“Escape from New York” The blandness of John Carpenter, who created the science fiction action masterpiece

Casting Kurt Russell, who was a child actor

In 1997, the crime rate in the United States exceeded 400%, and the government turned Manhattan Island in New York into a prison. Criminals were gathered there, and it became a terrifying island from which no one could escape. Air Force One carrying the president crashed in New York. Former special forces member Snake Plissken (Kurt Russell) was ordered to rescue him. Moreover, if he did not complete his mission within 24 hours, a small bomb inside his body would explode...

Carpenter apparently came up with this unique and wild plot when he was a student.

"I was inspired by the novel " Death Planet " by science fiction writer Harry Harrison. It's about men who are assigned to go to the most dangerous planet. The protagonist has a mission to solve a problem, but he doesn't volunteer, saying, "I have to do it!" He acts because he knows that if he doesn't succeed in the mission, he will die."*

The character created as such a pessimistic and cynical protagonist was Snake Plissken. It is no exaggeration to say that the appeal of "Escape from Escape from New York" as a film is entirely due to this Snake. This is because Snake embodies the philosophy of Carpenter's films.

When Carpenter was writing the script, he had Clint Eastwood in mind for the role of Snake. However, it was impossible to cast Eastwood, who was already a big star, in the low-budget film "Escape from Escape from New York." The film company recommended Charles Bronson and Tommy Lee Jones, but Carpenter chose Kurt Russell. Russell was famous as a child actor in Disney movies, but had no experience in action movies. The film company was reluctant, but Carpenter, who had worked with him on the TV movie " The Singer " two years earlier, was confident.

"Escape from New York" © 1981 STUDIOCANAL SAS - All Rights Reserved.

Carpenter recalled Russell, who played Elvis Presley in The Singer:

"I was shocked and at a loss when Kurt came into the office. He looked nothing like Elvis. I said sarcastically, 'If you can do this, I can direct.' But he was fantastic. Kurt Russell is a natural impersonator. He's a natural actor."*

Russell was nominated for an Emmy Award for Best Actor for his role as Elvis Presley in "The Singer," and began his career as an adult actor. Carpenter knew that if Russell could play Elvis, despite not looking like him, he could also play the nihilistic Plissken. Russell began preparing for the role in order to meet those expectations. He transformed his body into a muscular man, and even the distinctive sleeveless shirt that Plissken wears was something he intuitively saw by chance while traveling.

Influence from Macaroni Western