 Why it's Captain Ron -- after one too many drinks at a West Hollywood leather bar. |
| Review Date: September 3, 2007 |
| Reviewer: the masked reviewer, Boston, MA |
"The United States is a no-smoking nation," announces Stacy Keach in John Carpenter's Escape From L.A., revealing what it will be like to live in right-wing America, circa 2013: "No smoking, no drinking, no drugs, no guns, no foul language, no red meat." And, on the basis of what we see here, no decent movies. In the crowded field of "Who Asked For This Anyway?" sequels, those so-awful-they're-funny follow-ups to hit flicks, like Texasville, Beyond the Poseidon Adventure, King Kong Lives and The Evening Star, Escape From L.A. stands tall as a shining beacon of Bad Moviedom. Time has not been kind to Snake, Kurt Russell's ultramanly Escape From New York antihero, conceived over 15 years ago in tribute to Clint Eastwood's sandpapery spaghetti Western loner. Today, decked out in long hair and an all-black skintight wardrobe with matching eye patch, mondo-butch Russell conjures up not Eastwood but his own Captain Ron--after one too many drinks at a West Hollywood leather bar.
Ordered by president Cliff Robertson onto the maximum-security prison island of Los Angeles to retrieve a doomsday machine in less than 10 hours or die, Russell sneers, "You'd better hope I don't make it back" (which is exactly what we were thinking on the way out of Escape From New York). He then sets off to track down evil terrorist George Corraface in the post-apocalyptic ruins of L.A. Captured briefly by baddies inside the Beverly Hills Hotel, now a plastic surgery house of horrors full of "surgical failures" whose implants and face-lifts have all "turned to Jell-O," Russell realizes that L.A. has become an island of the damned. But Valerie Golino, the tough cookie he has teamed up with, sees it differently: for her, L.A. is "the only free zone left, where a girl can still wear a fur coat if she wants to." It's an idea she's promptly shot dead for by a sniper--presumably a 21st century PETA activist.
You know you're watching a cheeseball classic when Russell glances down at his Special Countdown Watch to see that he has only seven more hours left to complete his mission and then, several minutes later, Stacy Keach informs Russell by walkie-talkie that he has only seven and a half hours left.
Things go seriously awry for Russell when he hitches a ride with Steve Buscemi, overacting as usual, this time as a Pee-wee Hermanesque slimeball who does dirty work for the highest bidder. Buscemi hits Russell with a poisonous dart gun and what happens next is so shocking that out-of-shape couch potatoes should stop reading right this second because it's their worst nightmare: Russell wakes up to find he's been shackled to a treadmill and is being aerobicized to death. When he mysteriously survives that ordeal, the villainous Corraface has him taken to a coliseum where he's forced to play a solo game of basketball in which he must score consecutive baskets or be machine-gunned down (an idea we think the NBA should take a look at). As luck would have it, Russell (who cowrote the script, mind you) plays basketball like no white guy you've ever seen.
Russell escapes his theoretically deadly workouts only to be shot in the leg by Buscemi. Just then, a tidal wave happens by and friendly stoner Peter Fonda teaches the bleeding Russell how to surf a tsunami. As Fonda puts it, "Bitchin'!" When Buscemi drives away in an open convertible, Russell actually rides the gigantic wave directly into the villain's front seat. Together they search down Russell's onetime male partner-in-crime, now a transsexual party doll living aboard the Queen Mary, played by Pam Grier (who must have quite a mortgage to feed to have taken this role). Not believing that his bud's now a she, Russell runs his hand up, up, up Grier's innermost thigh and pulls out--no! yes!--a loaded revolver (discuss meaning amongst yourselves).
