This film from John Carpenter is a cult hit, but its really just average sci-fi action fare. One of its main problems is the completely implausible premise. The film proposes that crime rises in the U.S. 400% in 1988 and that by 1997 the isle of Manhattan has been turned into a prison. The U.S. gives up on New York City? Come on. The premise could work if the story and characters were solid, but that’s not the case here.
A rebel from the Liberation Front of America hijacks Airforce One and plans to crash it into New York. The President (Donald Pleasence, HALLOWEEN) ejects himself from the plane and ends up being kidnapped by The Duke of New York (Isaac Hayes, SOUTH PARK: BIGGER, LONGER & UNCUT). Because the police have been kicked out by the inmates, the police chief Bob Hauk (Lee Van Cleef, THE GOOD, THE BAD AND THE UGLY) enlists inmate and former special forces soldier Snake Plissken (Kurt Russell, BACKDRAFT) to find and rescue the President within 22 hours or die. Along his journey, Snake hooks up with dimwitted Cabbie (Ernest Borgnine, MARTY), Brain (Harry Dean Stanton, PARIS, TEXAS) and Brain’s buxom girlfriend Maggie (Adrienne Barbeau, TV’s CARNIVALE).
The thinly veiled message against totalitarianism and police states is not enough to hide the fact that the film is a simple rescue adventure. Plus, none of the characters are all that interesting. Russell’s performance as the gruff Snake is supposed to be iconic, but he just sounds silly most of the time. Borgnine’s Cabbie is annoying and Brain and Maggie are present really only as plot devices. Forget this film and just watch Carpenter’s ASSAULT ON PRECINCT 13 instead.
Rick DeMott
Animation World Network
Creator of Rick's Flicks Picks
