Reed Alexander's Horror Review of 'Escape from New York' (1981)

Can we please talk about the fact that the first half of this cult classic is essentially Kurt Russell just walking around looking cool? And you know what's fucking dumb about that? That is the perfect embodiment of the Action Hero Trope throughout the history of the Action Genre. Literally, just the hero looking cool. Everything the hero does, HE HAS TO LOOK COOL. Not just cool, but fucking cool, a blown-out caricature of what a hyperactive, fifteen year old boy thinks is cool. I argue no one has ever done it better than Kurt Russell's Snake Plissken. I mean, at one fucking point he sits down in a lawn chair and just sits there looking cool. So, technically, that means the acting is superb because it's the right kind of perfectly fucking hammy.

But wait? This is an action movie? Why is it the subject of a horror review? Well, not just because John Carpenter directed and cowrote this masterpiece, but because it's horror adjacent from its ultra-violence. It was downright Grindhouse, though toned down a bit for theaters. There's a scene where cannibals just eat this fucking extra, for fuck sake. It's just a marvelously bloody film, even if it stops just short of gorey.

It really is all about the setting. It's basically a post-apocalyptic setting. A dystopian society walled off the most crime-ridded cities and left them to rot. So inside is like Mad Max (1979). I'm absolutely sure this is where the DC writers got the idea for Batman: No Man's Land (1999). Everything lay in ruin, gangsters control most of the territories, and cannibals roam the rest. No more public services, barely any electricity, no regular form of communication, absolutely cut off from civil society. It's been going on for so long that just having a gun with ammunition is a huge deal to the power structure. Post Apocalypse is already horror adjacent, and sometimes just flat-out horror. I'll guaran-damn-tee all your Hardcore Horror Heads have seen Escape from New York and Escape From Los Angeles. The setting is so damn grim and dark, it basically is horror, even though it's not.

And can we talk about the fucking plot for a second? Terrorists hijack Air Force One and crash it into the penal colony of New York City. The President of the United States is the lone survivor having escaped in an escape pod. The Duke of New York, A #1, captures the president and a loan mercenary is sent in to get him back. How fucking ridiculous is that? That nonsense is pure fucking gold!

The characters are also fun and Iconic. Fucking Isaac Hayes is the goddamn Duke of NY, A #1. I cannot tell you how many times I've referred to a G.O.A.T. as Duke of NY, A #1. Earnest Borgnine Plays Cabbie, the loveable sidekick. He's just so damn loveable that you find yourself rooting for him even though he's a bit character. The cast is just fucking loveable and absolutely all of them are ridiculous.

What I'm saying here, is don't go into this movie expecting anything less than Action Hero Trope confetti. There is literally no excuse these days for people watching this movie and not like it. Absolutely everyone by now should know what they're getting into. It's been 42 fucking years. If you go into this not knowing what to expect and don't like it, you're the fucking problem. Absolutely no one should expect an 'Award Winning' production going into this film.

So, if you love horror, I mean truly love horror, from the tropeyest slasher to the most embarrassingly clumsy B movie, you'll love Escaper from New York. It has everything you'd want out of an action movie to satisfy even your horror cravings.

If you're a Hardcore Horror Head, and you haven't seen it yet, do yourself a favor and go watch it now.