1981 - Action/Adventure - John Carpenter - English - 15 years and over - Isaac Hayes, Harry Dean Stanton, Donald Pleasence, Kurt Russell, Lee Van Cleef, Ernest Borgnine, Adrienne Barbeau, Season Hubley more
Another John Carpenter cult classic, 'Escape From New York' was one of the best entries in the once popular post-apocalyptic genre which included 'Road Warrior' and 'The... more
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Escape From New York -
It has taken two decades for this "expanded edition" album to appear. As anyone who loves ... more
the film will admit, a great part of Snake Plissken's cool was always the hard-as-nails edge from the music. Director John Carpenter has always had a distinctive minimalist style to his scores (think of theHalloweentheme), but inEscape From New Yorkthe ever-present nod to Ennio Morricone really pays off. It gives Kurt Russell that "man with no name" quality from Clint Eastwood's spaghetti westerns--not necessarily by experimental instrumentation, but by endlessly cyclic rhythms and phrases. The sharp tones of an early-1980s synthesiser gives a metallic strength to the seemingly indestructible Snake. All the extra cues here--which have been remastered by Carpenter's regular musical collaborator Alan Howarth--will have been worth the wait for fans. First-time listeners may tire of the dialogue extracts, but it's impossible not to appreciate the dynamite main theme. --Paul Tonks
Escape From New York -
It has taken two decades for this "expanded edition" album to appear. As anyone who loves ... more
the film will admit, a great part of Snake Plissken's cool was always the hard-as-nails edge from the music. Director John Carpenter has always had a distinctive minimalist style to his scores (think of theHalloweentheme), but inEscape From New Yorkthe ever-present nod to Ennio Morricone really pays off. It gives Kurt Russell that "man with no name" quality from Clint Eastwood's spaghetti westerns--not necessarily by experimental instrumentation, but by endlessly cyclic rhythms and phrases. The sharp tones of an early-1980s synthesiser gives a metallic strength to the seemingly indestructible Snake. All the extra cues here--which have been remastered by Carpenter's regular musical collaborator Alan Howarth--will have been worth the wait for fans. First-time listeners may tire of the dialogue extracts, but it's impossible not to appreciate the dynamite main theme. --Paul Tonks
Grabbing a bargaining chip right out of the air, convicts bring down the President's plane in bad old Gotham. Gruff Snake Plissken, a one-eyed warrior new to prison life, is coerced into bringing the President, and his cargo, out of this land of undesirables. Kurt Russell puts his Disney days (he played the squeaky clean hero in such films asThe Computer Wore Tennis Shoes, 1970) behind him as the nicest bad guy in the picture. All comic-book sensibilities and macho posturing, this is one of writer/director John Carpenter's better brainless escapades, brimming with snappy one-liners and explosive action scenes. However, the film lacks tension and some believability even within the realm of SF fantasy. Even when it fails to gel, though, italways manages to amuse, thanks in great part to a varied and unusual supporting cast (watch for Ernest Borgnine as a cabdriver and Isaac Hayes, one-time soul singer and now best known asSouth Park's chef, as The Duke of New York). Followed in 1996 by Carpenter's overdone and campyEscape from L.A. --Rochelle O'Gorman
2003 - Action/Adventure - The Wachowski Brothers - English - 15 years and over - Keanu Reeves, Laurence Fishburne, Carrie-Anne Moss, Hugo Weaving, Jada Pinkett Smith, Monica Bellucci
1994 - Action/Adventure - Jan De Bont - English - 15 years and over - Jeff Daniels, Joe Morton, Alan Ruck, Carlos Carrasco, Keanu Reeves, Dennis Hopper, Sandra Bullock
Production Year: 2003 - Action/Adventure - Original Language: English - Classification: 12 years and over - Starring:Tom Welling, Kristin Kreuk, Michael Rosenbaum, Sam Jones III, Allison Mack, Eric Johnson, Annette O'Toole, John Glover, John Schneider
2006 - Action/Adventure - Wolfgang Petersen - English - 12 years and over - Emmy Rossum, Jimmy Bennett, Kevin Dillon, Jacinda Barrett, Josh Lucas, Freddy Rodriguez, Andre Braugher, Kurt Russell, Richard Dreyfuss, Mia Maestro, Mike Vogel
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1996 - Action/Adventure - Stuart Baird - English - 15 years and over - Kurt Russell, Halle Berry, John Leguizamo, Oliver Platt, Joe Morton, David Suchet, Steven Seagal
Studio(s): MOMENTUM PICTURES; TECHNICOLOR DISTRIBUTION SERVICES
Release date: 17/10/2005
No of Discs: 1
Catalogue No: MP 334 D
Music: John Carpenter
Editor: John Carpenter
Barcode: 5060049145341
Composer: John Carpenter
Author: John Carpenter, James Cameron
Creator: John Carpenter, James Cameron
