram's surname is widely believed to be Plissken, and may have come from Snake Plissken, with "Prisken" being a case of poor romanization.
Escape from Ridgemont High (2015) (Video)
- Jake "the Snake" Pliskin is a parody of Snake Plissken.
Camp Camp: Scout's Dishonor (2016)
- The character Billy Nikssilp is a parody of Snake Plissken.
Snake Plissken (Characters) (Video Games)
Metal Gear (1987)
- Snake Plissken was the inspiration for Solid Snake, hero of the Metal Gear series.
- Metal Gear also uses the same font in its logo as Escape From New York.
Metal Gear 2: Solid Snake (1990)
- The plot of Escape From New York was the inspiration for Metal Gear 2: Solid Snake (sneak into an indomitable fortress to rescue a VIP and an important tape/cartridge that determines the fate of the world.)
Metal Gear Solid (1998)
Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty (2001)
- Solid Snake goes by the alias of Iroquois Pliskin.
Metal Gear Solid 2: Substance (2002)
Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater (2004)
- When Naked Snake (AKA Big Boss) fights The Fear, Snake gets an arrow in his leg, just like Plissken.
Metal Gear Solid 4: Portable Ops (2006)
- In a trailer for Metal Gear Solid 4, of a fairly jokey atmosphere has Solid Snake sit down in a deck chair much like Snake Plissken does in Escape from New York and L.A. Also, Lee Van Cleef, who starred in the film, serves as the basis of the MGS villain Revolver Ocelot, for his portrayal of "Angel Eyes" in The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly. His famous eye-patch is also referenced by Naked Snake/Big Boss and Solidus Snake. Solid Snake also says: "Call me Snake".
Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker (2010)
- Solid Snake says: "Call me Snake".
More references throughout the series: In every Metal Gear Solid game, there is a part where your character is left with nothing after being knocked out and tortured, very similar to how Snake Plissken escaped from The Duke. A mined area is also a trend in the Metal Gear series. Otacon, the scientist ally of Solid Snake is based off of Brain.
Reboot (1998)
- Has a character most likely based on Snake Plissken (See "Reboot" (1994-2002) in the Snake Plissken (Characters) (Movies & TV) section)
Super Hero Operations (1999)
- Has a character called Ingram Prisken. (See Super Robot Wars Original Generation: Divine Wars (2006-2007) in the Snake Plissken (Characters) (Movies & TV) section)
Super Robot Wars Alpha (2000)
Super Robot Taisen: Original Generation (Debut: 2002)
Super Robot Wars Alpha 3 (2005) (Cameo)
Super Robot Wars Original Generations (2007)
Gex 3: Deep Cover Gecko (1999)
- "I'm Gecko Plissken, and I'm here for the president."
The Grim Adventures of Billy & Mandy (2006)
- Has a character called Hoss Delgado based on Snake Plissken and Ash from the Evil Dead series (See Grim & Evil (2001-2007) in the Snake Plissken (Characters) (Movies & TV) section)
Contra Re-Birth (2009)
- The character Plissken is a homage to Snake Plissken. He also makes a similar speech to the one Snake makes at the end of Escape From New York, refraining from killing his employer because he was "too tired".
Broforce (2014)
Snake Brosken is a parody of Snake Plissken.