There is, as they say, much more: the cast flying on hang gliders over a bankrupt faux-Disneyland (in the film's only good line, Buscemi explains, "That thing in Paris killed them"); a climactic shootout featuring animated gunfire even toddlers would snort at on a Saturday morning cartoon show; Corraface biting deeply into Russell's bloody wound (yum). It all ends, as you'd hoped, with Russell peevishly using the doomsday weapon to shut down every source of energy on the entire Earth. We're told that all the technology of the past is lost forever. Including, we hope, any machine capable of projecting a surviving print of this movie.
|
B-movie action flick? or prophetic political satire?
|
| Review Date: June 8, 2005 |
| Reviewer: William, Michigan |
Escape from L.A. is a movie that may gain more in popularity as time goes by. Made a decade ago (before George W Bush even ran for President)it can NOW be seen as a sharp criticism of the culture war going on in America right now (making it some kind of prophetic political joke). The culture wars between the religious right and politically correct left were not so pronounced as it is now. John Carpenter, Debra Hill, and Kurt Russell targeted lots of groups with the humor (including militant vegetarians and superficial Hollywood, but the religious right and their political ambitions get the most abuse). Originally, the ultra-religious President (played by Cliff Robertson) seemed like an over-the-top caracature. But now, you can't help but see his similarity to George W. Bush (How much is exaggerated is in the eye of the beholder).
On another level this movie provides good B-movie action and entertainment. By now we all know Russell (as Snake) is like a Clint Eastwood cowboy forced into service, invading an urban wasteland to save civilization (only civilization looks well beyond saving). Snake plays by his own rules and his loyalty is only as dependable as the leash they keep him on. The second he is released the simplest act totally knocks the power elite off the throne.
It is, of course, the same formula as the first film (Escape from New York) and perhaps fans of the original sell this sequel short because of that. Bottom line: This one has a better sense of the absurd and has more biting humor, with just as much action. I prefer it to the first.
Adendum: (11/17/05) Since writing this review I have watched part of the original Escape From New York again and I can see why many fans prefer it. If you want a more serious story with a creepy urban atmosphere, then you'll definately prefer the original. But I still really like this follow-up. |
A Fun Action Film from John Carpenter
|
| Review Date: October 9, 2001 |
| Reviewer: , |
| This movie is an absolute pleasure to watch. It's fun, exciting, and extremely funny. Sure, the acting, the story, and the action is cheezy, but you cannot deny that it's fun to watch. "Escape from LA" is a pure action movie that makes fun of the "action movie" at the same time it's succedding as one. Watch it! |
Pre-Apocalyptic Pleasure
|
| Review Date: March 26, 2001 |
| Reviewer: Jerroden, Lubbock, TX United States |
| Whew. I love this movie even more than the original Escape From New York. Both are great works of speculative urban action (did I just make that phrase up?) with tense, clock-racing suspense. It is true that Escape From L.A is more a rewritting of Escape From New York but if it wasn't then it wouldn't be called Escape From L.A. They would have titled it Snake's Vacation or something. Many people just got too attached to the original that they couldn't enjoy the film for what it is. I don't quite consider this movie a sequel. The Escape duology is, to me, more like a couple of stand-alone films that take place in different dimensions. I believe the reason it took so long to make this film is they wanted to wait until it was the year depicted in Escape From New York (1997). it make sense when you think about it. I do agree, however, that the surfing scene is pretty lame looking but understandably so. Bruce Campbell as a wonderful cameo appearance as the Surgeon general. I still love to watch the DVD of Evil Dead II where Bruce recounts his work with Kurt Russel on this film. I was hoping that this DVD would have a Russel commentary on it so I might have heard him speak of Bruce in the same manner. Alas they skipped on special features. The best part of the movie was the ending. The ultimate revenge of Snake for all the crappy jobs he's been forced into taking for the greater "good." I loved it very much. "Welcome to the Human race." Good-bye, folks! |
SNAKE RULES
|
| Review Date: March 12, 1999 |
| Reviewer: , |
| I love SNAKE PLISSKEN. He's my favorite ever movie character. And this is the movie to see him in. It's cheesier than NEW YORK but livlier and funnier. |
|
No details are available for this product
No video reviews found for this product.
