Escape From New York

Play trailer

0:56

Escape From New York

R

1981

1h 39m

Action

Adventure

Sci-Fi

Play Trailer

Watchlist

Watchlist

Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

85%

Tomatometer

72 Reviews

77%

Popcornmeter

50,000+ Ratings

In 1997, a major war between the United States and the Soviet Union is concluding, and the entire island of Manhattan has been converted into a giant maximum security prison. When Air Force One is hijacked and crashes into the island, the president is taken hostage by a group of inmates. Snake Plissken, a former Special Forces soldier turned criminal, is recruited to retrieve the president in exchange for his own freedom.

Watch on Fandango at Home

Stream Now

Critics Consensus

Featuring an atmospherically grimy futuristic metropolis, Escape from New York is a strange, entertaining jumble of thrilling action and oddball weirdness.

Read Critics Reviews

Anton Bitel

Little White Lies

11/19/2018

1997 is the year in which the film's events are set, but far from being a bright, progressive future, it is a hyperbolic deterioration of 1981's here and now

Go to Full Review

Phil Hoad

Guardian

10/25/2018

4/5

The film plays its social satire broad but strings it along a rail of self-awareness.

Go to Full Review

Arthur Knight

The Hollywood Reporter

07/10/2017

It has got an intriguing premise, an effective cast, and it has been expertly mounted.

Go to Full Review

Eddie Harrison

film-authority.com

Apr 15

4/5

‘…John Carpenter’s still rocking 1981 action movie did an accurate job predicting a dystopian future…successfully borrows from The Omega Man and Planet of the Apes by positioning a New York where civilisation is just a memory…’

Go to Full Review

Richard Freedman

Newark Star-Ledger

Jan 7

The film suffers from its almost unrelieved gloom.

Go to Full Review

Alan Jones

Radio Times

09/13/2024

3/5

Despite a marvellous night-time opening sequence, this slice of escapism never really delivers on the ingenuity of its premise.

Go to Full Review

Read all reviews

Jason

02/08/2024

They don't make movies like these anymore. Thank you for bringing it back to the big screen.

See more

Joby

02/05/2024

What a great way to see a classic Carpenter/Russell collaboration. I never saw it in the theater, but this limited released allowed me to take my son to see it on the big screen. Movie still hold up today. Amazing

See more

S. Thomas

02/05/2024

Kurt Russell's most iconic role ever

See more

03Cobra

02/05/2024

An all-time classic. Never gets old. Carpenter in his prime ('76-'94).

See more

William L.

@RT70826415 1d

John Carpenter’s Escape from New York is a must see Sci Fi Flick! Starring Kurt Russell as Snake Plisken, a former decorated special forces soldier turned criminal is given the mission to rescue the president from New York City that has become a prison. Amazing Storyline and Great performances, this cult classic is a must see for any Carpenter or action fans!

See more

Mike P

@RT09890132 May 4

The star here really is the story: a piece of impressively nihilistic dystopian sci-fi; and an obvious satire on crime-culture in New York...(Much like Martin Scorsese's After Hours and Charles Bronson's Death Wish)...The story has NYC being so overrun by organized crime in the near future, that eventually it's syphoned off and turned into an elaborate prison camp...Trouble comes when the president's plane crash lands in the Danger Zone, and a vigilante group led by Kurt Russell is hired to rescue him...(Similar plot to the Suicide Squad)...Lots of familiar faces in the John Carpenter stable here; Kurt Russell, Donald Pleasance, Adrienne Barbeau...Features Carpenter's crisp direction, his pleasant, colorful cinematography and his brilliantly suspenseful set pieces which he is so famous for. A pleasing sci-fi, suspense-thriller, as well as an effective if reactionary piece of 80s agitprop about crime, which holds up impressively well as a matter of fact. One of Carpenter's classics.

See more

Read all reviews

Read More

Read Less

WRITE A REVIEW

EDIT REVIEW

POST RATING

John Carpenter

Director

Kurt Russell

Snake Plissken

Ernest Borgnine

Cabbie

Adrienne Barbeau

Maggie

Lee Van Cleef

Bob Hauk

Donald Pleasence

President of the United States

John Carpenter's Escape From L.A.

57%

39%

John Carpenter's Escape From L.A.

Watchlist

Predator

64%

87%

Predator

Watchlist

TRAILER

for Predator

Predator 2

36%

44%

Predator 2

Watchlist

Tank Girl

46%

62%

Tank Girl

Watchlist

No Escape

59%

41%

No Escape

Watchlist

Discover more movies and TV shows.

View More

Escape From New York: Trailer 1

0:56

View more videos

View more photos

Synopsis

In 1997, a major war between the United States and the Soviet Union is concluding, and the entire island of Manhattan has been converted into a giant maximum security prison. When Air Force One is hijacked and crashes into the island, the president is taken hostage by a group of inmates. Snake Plissken, a former Special Forces soldier turned criminal, is recruited to retrieve the president in exchange for his own freedom.

Director: John Carpenter
Producer: Larry J. Franco, Debra Hill
Screenwriter: Nick Castle, John Carpenter
Distributor: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, Embassy Pictures, AVCO Embassy Pictures, MGM/UA Home Entertainment Inc.
Production Co: AVCO Embassy Pictures, Goldcrest Films International, International Film Investors
Rating: R
Genre: Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Jul 10, 1981, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): May 23, 2016
Runtime: 1h 39m
Sound Mix: Surround