Escape From L.A.

"You'd better hope I don't make it back. All of you." - Snake Plissken

release year: 1996
genre: sci-fi/action
viewing setting: home Bluray 12/8/22 and 2/13/17 and home DVD, 10/29/14 and 5/15/09 and 6/1/03 and 11/18/01 + theater, fall 1996

synopsis: Many years after his adventures in the penal colony of New York, Snake Plissken is back. This time, he has to go into what used to be L.A. and retrieve a device capable of emitting a worldwide EMP and reducing civilization back to the stone age.

impressions: This was the long-rumored and -awaited sequel to the mighty Escape From New York. Not a bad movie, though it recycled a lot of the elements of the original, and added several ridiculous new ones (the plastic surgery, the surfing, and Pam Grier's character come to mind.) It seems to get a little better every time I watch it, though, mainly because of the ending. Life in the penal colony of L.A. is made out to be more than a little weird. I didn't find the head villain to be charismatic or strong enough to be running the entire place, though.

things to watch for: Kick-ass ending.

acting: Kurt Russell hasn't lost any of the things that made his good in this role the first time around. Peter Fonda is a crazed surfer. Steve Buscemi is a lying little turd. Bruce Campbell is an insane doctor. Cliff Robertson is the over-the-top religious President. Stacy Keach is the head cop. Georges Corraface is the leader of L.A. Pam Grier is a woman playing a man pretending to be a woman.

final word: Worth seeing once, maybe more if you really liked the original movie.

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