Escape from New York is a 1981 science fiction action film directed John Carpenter.  The film’s budget was estimated to be $6 million, upon release it was a commercial hit grossing over $50 million worldwide.  It has since developed its own cult following particularly around the anti hero Plissken. A sequel Escape from LA was released in 1996.  The film is now 29 years old the film is set in the near future in a crime ridden United States that has converted Manhattan Island in New York City into a maximum security prison.  Surrounded by a 50 foot containment wall, all bridges are mined and  waterways patrolled.  Nobody is allowed in the prison, not even guards Because there are no guards inside the prison there are only “prisoners and the worlds they have made. The rules are simple once you go in, you don’t come out”.   On his way to a summit between the United States, Soviet Union and China Air Force One the plane of the President of the United States is hijacked by a lone member of a left wing revolutionary organization called the National Liberation Front of America, opposed to the government. The militant terrorist disguised as a stewardess, crashes the plane into Manhattan but the President (Donald Pleasence) is placed in an escape pod which is ejected before the crash and survives.  The United States Police Force Commissioner Bob Hauk (Lee Van Cleef) arrives at the Liberty Island command center where he and the chief of security Remy (Tom Atkins) witness the crash.  Hauk assembles a platoon of soldiers and travel to the crash site in a fleet of helicopters.  But when they arrive they find the escape pod empty, indicating that the President has been taken hostage.  An emissary of the inmates named Romero appears and tells Hauk that they have the President and if they do not leave the island in 30 seconds the President will be killed.  Romero offers them one of the President’s severed fingers as evidence. With no other choice Hauk orders his men to return to the helicopters and they fly back to Liberty Island. In his office, Hauk meets with the arrived Secretary of State (Charles Cypress) who puts him in telephone contact with the Vice President where Hauk asks for authorization of a rescue attempt and accepts it.  In his office Hauk offers a deal to a newly arrived prisoner a scruffy one eyed famous special forces soldier turned armed robber named SD Snake Plissken (Kurt Russell).  Hauk offers Snake a Presidential Pardon if he goes into Manhattan and rescues the President and retrieves a cassette tape that contains important information on nuclear fusion.  The catch is Plissken must complete his mission before the international summit that the President was due to attend, which begins in 24 hours.  After Plissken reluctantly agrees to attempt the rescue, Hauk secretly has him injected with microscopic explosives that will blow open his carotid arteries in his neck in 24 hours. The explosives cannot be defused until within fifteen minutes before they go off as a way of ensuring that Snake does not abandon his mission and escape.  If he returns with the President and the tape in time for the summit, Hauk will save him by having the charges in his neck neutralized with x rays.  Snake promises to kill Hauk when he returns.  Snake covertly lands on top of the World Trade Center in a Gulfire glider similar to the one he piloted in a daring covert operations action over Leningrad USSR he then locates the hijacked plane wreckage and the escape pod.  Snake tracks the President’s life monitor bracelet signal to the basement of an abandoned theater only to find it on the wrist of an incoherent old coot.  At the theater Snake meets a friendly inmate nicknamed “Cabbie” (Ernest Borgnine) who offers to help.  After wondering the dark streets, Snake is acousted by the ‘Crazies’ a subterranean gang that hunts the streets at night. Snake first seeks refuge in an abandoned Chuck Full of Nuts diner where he meets a seductive young woman (Season Hubley) who asks to take her away to freedom.  The Crazies soon attack the diner  and Snake is forced to run,  leaving the nameless young woman to her fate at the hands of the Crazies.  After a chase down a back alley, Cabbie shows up in his taxi and rescues Snake.  Forced at gunpoint Cabbie takes Snake to see Brain (Harry Dean Stanton) a savvy and well educated inmate who has made the New York Public Library his personal fortress. Brain, who knows Snake from some heists they did in the past tells Snake that a powerful gang leader the self proclaimed “Duke of New York” (Isaac Hayes) is the leader of the Gypies the largest and most powerful gang in the city.  