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Amazon.co.uk Review
Fifteen years after John Carpenter squandered a great idea on a mediocre movie (Escape from New York), he does it again--this time on the Left Coast. Kurt Russell is back as the terminally cynical one-eyed action hero Snake Plissken who, this time, has been coerced into saving the world in Los Angeles. It's 2013 and L.A. is now an island maximum-security prison off the coast of California. Snake has 10 hours to find a doomsday weapon that's fallen into the hands of revolutionaries before he dies of a virus with which he's been injected. But the action is clumsy and unimaginative: lots of shootouts and very little suspense. Even the bad guys aren't particularly inventive; only Pam Grier, as a transsexual gang leader, strikes any sparks. Russell growls his way through the role but can only blame himself: He cowrote the script with Carpenter. --Marshall Fine
Product Description
Escape From L.A. [1996] [DVD]
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
4 of 5 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
Have to say the sequel is not a patch on Escape from New York. Even to view it as a stand alone it is still a poor offering. Backlot studios give no real sense of location, poor acting (other than Russell and Emmanuel) no doubt due to the confusing effect of the quick fire dialogue between the cast that is short, yet so bad it kills all pacing.
Poor set design, poor visuals.
View only as a curio.
Poor set design, poor visuals.
View only as a curio.
14 of 18 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
I saw this film at the cinema, owned it on video and now DVD. Although it is a bare bones disc with just a trailer, its great to see the movie in widescreen (as it should be) and Carpenter/Walker's score in 5.1 - brilliant!!
A lot of critics hammered this film, but it has cult classic wrote all over it. Russell is as usual, superb and is backed up by a great cast. Stand out cameos include Peter Fonda as a surfer dude, Steve Buscemi and the great Bruce Campbell.
I love this movie, it's not as good as "New York" but its lots of fun. Anyway, John Carpenter is a film making legend.
6 of 8 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
This is a clever and crazy film - especially notable, on a basic level, for its wacky special effects which make it look more 1950s than 1990s, and which need to be enjoyed in the spirit of this film.
On a more considered level, there's a lot going on, politically.
Right up to the end, it is not clear on which side John Carpenter is standing - if he is standing anywhere - nor the intended take-home message.
From the start, it is clear that Carpenter is vilifying, among other things, a certain kind of extreme theocratic Christianity. In the USA, that is a hugely political thing to attempt to do. The film bombed at the box-office and perhaps this is part of the reason. The anti-Christian message is pretty well to the fore. For example, the President is portrayed throughout the film as a lunatic who will kill his own daughter - who "needs to pray" and who clutches a Bible. For some people, that will be offensive.
However, we don't find spiritual or ideological refuge in the opposing side either!
The President's opposite number, the leader of the prisoners on Los Angeles island, is a Che Guevara lookalike, called Cuervo Jones - who initially seems like some kind of hip Third World alternative, until we discover that he likes to murder people for fun in the disused sporting arena.
While the prisoners on Los Angeles island are leading a much "freer" existence than the inhabitants of the US mainland - unlike the mainlanders, they can smoke, drink alcohol, eat red meat, own guns and wear fur coats - they are not using their freedom in any constructive way.
For example, on landing on the island, the first thing Snake Plissken finds them doing is machine-gunning each other out of car windows. They all seem - witness the stadium scene - to be psychopathic hooligans who use their freedom and their inhibition from "rules", simply to kill each other.
If Carpenter comes down on anyone's side - and I am not entirely sure that he does - then it would tend to be on the individualistic side of Snake Plissken. The final scene of Plissken with the cigarette in his mouth, appears to represent some kind of homage to this "American Spirit" of individualism.
In reality, though, neither the extremist individualism of Plissken, nor the theocracy of the US State, nor the revolutionary psychopathy of Cuervo Jones answers satisfactorily the question which this film posits.
That is, how, and by whom, do we wish to be governed?
On a more considered level, there's a lot going on, politically.
Right up to the end, it is not clear on which side John Carpenter is standing - if he is standing anywhere - nor the intended take-home message.
