Escape from NY is full of action and excitement, but about halfway through you realize it isn't going anywhere, and you're basically watching a live-action cartoon. When you watch a cab be blown in half, and four out of five passengers walk away like they're on a Sunday stroll, you're not sure if you're watching a parody or a serious action flick. And apparently, Carpenter isn't really sure either. The action sequences are so-so, and they are surprisingly involving. Even Plissken's fight with the gladiator bad-guy is curiously uninvolving. Basically, it's interesting on the surface, but not a movie you want to pay much attention to. The actors are all interesting to watch, but they're not really given much to do.
Review of Escape from New York