The Duke has the President and plans to lead a mass escape across the mined and heavily guarded 69th Street Bridge using the President as a human shield and hostage.  When the Duke unexpectedly arrives to get a diagram of the bridge’s land mines, Snake forces Brain and his girlfriend Maggie (Adrienne Barbeau) to lead him back to The Duke’s compound.  After stealing a car from one of the Duke’s henchmen, Snake, Brain and Maggie drive through Skulls gang country along Broadway barely escaping. Snake finds the President whom is being held in an abandoned railroad car in what was the Grand Central Train Station, but his rescue fails and he is captured after Brain apparently betrays Snake.  The next day Snake is forced to fight with a giant power house brute (Ox Baker).   Brain and Maggie trick Romero and the Duke’s men into letting them have access to the President.  After killing Romero and the guards, they free the President and flee to Snake’s glider hoping to escape with the President.  Meanwhile, Snake defeats his huge opponent impressing the crowd. When the Duke learns the President has escaped with Brain, he is furious and rounds up his gang to chase them down.  In the confusion Snake slips away and manages to catch up with Brain, Maggie and the President at the glider but during their attempted getaway inmates called push the glider off the building.  Snake and the others soon find Cabbie and Snake takes the wheel of his cab heading for the bridge. When Cabbie reveals that he has the nuclear fusion tape the President demands it, but Snake takes it. The Duke chases them in his Cadillac so Snake and the others drive over the mine strewn bridge.  After Cabbie cab hits a land mine the cab is destroyed and Cabbie is killed.  As the others flee on foot Brain is killed by a mine and Maggie refuses to leave him.  She attempts to hold off the Duke’s car by firing at him with a handgun and she succeeds in forcing Duke’s car to crash but he crashes into her, killing her.   The Duke continues his pursuit on foot.  Snake and the President reach the containment wall and the guards raise the President on a rope. The Duke then attacks Snake but the President shoots the Duke with a sub machine gun, killing him.  Snake is then lifted to safety and the mini explosives implanted in his neck are deactivated with X rays with seconds to spare.  At Liberty Island the rescued President prepares for a televised speech, he distractedly thanks Snake for saving him. Snake asks him how he feels about the numerous men and women who died saving his life, but the President only offers a half hearted regret.  After Snake is pardoned, he decides he will not kill Hauk at this time and leaves the prison.  Hauk thanks him for the rescue and offers Pliskin a job working for the government in other top secret missions.  Snake alienated with the nation he once served with honor refuses. Hauk tells Snake to think about the offer and notes “we make quite a team, huh, Snake” Snake replies “the name’s Pliskin”.  The President’s speech commences and he offers the content of the cassette to the summit. To the President’s embarrassment the tape has been switched for a cassette of Cabbie’s favorite songs.  Snake walks off into the distance as he tears apart the all important nuclear fusion tape.
Kurt Russell
Kurt Russell is an American actor who began his acting career at the age of eleven.  His films include It Happened at the World’s Fair (1963, Guns of Diablo (1964), Follow Me, Boys (1966), The Family Band (1968), The Horse in the Gray Flannel Suit (1968), Guns in the Heather (1969), The Computer Wore Tennis Shoes (1969), The Barefoot Executive (1971), Fools’ Parade (1971), Now You See Him, Now You Don’t (1972), Charley and the Angel (1973), Superdad (1973), The Strongest Man in the World (1975), Used Cars (1980), Escape from New York (1981), The Thing (1982), Silkwood (1983), Swing Shift (1984), The Mean Season (1985), The Best of Times (1986), Big Trouble in Little China (1986), Overboard (1987), Tequila Sunrise (1988), Winter People (1989), Tango & Cash (1989),  Backdraft (1991), Unlawful Entry (1992),  Captain Ron (1992), Tombstone (1993), Stargate (1994), Executive Decision (1996), Escape from L.A (1996), Breakdown (1997), Soldier (1998), 3000 Miles to Graceland (2001), Vanilla Sky (2001), Dark Blue (2002), Miracle (2004), Sky High (2005), Poseidon (2006), Death Proof (2007) and Cutlass (2007).  He has appeared in TV series such as The Man from U.N.C.L.E, The Virginian, Gunsmoke, Hawaii Five O, The High Chaparral, Police Story and Charlie’s Angels.

