1997. New York City is now a maximum security prison. Breaking out is impossible. Breaking in is insane. Manhattan Island has become a maximum-security prison for three million criminals. When the American President's plane is hijacked and crashed on the island the President is taken hostage by gangland warlord `The Duke'. Sent to the rescue is Snake Plissken (Kurt Russell) a former war hero now a convicted criminal. To ensure safe return of the President the police comm
While this film may not have aged as gracefully as Carpenter's other early 80s offering, The Thing, it still deserves a three star rating without too much vacillation. The cast alone (Dean Stanton, Russell, Borgnine, and Pleasance) merit respect, and help mitigate the pernicious influence of a grand script and low budget (a non-sequitur). This is something of a cult film, with a degree of atmosphere, and, dare I suggest, style. Memorable for it's dark (literally) and sinister projection of urban decay, societal degeneration, and oligarchy, Carpenter's film is seminal. At another level it is a watchable sci-fi movie with enough action for the average DVD renter. Not sure it is one to add to a collection (given the price and Region). Dark Star is more obscure, but an exemplary low budget effort that is more interesting and articulate. It is also less expensive and available as Region 2. If you want to see 'early' (in fact, film student) Carpenter, get the latter.
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