VIDEO REVIEW: Escape From New York

The Lucid Nightmare - Escape From New York Review by jayskitstar

VIDEO REVIEW: The Fog

REVIEW: Escape from New York

Escape from New York
Director: John Carpenter
Year 1981

Escape from New York is a wild and entertaining ride brought to us by the legendary genre director John Carpenter. Starring Kurt Russell as the king of all badasses, Snake Plissken, the film is a cult phenomenon that is so much damn fun that you really can’t just watch it once.
 
The movie starts out in the futuristic world of 1997, where shit has really hit the fan and society as a whole is governed with an iron fist by an overbearing and intrusive government. When the President’s plane crash lands inside the now maximum security prison of Manhattan, one eyed convict Snake Plissken is pulled from prison life and coerced into infiltrating the apocalyptic hell of New York City in order to get the President out. Surrounded by the scum of society and enclosed within a giant maximum security prison, can Plissken beat the odds and win back his freedom? All signs point to yes.

This movie is just all kinds of fun, taking every opportunity it can in making the world believe that Kurt Russell’s Snake Plissken is the end all be all coolest dude the cinema has ever seen. Kurt owns the role and runs with it for the entire stretch of the movie, adding flourishes of smart-ass one-liners that just seem so damn right. Even Russell’s mannerisms seem catered to bringing this larger then life character into the realm of the believable, infusing him with an uncommon sense of realism that’s not usually seen in B-grade cinema. If there’s one thing that really makes this film the pinnacle of cult classic cinema, it’s the damn fine role that Russell has done in crafting this tremendously vivid character.

I can’t also forget the fabulous job that director John Carpenter has also done to make this film rise above its meager origins. His direction and overall visual sensibility is prevalent throughout the movie, making it unmistakably a Carpenter film through and through. His original compositions just ignite the soundtrack, giving you a stark audible picture of how cool and realized this film really is. Nothing seems out of place and the production seems to jive perfectly together like some sick and twisted jigsaw puzzle, crafted by a brilliant director at the top of his game. It almost seems ridiculous that a film that has such a bat shit crazy premise can come together in such a harmonious way, but Carpenter pulled it off with flying colors. His genre efforts have always been stupendous and Escape From New York is right up there with some of my favorites of his work.

There are so many aspects of this film that are top notch that it’s hard to narrow it down to a few choice topics. The diverse cast alone is outstanding enough to write a full blown essay about. We’ve got cult actors coming out the ying yang on this production!
 
First there’s Lee Van Cleef, Tom Atkins, and Charles Cyphers in small cameo roles that, though lacking in depth, are extremely memorable and give the film a dose of class. Then we have Ernest Borgnine as a wacky cabby doing his Borgnine thing for all it’s worth. His scenes are a joy and I love how is character is vaguely dubious, walking the line between a good guy and a bad guy. After Borgnine we’re treated to Harry Dean Stanton as Brain and the hot mamma Adrienne Barbeau as Maggie. Here’s another two characters that straddle that hazy line between good and evil. The majority of the characters in this film seem to play with that notion of ambiguity.

The same can be said for the two heavy hitters in Isaac Hayes’ The Duke character and Donald Pleasence’s turn as the President. Both men are represented as having low moral fiber, concerned only with their selfish goals. The Duke wants out of the maximum security prison and the President enjoys pulling the wool over the eyes of the unsuspecting public. In hind sight that might be why Snake Plissken, though a convict and overall bad person, can be viewed as the hero of this film. He is the lesser of two evils and is only doing the job in order to save his own skin. Whatever way you look at it, the film is full of scumbags and it’s a joy to see them all double cross each other in various and interesting ways.

As for the look of the film, it’s dark, depressing, and absolutely beautiful. Enhanced by Carpenter’s trademark anamorphic lens, the film just looks stunning, breaking any kind of preconception that B-grade movies have to be all grit and grime and no class. Don’t get me wrong, the grit and grime are here along with some fabulously decayed locations, but they’re filmed in such a way that it almost seems poetic in structure and authentically genuine, without sacrificing the quality and integrity of the picture.
 
It’s interesting that Carpenter’s style in this film, mirrors earlier spaghetti westerns, which in part flowed like water from Italian filmmakers just over a decade prior to New York’s release. Then to make things even more interesting, the knock offs that soon followed in the wake of Escape from New York’s success, seemed to be solely centered around Italian productions. I guess that’s why some of these Italian efforts didn’t seem so out of place when compared to Carpenter’s original masterpiece, though lacking the master’s specific trademarks. The films had an interlinking cinematic style that seemed to compliment their shared past, which resulted in giving the films creditability to their respective genres, ones that wouldn’t normally receive high praise for being art.

