It would have been easy for John Carpenter to stay in George Romero's shadow or remain a cult figure with more "Dark Star"-type entertainment. Instead, JC catapulted his name and franchise into history with the release of EFNY. It contains all the classic elements: a no-compromise anti-hero (Russell), a cast of misfit cohorts who work both for and against his goals (Borgnine, Barbeau, Stanton), an enemy with real dimensions (Hayes), a fantastic and depressingly realistic setting (Manhattan turned into a prison), and an authority we can both respect (van Cleef) and despise (Pleasance). And all of it works extremely well with a no-nonsense plot and storyline. No part of this is so far-fetched that we can't relate to the situation (and who hasn't pictured NYC in this condition one day?) or sympathize with Russell's character Snake Plissken. The worse thing you could say about this cult favorite is the low-key climax. No, you don't get a major battle or explosions as the finale. What you do get is absolutely true-to-form with the rest of the film: Snake walks away after successfully completing his mission (and saving his own skin) and yet can still screw the authority and the society that put him in the situation to begin with...and you find yourself grinning in approval.