Escape from New York (1981)
1997. New York City is a walled, maximum security prison. Breaking out is impossible. Breaking in is insane.
In a world ravaged by crime, the entire island of Manhattan has been converted into a walled prison where brutal prisoners roam free. After the US president crash-lands inside, war hero Snake Plissken has 24 hours to bring him back.
| Type | Movie |
|---|---|
| Released | 23 May 1981 |
| Genre | Action, Thriller, Science Fiction |
| Director | John Carpenter |
| Starring | Kurt Russell, Lee Van Cleef and Ernest Borgnine |
| Runtime | 99 min |
| Rated | R |
| Scores | Rotten Tomatoes (average) 7.2/10 · Rotten Tomatoes 86% · Metacritic 76/100 · IMDb 7.1/10 · TMDB users 7.0/10 |
| Budget | $6 million |
| Box office | $25 million worldwide |
Where to watch Escape from New York
We could not find Escape from New York on any of the subscription services we track in the US right now. That changes often; open it in Binge Boss and we will show you where it lands.
Rent or buy
You can rent Escape from New York on Apple TV, Prime Video, Google Play, YouTube and Fandango at Home.
Where to watch Escape from New York in 6 other countries
| Country | Streaming on (price a month) |
|---|---|
| Australia | Max $15.99 AUD |
| France | Canal+ €19.99 |
| Ireland | Skygo |
| Netherlands | Prime Video €4.99 |
| Switzerland | Canal+ |
| United Kingdom | Skygo |
Subscription, free and ad-supported services we track; prices where Binge Boss has a price list for the country. "About" marks a price the service bills in another currency, converted at the day's rate. All countries as data.
What kind of watch this is
John Carpenter’s 1981 sci-fi thriller is a 99-minute sprint through a Manhattan that has been turned into a maximum-security prison. The hook is simple: Snake Plissken has 24 hours to retrieve a crash-landed president from the island’s interior. It feels less like a movie and more like a high-speed video game level, where every corridor is a trap and every ally is a potential threat. Kurt Russell’s weary hero navigates a neon-drenched hellscape with a calm that borders on terrifying. It is a film that trusts its audience to keep up with its own momentum.
What the critics said
Critics found it fun, though they argued about the execution. Rotten Tomatoes shows an 86% Tomatometer score as of October 2024, while Metacritic sits at 76 out of 100. Richard Corliss in Time called it a trip worth taking. Dave Kehr in the Chicago Reader disagreed, finding it gave too little of too much. Roger Ebert noted it suffered by competing with Raiders of the Lost Ark. The consensus leans positive, praising the visuals and humor. It is a film that works well enough to be worth your time, even if the premise feels like a fever dream.
How it did with audiences
Budget $6 million. It opened in New York and Los Angeles on July 10, 1981. American theaters took in $26 million that summer. Worldwide, the total crossed $50 million. A 7.0 TMDB user score suggests audiences saw what the studio books missed. The math works out, though the accounting might not.
What came next for the cast
Kurt Russell emerged from Used Cars into Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, The Hateful Eight, and Once Upon a Time... in Hollywood. Ernest Borgnine, already established with The Wild Bunch and The Dirty Dozen, moved to RED, Gattaca, and BASEketball. Donald Pleasence, fresh off Halloween and The Great Escape, appeared in Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers, Halloween 5: The Revenge of Michael Myers, and Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers. The credits do not link these paths to this film. They just show what followed.
Where it left its mark
William Gibson cites the film as an influence on his 1984 novel Neuromancer. He points to a throwaway line in an opening scene, a casual reference that implies a vast backstory. It worked for him like the best science fiction. Video game director Hideo Kojima also drew from the source material. He modeled Solid Snake on Snake Plissken, and even used the alias "Pliskin" in Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty. J. J. Abrams said the Statue of Liberty crash in Cloverfield came from the movie's poster. Empire magazine ranked Plissken number 29 in their "The 100 Greatest Movie Characters" poll.
If you liked this
TMDB's recommendations for people who watched Escape from New York.
Sources
- Escape from New York on TMDB — synopsis, cast, ratings and recommendations
- Wikidata Q403033 — review scores, box office and awards (CC0)
- “Escape from New York” on Wikipedia, by its contributors (history) — reception, audience figures and legacy, summarised and adapted here under CC BY-SA 4.0
- Where to watch and prices: Binge Boss, from TMDB watch-provider data (powered by JustWatch) and our own provider list
Watch it without paying for the whole year
Binge Boss tracks the movie you are on and tells you which services you need this month, and which you can cancel.
Add Escape from New York to your list