Aside from having that shared atmospheric edge, the films of this ilk are just so much damn fun. They revel in the obscure and play with the notions of “what if”. I mean how can you not have a good time watching a film that has turned the island of Manhattan into a maximum security prison while forcing the president of the United States to dress up in a wig and sing a ridiculous song about a bastard named Duke? It’s impossible!

Escape from New York is one of those cult classics that seem to have all the right elements. The actors are perfect in their roles, especially Kurt Russell as Snake Plissken. The guy was destined to morph into that crazy mofo with an eye patch and he does the character justice, bringing this over the top and highly fictional character to life. Plissken wouldn’t be the highly regarded character that he is today if it wasn’t for the efforts of Russell, and the overall film wouldn’t be the same without the expert eye and heightened sensibilities of director John Carpenter. The combination is a match made in heaven and they’ve proven this by matching up in some of the most heralded horror/action films in genre history.
 
Just thinking about their other match-ups makes me want to pop in Big Trouble in Little China and The Thing, and just sit back and enjoy the awesomeness. Escape from New York proves that if you have the right combo, anything is possible. The film is amazing and brings to mind these wise, wise words. Escape from New York proves that……..

New York City.... What a shithole!

Plissken for President!

I shot him six times! Sorry couldn't resist.

Well don't they make an intimidating bunch?

Looks like we've got one of those there standoffs.

Really living on the edge there Plissken.

This damn GPS is a piece of shit! Over.

Borgnine, you fucking pyro!

Plissken answers the age old question. Who's bad!

Looks like those lazy days of summer are setting in.

Check this out! Here's.......

........Barbeau! Glorious Heavens Above!

Try to look a little more enthused Stanton.

When tricking out the car goes too far.

Either he just got knifed in the head or he's a human unicorn.

What is this, Passion of the Pleasence?

What's the matter Hayes? Your gun don't go boom?

Shit! Looks like another damn fan letter.

Let's get ready to RUMBLE!

That mongoloid is gonna have one hell of a splitting headache.

Takes a licking and keeps on ticking.

REVIEW: The Fog

The Fog
Director: John Carpenter
Year 1980

The Fog is John Carpenter's sensational ghost tale about a shipwrecked undead crew who terrorizes the residents of the sleepy coastal town of Antonio Bay. After churning out two exceptional TV movies, Someone's Watching Me and Elvis, Carpenter burst back onto the big screen to continue his legacy of fear which started with the cult classic Halloween.

Crafted with a heavy dose of atmosphere and a stellar cast, The Fog makes for a great viewing that really showcases the wild ride that Carpenter's career would take in the following years. If you're looking for a neat little haunted tale, then look no further then The Fog.

Adrienne Barbeau you are AMAZING!

Something's in the fog.... Who is that?

Antonio Bay is the fictional setting for this wonderful little horror gem and boy is it a picturesque sight. Nestled against the moody shores of the Pacific Ocean, Carpenter uses a number of various locations to set up his quaint cinematic town that soon becomes the victim of a terrible curse that is violently set upon its townsfolk for the crimes committed by its founding fathers. A slow and brooding build up provides the perfect introduction and ambient opening to let us get to know the world that Carpenter has created in this story. It's these quiet moments that occur in the early parts of the film, that really give the movie a deliberately restrained pace, allowing for us to get to know the layout of the town and the living cast within it.

The gradual approach of slowly revealing the various areas and inhabitants of Antonio Bay, is complimented rather nicely against the director's trademark use of anamorphic lenses, which beautifully showcase the surrounding areas breathtaking landscapes and unique vistas. This eye for detail is not just provided for visual splendor, but for emotional impact as well, as Carpenter cleverly uses these locations to tell a parallel story within the film. He places his characters in secluded locations throughout Antonio Bay, in order to emphasis that lonely feeling that he sets up in the initial moments of the introductory opening of the film. With his guided direction, the town to us feels empty and lifeless, home to only a few lost souls that we are slowly introduced to one by one.

Is that one of the Goonies? Hey you guy!!!!

Who's the son of a bitch that stole my mustache?!?!

