One of John Carpenter's earliest films, Escape from New York was a daring undertaking when it was created and isn't often fully appreciated today. His dark view of the future of humanity, and his humiliating criticism of the U.S. president and authority in general, were not readily accepted when this film was released.<br /><br />Kurt Russell is the out-for-self anti-hero, who's heroics come from self interest rather than a love for his fellow man. Carpenter, who always tries to incorporate western themes into his movies, modeled Snake's character after Clint Eastwood's nameless gunslinger from Sergio Leone's spaghetti westerns, and its interesting to watch Kurt Russell translate the role to a futuristic setting. Ironically, Lee Van Cleef, who played Angel Eyes in the Good the Bad and the Ugly, plays a role that is equally antagonistic towards Snake in Escape from NY. Its probably no coincedence either, as Carpenter has been known to pay homages to the film makers who influenced him.<br /><br />The setting is New York, an island prison of the future. Snake is basically a gunslinger, and due to some unfortunate business, has to do certain deeds against his will. The odds are stacked against him like nobodys business.<br /><br />So maybe some of the action sequences aren't totally plausible, scenes that might make you say "Hey, theres no way he coulda lived through that!" This sort of criticism wasn't meant for ACTION movies. So if you feel like putting your brain cells to rest for a while, and enjoy bleak futuristic pictures, urban violence, and indestructable tough guy anti-heroes, heres a movie you don't wanna sleep on. I gave it a 9.