Escape from New York (1981): An Expedition to Purgatory
1981 • John Carpenter • 2.35:1 • Jump to Gallery ↓
John Carpenter’s cult classic Escape from New York (1981) feels and looks like a 1970s exploitation flick, but it has so much atmosphere thanks to Dean Cundey’s camerawork. He captures the low-level lighting to emphasize the urban decay of its own decadent world.
However, it’s not as dark as Kurt Russell’s character, Snake Plissken, who always seems to navigate the fine line between light and shadow. It’s a dirty world, from the clothes to the characters’ morality. John Carpenter knew how to capture this on film thanks to his blocking, muddy colors, and, of course, the fabulous score (you can almost hear it just by looking at the pictures).
With its perfect cast of character actors, Russell’s dripping charisma, 1980s visual representation of future technology, and a suffocating atmosphere saturated with violence, Escape from New York is a unique piece of genre cinema from over four decades ago that still looks otherworldly. It’s like an expedition to purgatory, except the purgatory is a decaying New York City turned into a high-security prison left to rot in the hands of society’s rejects. It’s another world out there, John Carpenter’s world.
Technical Specs:
- The Story: In a near-future America turned fortress, Manhattan is now a maximum-security prison, and Snake Plissken is dropped in to rescue the president.
- Actors: Kurt Russell, Lee Van Cleef, Donald Pleasence, Ernest Borgnine, Adrienne Barbeau, Isaac Hayes.
- Director: John Carpenter
- Year: 1981
- Cinematographer: Dean Cundey
- Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1
- Genre: Action / Sci-Fi