What is most interesting to me, is that the haunting nature of the film is not only provided by the ghostly zombie like apparitions that come into play later on in the movie, but it is assisted by the overall coldness of Carpenter's portrayal of the town of Antonio Bay. By combining the moody visuals of the coastal town with the jaded lives of the various characters of the film, Carpenter makes for a unique blend of melancholy malaise that perfectly establishes the film in a ghost-like reflection. This really comes to light when comparing some of the characters to their assigned locales within the movie.

A great example of this, is that of the lighthouse which serves as one of the film's most iconic fixtures and an essential informational post for the film's entire citizen population. The lighthouse serves as the local radio station, Radio K.A.B., and it is essentially home to disc jockey Stevie Wayne, played by the fabulous Adrienne Barbeau. Set at the end of a seemingly never ending iron staircase, high upon the cliffs, the secluded nature of the radio station helps to provide a feeling of helplessness that is highly prevalent when shit really starts to hit the fan for the sleepy town of Antonio Bay. Being the only person in the whole town that really has an eye on the whole situation high atop her lighthouse station, Stevie Wayne provides the much needed information to the unsuspecting people below.

Someone's not gonna like finding this guy home.

So why'd you steal Tom Atkins' mustache Padre?

What's unique about this position that she is in, is that she is as helpless as the rest of the people of Antonio Bay. Trapped with no where to go, she is powerless to protect her young son when a thick fog rolls into town containing some very pissed off and vengeful ghosts. The seclusion is maddening, but deliberate in part by Carpenter's overall vision for the movie. You could say that his approach is almost Hitchcockian in a sense, most notably mimicking elements from Rear Window, where she is forced to see this impending doom approaching the town, but can do little to stop it. Even in such dire circumstances, she finds a way to hinder the oncoming storm by broadcasting updates on where the fog is heading and the safest place to ride out the strange arrival of this dangerous and mysterious thing that has gripped their small coastal town.

It is through these efforts of communication, by Barbeau's character, that we are primarily connected to the rest of the ensemble cast. From Tom Atkins and Jamie Lee Curtis' group to Charles Cyphers, Janet Leigh, Nancy Kyes, and finally Hal Holbrook's character, a community begins to form bringing a cohesion that isn't as strongly felt during the beginning half of the film. It's fascinating to see things come together, starting from the cold and distant relations of the individual characters to eventually ending with them coming together as a solid unit in the most desperate of times. It's something that you don't initially come away with after first watching the film, but after analyzing it after a few viewings, you begin to realize that this movie is far more then just a simple ghost story.

Damn hitchhiking ghosts.

One of the creepiest and coolest wedding processionals.

Aside from my deep personal analysis of the film, the movie is just stupendous if viewed as a straight forward tale of terror. Carpenter injects such a sense of dread and foreboding, that you really don't need to look as in-depth and personal as I have stated earlier in the review. You can take the film at face value and it still makes for one classic tale, filled with some great subtle performances and killer atmosphere. Hell, the ghostly apparitions are creepy to boot, coming off more as a horde of zombies then any kind of ghost that I've seen prior to this film.

Fundamentally, the film just hits all the right notes in providing an engaging story with memorable characters, frightening ghouls, and exceptionally crafted atmosphere. I haven't even mentioned the amazing original soundtrack provided by John Carpenter himself, which compliments the visuals so well that you'd be hard pressed to separate the two. When it comes to music, not many can capture that unique flare that Carpenter seems to effortlessly create for his projects. The Fog is definitely a film that has the Carpenter stamp of approval, having his professionally crafted hands in all aspects of the production. The man is a legend.

Holy Shit! The power of Christ compels you!

Smoke if you got em.

The Fog is a film that feels complete in every aspect of its production. The world that John Carpenter has created in this film, feels whole and lived in, even if it is lifeless and lonely for the characters within it. The hauntingly somber and picturesque locations, enhance that feeling of dread and solitude that lies so heavy on this ghostly tale. Much like the sordid history of Antonio Bay's past, the story gives off that overbearing presence of being inherently marked by the events of the past. Cursed to pay for the wrong doings of our forefathers, yet there is a silver lining in the coming together of the various characters. Through their sense of community and the combined efforts of the townspeople as a whole, they can right the wrongs done and find new life.

Whether you look at the film from a more in-depth view point or just take it as one hell of a fun ghost story, you are going to come away from this film with an appreciation for what John Carpenter has created in this little gem and what he has contributed to the genre. The movie just oozes atmosphere in every inch of the frame and is paced beautifully, so check it out if you haven't already and if you have, give it another go. Long live Carpenter!

5 out of 5 stars       John Carpenter's Ghostly Masterpiece!