Lee Van Cleef
Lee Van Cleef was an American film actor who appeared mostly in Western and action pictures.  His films include High Noon (1952), Untamed Frontier (1952), Kansas City Confidential (1952), The Lawless Breed (1953), The Bandits of Corsica (1953), White Lightning (1953), Arena (1953), Vice Squad (1953), Jack Slade (1953), The Nebraskan (1953), Tumbleweed (1953), Gypsy Colt (1954), Rails End at Laramie (1954), Arrow in the Dust (1954), The Yellow Tomahawk (1954), The Desperado (1954), Dawn at Socorro (1954), Treasure of Ruby Hills (1955), Ten Wanted Men (1955), The Big Combo (1955), I Cover the Underworld (1955), It Conquered the World (1956), Pardners (1956), Accused of Murder (1956), The Lonely Man (1957), The Tin Star (1957), The Quiet Gun (1957), Gunfight at the OK Corral (1957), China Gate (1957), The Last Stagecoach West (1957), Gun Battle of Monterey (1957), Raiders of Old California (1957), Day of the Bad Man (1958), The Bravados (1958), The Young Lions (1958), Guns Girls and Gangsters (1959), Ride Lonesome (1959), Posse from Hell (1961), The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance (1962), For a Few Dollars More (1965), The Good the Bad and the Ugly (1966), The Big Gundown (1966), Death Rides a Horse (1967), Day of Anger (1967), Commandos (1968), El condor (1970), Barquero (1970), Captain Apache (1971), Return of Sabata (1971), The Magnificent Seven Ride! (1972), Escape From Death Row (1973), The Stranger and the Gunfighter (1974), Take a Hard Ride (1975), God’s Gun (1976),Kid Vengeance (1977), he Perfect Killer (1977), The Octagon (1980), Escape from New York (1981), Killing Machine (1983), Codename: Wild Geese (1984), Jungle Raiders (1985), Armed Response (1986), The Commander (1986), Speed Zone (1989) and Thieves of Fortune (1989).  He has appeared in TV series such as The Range Rider, Space Patrol,Rin-Tin-Tin, Wagon Train, The Rifleman and Gunsmoke.  Lee Van Cleef died from a heart attack in Oxnard California in December 1989.
Donald Pleasence
Donald Pleasence was an English actor his films include The Beachcomber (1954), Orders Are Orders (1954), Value for Money (1955), 1984 (1956), The Black Tent (1956), The Man in the Sky (1957), Manuela (1957), Barnacle Bill (1957), A Tale of Two Cities (1958), Look Back in Anger (1958), Heart of a Child (1958), Heart of a Child (1958), The Man Inside (1958), The Two Headed Spy (1958), The Shakedown (1959), Killers of Kilimanjaro (1959), The Battle of the Sexes (1959), A Story of David (1960), The Shakedown (1960), The Big Day (1960), The Flesh and the Fiends (1960), Hell Is a City (1960), No Love for Johnnie (1961), The Wind of Change (1961), Spare the Rod (1961), What a Carve Up! (1961), Dr Crippen (1962), The Inspector (1962), The Great Escape (1963), The Greatest Story Ever Told (1965), The Hallelujah Trail (1965), Fantastic Voyage (1966), The Night of the Generals (1967), Eye of the Devil (1967), James Bond You Only Live Twice (1967), Creature of Comfort (1968), Mr Freedom (1969), Soldier Blue (1970), Wake in Fright (1971), Kidnapped (1971), Death Line (1972), The Pied Piper (1972), Wedding in White (1972), Tales That Witness Madness (1973), The Mutations (1974), Escape to Witch Mountain (1975), Journey Into Fear (1975), The Last Tycoon (1976), The Eagle Has Landed (1976), Halloween (1978), Dracula (1979), Alien (1979), Escape from New York (1981), Halloween II (1981), Alone in the Dark (1982), Warrior of the Lost World (1983), A Breed Apart (1984), The Ambassador (1984), Phenomena (1985), Prince of Darkness (1987), Ground Zero (1987), Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers (1988), River of Death (1989), Halloween 5: The Revenge of Michael Myers (1989), Casablanca Express (1989), Buried Alive (1990), Shadows and Fog (1992), The Hour of the Pig (1993), The Big Freeze (1993), Safe Haven (1995) and Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers (1995).  He has appeared in TV series such as The Adventures of Robin Hood, The Twilight Zone, The Outer Limits, The Fugitive, Hawaii Five O, Columbo, Jesus of Nazareth and  Lovejoy.   Donald Pleasence died at the age of 75 in Saint Paul de Vence France from complications after heart valve replacement surgery.
