Escape From L.A. (UK)

This is basically an inferior remake of Escape from New York. I`m not sure whether Carpenter, Russell and Debra Hill set out to make everything, so similar but that is what happened. There are some highlights like a basketball scene (which is a kind of equivalent to the boxing/wrestling sequence in the first) and the bangkok rules sequence (where snakes gets himself out of a dangerous situation, again).

There is a risible scene which features a cameo from Pam Grier who plays a transexual and Peter Fonda should have been shot for his performance (although it was a truly awful surf dude character), delivering lamentable lines like "Far out dude". There is a scene where Snake has to surf down Sunset Boulevard, I remember this was released as publicity for the cinema release, frankly I wouldn`t have bothered as the effects are embarrassing.

The movie is sadly too camp with some poor one-liners. In EFNY I remember when Snakes meets a new character they`d always say "I thought you were dead" in this one they say "I thought you`d be taller", it doesn`t work.

Bruce Campbell (Evil Dead) hams it up as a plastic surgeon who wants Snakes remaining eye. Too be honest though I think JC would have been better off going for a more serious movie, this is too cheesy. Seeing as the plot is the same as EFNY why not play it more serious, instead of all these hammy performances! Carpenter has gone for this in his more recent films Ghosts of Mars was too camp as well, however, this is a better movie than that.

Carpenter has come up with another enjoyable ending for Kurt Russell`s anti-hero where he shuts down the world and sends us back into the dark age.

Snake is a great character and overall I enjoy the film, but it could have been better. I don`t think Snake will be back again, besides he`s getting on a bit!

John Carpenter and Kurt Russell team up for the fourth time to create this futuristic action thriller. In an America that is no longer free, Snake Plissken is an infamous ex military man turned criminal. He is forced by the government to undertake a mission to retrieve a black box from LA, which has now been seperated and isolated from the rest of the US and is now full of criminals, gangs, and deportees. The futuristic sets are great and really effective in creating the feelings.

The character of Snake is very well done. He seems to be very mysterious and at times quite callous. Good acting from Kurt Russell. Steve Buscemi`s two faced character Eddie was also really good and you never really know which side he is on.

The visuals are a treat and the picture is very sharp and clean of any major artefacts. A real top notch transfer that varies from stunning to normal. The DD 5.1 soundrack is excellent and surrounds are well used throughout the movie. Sadly the disc lacks any extras apart from a single trailer.

I have not seen the first movie, Escape from New York so naturally I cannot say which is better but this was an enjoyable movie that is worth watching. The picture and soundtrack raise the value of the enjoyment but sadly there are no real extras so a bit of a dissapointment for fans of this movie/series.