Director of Photography: James Cameron
Executive Producer: James Cameron, John Carpenter
Producer: Debra Hill, John Carpenter, James Cameron
Screenwriter: John Carpenter, Nick Castle, Debra Hill, James Cameron
Languages
Main Language: English
Technical information
Special Features: High Definition Film Transfer, Audio Commentary By Director John Carpenter And Kurt Russell, Audio Commentary By Producer Debra Hill And Production Designer Joe Alves, Deleted Scene Original Opening Bank Robbery Sequence, Return To Escape From New York, Trailers
DVD Description
Another John Carpenter cult classic, 'Escape From New York' was one of the best entries in the once popular post-apocalyptic genre which included 'Road Warrior' and 'The Terminator'. In 1997, the island of Manhattan has been turned into the world's largest maximum-security prison, a place where the worst of humanity is sent to rot. The U.S. Government finds itself in a major crisis when the president's plane crash-lands in New York only days before a vital peace summit between major warring nations is to take place. The president survives the crash, but is taken hostage by the denizens of Manhattan and held for ransom. Only war hero turned felon Snake Plissken can save the day, and he is offered a simple deal for his work: save the president and live, fail to save him and die. The one-eyed bandit sets to work, cutting a path of destruction to the president that has to be seen to be believed. Kurt Russell creates the indelible character of Snake Plissken as no other actor could have. Wisecracking and cool under the very worst of pressures, Snake is the ultimate bad good guy. Often copied, but never duplicated, 'Escape From New York' is full of the wit, energy and action that mark a John Carpenter picture.
Professional reviews
Review: "...Brutal, very fine-looking....Carpenter's most ambitous, most riveting film to date..." (New York Times, p.C6, 10/07/1981)
"...Looks better and better as time passes..." - Recommended (Premiere, p.116, 01/09/1994)
Advantages: Decent Action, good score Disadvantages: bad acting, average sfx, poor pacing
...a little feminine charm to proceedings to keep the male audience interested (although not for her acting abilities unfortunately, but more for her bouncing chest).
Then there's the chief baddy Isaac Hayes. Dear oh dear, he should stick to what he does best - produce damn fine soul records. Even his Chef character from South Park offers superior acting compared to his limp attempt in this movie.
Escape is okay for what it is, but I feel Carpenter took a backward step here after such a good start with Dark Star and the middling Assault on Precinct 13. But he soon made up for this mess with The Thing a year later!...
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Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful
Advantages: Excellent tense storytelling, Eastwood at his best Disadvantages: Lack of action sequences
...notch up a quick Wikipedia search and read the entire story, but why waste a fantastic two hours of entertainment in favour of a brief article on the net?
If DVD features are your thing, get ready to marvel over the wonderfully remastered audio and uh, not much else. There are no extras and it seems as if they've taken the VHS, slapped it back in to production and churned a new batch out in DVD form. A big disappointment since an audio commentary would have been fantastic over the long scenes without dialogue. The movie itself is worth it's place in your collection. If you're a prison escape fan like myself, you'll love this. Highly recommended stuff....
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Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful
Advantages: Excellent direction, beautiful set, good story, superb soundtrack, high quality film Disadvantages: One or two minor lapses in parts of the film
.... She plays a charming but deceitful pickpocket. Her romance with Amsterdam provides a valuable subplot to the storyline.
Henry Thomas who you may recognize as Elliot from E.T. stars as Amsterdam’s long time friend. Perhaps you can blame the script but his betrayal of Amsterdam seems all too predictable.
Gangs of New York deserves to go down as an epic. The superb quality acting, the beautiful set, the powerful story of a war based on race and religion, the precise direction and the emotive soundtrack – Gangs of New York has everything an epic should have. Its therefore fair to expect a 2 or 3 disc special edition DVD release, a bagful of Oscars – maybe Scorsese will finally get the Best Director Oscar he is worthy for.
Gangs of New York received an 18 certificate here in the UK (though that didn’t stop us...my date of birth is 11...
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helpful 23.01.2003
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