7.7 | / 10 |
Users | 4.6 | |
Reviewer | 4.5 | |
Overall | 4.5 |
Manhattan Island has been turned into a maximum security prison, a plane carrying the US president goes down there. An anti-hero is entrusted with the task of rescuing him.
Starring: Kurt Russell, Lee Van Cleef, Ernest Borgnine, Donald Pleasence, Isaac HayesThriller | 100% |
Crime | 13% |
Sci-Fi | Insignificant |
Action | Insignificant |
Video codec: HEVC / H.265
Video resolution: 4K (2160p)
Aspect ratio: 2.35:1
Original aspect ratio: 2.39:1
English: Dolby Atmos
English: Dolby TrueHD 7.1 (48kHz, 24-bit)
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 (48kHz, 24-bit)
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 (48kHz, 24-bit)
English SDH
Blu-ray Disc
Three-disc set (3 BDs)
4K Ultra HD
Slipcover in original pressing
Region A (locked)
Movie | 5.0 | |
Video | 4.5 | |
Audio | 5.0 | |
Extras | 5.0 | |
Overall | 4.5 |
It’s enough for John Carpenter to make 1978’s “Halloween,” using his innate sense of style and tension to generate a horror classic. However, the helmer only expanded his creativity as he began his run of Hollywood work, and this amazing career managed to produce another masterpiece in 1981’s “Escape from New York.” Using influences from westerns and survival thrillers, Carpenter (joined by producer Debra Hill and co-writer Nick Castle) creates a study of endurance and antagonism with the feature, managing a slow-burn adventure that drips with electronic mood and idiosyncratic events. It also creates one of cinema’s great antiheroes in Snake Plissken, an eyepatch-wearing nihilist brought vividly to life by Kurt Russell, in one of his best performances.
Screencaps are taken from the Blu-ray.
"Escape from New York" has been released a few times on Blu-ray, most recently in 2015, with Shout Factory putting together a "Collector's Edition" for
the film. The company is back with a new UHD release, listed as a "4K restoration by StudioCanal." The Dolby Vision viewing experience is dealing with
one extremely dark picture, as "Escape from New York" is largely lit by distant lighting sources and fires, making for extremely complex cinematography
to manage. Detail remains intact here, showcasing impressive dimension with New York City street tours and cavernous interiors. Facial surfaces are
precise, along with fibrous costumes from a wide variety of battered and torn outfits. Mechanical additions also carry interesting textures. Color is
strong, emerging from the darkness with lively primaries on computer displays and mood lighting. Fires retain vivid orange, and skintones are natural.
Delineation remains consistent, preserving frame information while sustaining deep blacks. Grain is fine and film-like. Highlights run very hot at times,
especially elements of fire and headlights.
The 7.1 Dolby TrueHD mix is the default choice for "Escape from New York," giving the 1981 feature a full sound with compelling dialogue exchanges. Scoring is especially sharp and fresh, preserving the distinct synth mood of the movie. Surrounds explore musical moods with care, and atmospherics are defined, delivering a few panning and separation effects, and room tone is exact. Low-end secures some rumble with explosions and rough interactions, but with a milder feel for impact. Also available is a 2.0 DTS-HD MA track, which is meant to replicate the original stereo mix for "Escape from New York," and it also provides a satisfying listening experience, delivering a crisp sense of action and dramatic response. Music also sustains synth authority here.
UHD
"Escape from New York" contains colorful performances and a sly sense of humor at times. Snake is the star of the show, and he's a vastly compelling character, showcasing irritability and cynicism while still providing a sense of screen authority as he deals with others. Carpenter and Castle come up with some bizarre experiences for Snake, and they manage a gradual sense of pressure on the players, leading to an unforgettable (and an amusingly misanthropic) final shot. "Escape from New York" is something special, made with crisp low-budget creativity and loaded with mood, emerging as one of Carpenter's finest achievements in filmmaking, also contributing to his incredible run of classics in the 1980s.
Collector's Edition | Exclusive Clear with Blue Splatter 7" Vinyl
1981
Collector's Edition + Vinyl
1981
Collector's Edition | Sacred Bones Records Exclusive Black-and-Blue Starburst with Red Splatter 7" Vinyl
1981
Limited Editon
1981
Collector's Edition + Vinyl
1981
DVD Packaging
1981
1981
Collector's Edition
1981
1981
Collector's Edition
1981
DVD Packaging
1996
Collector's Edition
1976
1988
2020
2007
2008
Unrated Edition
2012
Atlantis Interceptors / I predatori di Atlantide
1983
Slipcover in Original Pressing
1985
1986
1982
2016
1996
35th Anniversary Edition
1987
2001
2014
1986
1992
1992
1986