The new special edition dvd brings a treat to long-time fans: the deleted opening bank robbery and capture of Snake Plissken. Also, the dark lighting is sometimes too dark, and details are obscured. If there is any complaint, it's that the budget sometimes holds back some of the action, but characterization makes up for it. There is a constant feeling of the race against time. Although there are gaps in logic and missing information, the pace doesn't let you dwell on it. Louis and LA, and make you believe it is New York.
Carpenter is able to convincingly hide the fact that he shot this film in St. The film moves at a brisk pace and the dark lighting carries the sense of mystery, isolation, and destruction.
SNAKE ESCAPE TV
This was Van Cleef's last good role, before he was saddled with mediocrity in his tv series, the Master, and became the butt of jokes on MST3K. The difference is, Snake rebelled against the system that betrayed him Hauk joined it. Hauk is an ex-soldier and identifies with Snake. Finally, Lee Van Cleef brings some of that Angel Eyes magic as Hauk, the prison Warden. Ernest Borgnine is tremendous as Cabby, the answer man and link between Snake and the rest of the cast, as well as to the past of New York. Donald Pleasance is the consummate politician, a big man in his controlled environment, but lost in a world outside his one he had a hand in creating.
SNAKE ESCAPE MOVIE
Hayes is a bit uneven, as he wasn't an experienced actor (he had at least one movie before this) but he is a charismatic performer and ultra-cool. Isaac Hayes is The Duke, ruler of the prison. Harry Dean Stanton, a great character actor, presents a Brain that is smart, but ruthless, and more than a bit cowardly. Their's is a symbiotic relationship each provides something the other needs. She is partnered with the intelligent, but slimy Brain. Adrienne Barbeau is the beautiful, but deadly Maggie. Russell is able to say a lot with little dialogue, through his body language and facial expressions. Much like a real serpent, Snake watches and strikes when he is ready with speed and impact. Russell channels Clint Eastwood to give Snake a menacing, if laconic quality. This performance, coupled with another collaboration with Carpenter, Elvis, led to bigger and better roles. Up to this point, Russell had been stuck in low budget comedies, following the end of his Disney days. Kurt Russell is excellent in what was a breakout performance for him. It also depicts a fascist police state, one that some would say is not too far from reality. The film's novelization explores these themes better than the movie, but it is hinted at in Hauk's briefing. Plissken represents, in a fashion, the Vietnam vets who did their job, even if they didn't agree with or understand their war, but came back to nothing. The film channels the anger and distrust of the post-Vietnam/Watergate era, as well as the then-current Iranian Hostage crisis. John Carpenter's film is a masterpiece of dark humor, suspense, and great characters.
Now, he has to rescue a man he doesn't care about, if only to survive long enough to take his revenge on Hauk and the government. He fought for his country but had everything taken from him, so he started taking back. Plissken is a walking ball of anger and a survival machine. Plissken is an ex-soldier turned criminal, recruited/blackmailed into rescuing a hostage president from the prison of New York City. Snake Plissken is the classic anti-hero, ala Clint Eastwood's Man-with-no-name.
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