From the start, it is clear that Carpenter is vilifying, among other things, a certain kind of extreme theocratic Christianity. In the USA, that is a hugely political thing to attempt to do. The film bombed at the box-office and perhaps this is part of the reason. The anti-Christian message is pretty well to the fore. For example, the President is portrayed throughout the film as a lunatic who will kill his own daughter - who "needs to pray" and who clutches a Bible. For some people, that will be offensive.
However, we don't find spiritual or ideological refuge in the opposing side either!
The President's opposite number, the leader of the prisoners on Los Angeles island, is a Che Guevara lookalike, called Cuervo Jones - who initially seems like some kind of hip Third World alternative, until we discover that he likes to murder people for fun in the disused sporting arena.
While the prisoners on Los Angeles island are leading a much "freer" existence than the inhabitants of the US mainland - unlike the mainlanders, they can smoke, drink alcohol, eat red meat, own guns and wear fur coats - they are not using their freedom in any constructive way.
For example, on landing on the island, the first thing Snake Plissken finds them doing is machine-gunning each other out of car windows. They all seem - witness the stadium scene - to be psychopathic hooligans who use their freedom and their inhibition from "rules", simply to kill each other.
If Carpenter comes down on anyone's side - and I am not entirely sure that he does - then it would tend to be on the individualistic side of Snake Plissken. The final scene of Plissken with the cigarette in his mouth, appears to represent some kind of homage to this "American Spirit" of individualism.
In reality, though, neither the extremist individualism of Plissken, nor the theocracy of the US State, nor the revolutionary psychopathy of Cuervo Jones answers satisfactorily the question which this film posits.
That is, how, and by whom, do we wish to be governed?
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Dreadful film - watch the original much better
I really liked Escape from NY and so had high hopes for this but its dreadful. The CGI is appalling the effects in the 80s film were better! Read more
Published 10 days ago by Rickath
I thought you'd be taller
I love this movie, its not as dark as the original but thats ok. It's a shame there are no more movies with Kurt Russell as Snake Plissken. Read more
Published 14 months ago by Dave
SNAKE IS BACK with even more thrills
Most of us have seen Escape from new york and that was pretty awesome.
Escape from L.A is the sequel to Escape from new york and when i watched it, it was really fun and a... Read more
Escape from L.A is the sequel to Escape from new york and when i watched it, it was really fun and a... Read more
Published 20 months ago by Sam lewis
Escape from dvd machine more like!!!
I happen to own this dvd as i was hoping it was going to be just as good than the first one,but all this movie did was let me down big time and kurt russell would of been better... Read more
Published on 3 Feb 2010 by Lee Traill
Great Film
A classic 1980s film made in 1996, if you enjoy films that are terrible and funny at the same time you could do a lot worse than Escape from LA. Read more
Published on 27 Jun 2009 by J. Hudson
oooohhhh i love it, and him.lol
Gosh I love Kurt Russell as he is, but as Snake Plissken he is even more of a dish.
The storyline though very futuristic, and kinda ewwie in some parts(wacky beverly... Read more
The storyline though very futuristic, and kinda ewwie in some parts(wacky beverly... Read more
Published on 23 April 2009 by T. Schleich
Ruscue me from John Carpenter
I'll start by admitting that I kind of like Escape From New York, it was a trashy 80's flick that played to its strengths but was nearly ruined by Issac Hayes poorly cast bad guy. Read more
Published on 6 Mar 2009 by Road Apple
Need to be very forgiving to be enjoyed
I enjoyed this first time I saw it. Dumb as anything, but funny and with a lot of B movie charm.
Then I was bored with it the next time I watched it. Read more
Then I was bored with it the next time I watched it. Read more
Published on 8 Sep 2006 by BS on parade
names snake..i mean plisken, no wait its snake
if your a fan of the snake (escape from new york) i would recommend getting this. More action, some lame cameos i.e. Read more
Published on 11 April 2006 by P. poland
One of the best yet.
I have to admit, this is my 3rd favourite film of all time. I suppose i love it because it is a stereotypical american hardman movie. Read more
Published on 8 Mar 2006
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