In 1988 crime in America exploded. To accommodate all the prisoners the island of Manhattan was turned into a maximum-security prison. Fifty-foot containment walls were constructed around the city and criminals from all over the United States were sent there. All bridges and waterways to and from the island are mined. The police are camped around the island to make sure that no one escapes. There are no guards inside the prison, but Liberty Island is used as a security control point. The rules for the prison are as follows: The prisoners are allowed to construct their own power structure within the prison. Once you are put into the prison you stay there.
In 1997 the United States is at war with China and the USSR. The President of the United States, John Harker (Donald Pleasence) is traveling to a peace summit in Hartford, Connecticut when his plane, ‘Air force One’ is high jacked by a terrorist group. President Harker is put into an escape pod and jettisoned from the plane. Attached to his right wrist is a briefcase, attached to the left wrist is a locator beacon. The pod lands inside the prison walls. An extraction unit led by Police Commissioner Bob Hauk (Lee Van Cleef) is sent in to find the pod and get the president safely out of the prison. When the team reaches the pod, they find it is empty and there is no trace of the president. The extraction team is forced to leave under threat of the president being killed.
Snake Plissken (Kurt Russell) is being processed at the Liberty Island facility prior to being transferred to the prison. Plissken was a former Special Forces soldier that has been convicted of trying to rob the Federal Reserve. Plissken is taken to see Hauk. Hauk offers Plissken a proposition. The offer is, go into Manhattan, find and rescue the president within 24 hours. Once this is done, he will receive a pardon for all his crimes. Plissken agrees. For incentive, Plissken is injected with a form of micro-explosives that will kill him in 22 hours unless he retrieves the president and then the explosives will be neutralized.
The prison is run by a crime boss who goes by the title the Duke of New York (Isaac Hayes). Duke has the president and intends on using him as a pawn in his plan try to get out of New York. Plissken pilots a glider into the prison and lands it on the twin towers. Once inside the city, he begins his mission.
“Escape from New York” was released in 1981 and was directed by John Carpenter. It is an American independent science fiction action thriller and a bit of a cult classic. A sequel “Escape from L.A.” was released in 1996. The sequel was also directed by Carpenter and starred Russell, who reprised his role as Snake Plissken.
Reportedly, the opening narration discussing the creation of the prison was voiced by Jamie Lee Curtis. Adrienne Barbeau, who played Maggie, and Director John Carpenter were married at the time the film was made. Kurt Russell and Season Hubley were also married at the time. Season played Maureen, the girl at the “Chock Full O’Nuts” store.
The views of Liberty Island and the morning helicopter shots of Manhattan were the only scenes of the film that were shot in New York City. Other than that, the movie was shot mostly in St. Louis, MO, and a little in Los Angeles. The Secret Service agent trying to break into the cockpit of ‘Air Force One’ at the beginning of the movie is Steven Ford, former President Gerald Ford’s son.