Escape from New York (1981)

Escape from New York is a 1981 American independent science fiction action film co-written, co-scored, and directed by John Carpenter. It stars Kurt Russell, Lee Van Cleef, Ernest Borgnine, Donald Pleasence, Isaac Hayes, Harry Dean Stanton, and Adrienne Barbeau.

The film is set in 1997 and concerns a future crime-ridden dystopian United States, which has converted Manhattan Island in New York City into the country's sole maximum security prison. Air Force One is hijacked by anti-government insurgents who deliberately crash it into the walled-off borough. Snake Plissken (Russell), a Special Forces operative turned federal prisoner, is given 24 hours rescue the President of the United States.

Carpenter wrote the film in the mid-1970s in reaction to the Watergate scandal, with additional script contributions from Nick Castle. After the success of Halloween (1978), he had enough influence to begin production and filmed it mainly in St. Louis, Missouri, on an estimated budget of $6 million. Debra Hill and Larry J. Franco served as the producers.

Released in the United States on July 10, 1981, the film received positive reviews from critics and was a commercial success, grossing more than $50 million at the box office. Escape from New York was nominated for four Saturn Awards, including Best Science Fiction Film and Best Direction. The film became a cult classic and was followed by a sequel, Escape from L.A. (1996), which was also directed and written by Carpenter and starred Russell.