ESCAPE FROM NEW YORK

Snake Plissken? I’ve heard of you… I heard you were dead.

I came of age during the peak-era of the ‘cult film’, a phenomenon that seems to have been rendered inert by the advent of streaming services, empty multiplexes and an over-abundance of digital distractions that leave the audience flitting from one thing to another like a flies buzzing through a field covered in freshly-dropped cow pats. Some films achieved their cult status by being genuinely obscure, outlandish, and outrageous or, in the case of Escape From New York, such a perfect Brundle of cool shit that they come to singularly define what the term ‘cult film’ really means. Perfect casting – Donald Pleasance, Isaac Hayes, Ernest Borgnine, Lee Van Cleef, Harry Dean Stanton and, in the lead role, Kurt Russell delivering a perfect performance pitched exactly between deadly serious and utterly absurd. Great music courtesy of the director himself. Great script, with quotable lines aplenty and a basic concept so simple as to be genius. Everyone involved knows exactly what they’re doing and have fun while they’re doing it, and it simply defies movie snob critique through the sheer force of its awesomeness. Along with The Warriors and a handful of others, this is a film Hollywood must never be allowed to remake and ruin, though the original would still remain pristine and unsullied by their failure, a timeless reminder of how to do it, if you must. Anyway, this is my poster for the film which dates back to around 2007. I must get around to doing some more. Any suggestions for what you’d like to see?

John Carpenter – Escape From New York (theme)

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