Ernest Borgnine
Ernest Borgnine is an American actor his films include China Corsair (1951), The Whistle at Eaton Falls (1951), The Mob (1951), The Stranger Wore a Gun (1953), From Here to Eternity (1953), Johnny Guitar (1954), Demetrius and the Gladiators (1954), The Bounty Hunter (1954), Vera Cruz (1954), Bad Day at Black Rock (1955), Marty (1955), Run for Cover (1955), The Last Command (1955), The Square Jungle (1955), The Catered Affair (1956), The Best Things in Life Are Free (1956), The Vikings (1958), The Badlanders (1958), Torpedo Run (1958), Summer of the Seventeenth Doll (1959), The Rabbit Trap (1959), Man on a String (1960), Pay or Die (1960), The Last Judgement (1961), Barabbas (1961), McHale’s Navy (1964), The Flight of the Phoenix (1965), The Oscar (1966), The Dirty Dozen (1967), Ice Station Zebra (1968), The Wild Bunch (1969), The Adventurers (1970), Hannie Caulder (1971) , The Revengers (1972), The Poseidon Adventure (1972), Emperor of the North Pole (1973), The Neptune Factor (1973), Vengeance Is Mine (1974), The Devil’s Rain (1975), Hustle (1975), Convoy (1978), Ravagers (1979), The Black Hole (1979), All Quiet on the Western Front (1979), Escape from New York (1981), Code Name: Wild Geese (1984), Man Hunt (1985), The Opponent (1987), Skeleton Coast (1987), The Big Turnaround (1988), Moving Target (1988), Dirty Dozen: Fatal Mission (1988), Tides of War (1990), McHale’s Navy (1997), Gattaca (1997), Abilene (1999), Castle Rock (2000), Whiplash (2002), Barn Red (2003), Blueberry (2004), Strange Wilderness (2008), Frozen Stupid (2008), Another Harvest Moon (2009), The Genesis Code (2010) and Red (2010).  He has appeared in TV series such as The Lone Wolf, The Blue Angels, Wagon Train, McHale’s Navy, Jesus of Nazareth, Magnum, PI, Airwolf, Home Improvement, JAG, Walker Texas Ranger, 7th Heaven, The District and ER.
Harry Dean Stanton
Harry Dean Stanton is an American actor his films include The Wrong Man (1956), Tomahawk Trail (1957), Revolt at Fort Laramie (1957), The Proud Rebel (1958), Voice in the Mirror (1958), Pork Chop Hill (1959), The Jayhawkers (1959), A Dog’s Best Friend (1959), Slave Catcher (1960), Hero’s Island (1962), The Man from the Diners’ Club (1963), A Fistful of Dollars (1964), Ride in the Whirlwind (1965), A Time for Killing (1967), The Hostage (1967), Cool Hand Luke (1967), The Mini Skirt Mob (1968), Lanton Mills (1969), The Rebel Rousers (1970), Kelly’s Heroes (1970), Two Lane Blacktop (1971), Cisco Pike (1972), Cry for Me Billy (1972), Pat Garrett & Billy the Kid (1973), Dillinger (1973), Cockfighter (1974), The Godfather: Part II (1974), Rancho Deluxe (1975), Missouri (1976), Straight Time (1978), Alien (1979), The Rose (1979), The Black Marble (1980), Private Benjamin (1980), Escape from New York (1981), One from the Heart (1982), Christine (1983), Repo Man (1984), Paris Texas (1984), The Bear (1984), Red Dawn (1984), Pretty in Pink (1986), Stars and Bars (1988), Twister (1989), Dream a Little Dream (1989), Man Trouble (1992), Cruise Control (1992), Gentleman Who Fell (1993), Playback (1996), Down Periscope (1996), Midnight Blue (1997), She’s So Lovely (1997), Fire Down Below (1997), Ballad of the Nightingale (1998), The Mighty (1998), The Straight Story (1999), The Green Mile (1999), The Pledge (2001), The Man Who Cried (2001), Anger Management (2003), Chrystal (2004), Alpha Dog (2006), Alien Autopsy (2006), The Good Life (2007), The Open Road (2009) and Athena (2010).  He has appeared in TV series such as US Marshal, Rin-Tin-Tin, The Texan, The Untouchables, Bonanza, The Fugitive, The Virginian, Gunsmoke, Alice and Chuck.
Adrienne Barbeau
Adrienne Barbeau is an American actress her films include The Fog (1980), Escape from New York (1981), The Cannonball Run (1981), Swamp Thing (1981), Creepshow (1982), The Next One (1984), Back to School (1986), Open House (1987), Cannibal Women in the Avocado Jungle of Death (1989), Two Evil Eyes (1991), Father Hood (1993), Silk Degrees (1994), A Wake in Providence (1999), Across the Line (2000), The Convent (2000), No Place Like Home (2001), Ghost Rock (2004), Unholy (2007), Reach for Me (2008), Alice Jacobs Is Dead (2009) and Complacent (2010).  She has appeared in TV series such as Quincy ME, The Love Boat, Maude, The Twilight Zone, Murder She Wrote, Dream On, Babylon 5, Diagnosis Murder, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, Nash Bridges and  Dexter.
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