Plissken. He's recruited by the President's men (Stacy Keach and Michelle Forbes) to once again complete an impossible tusk: penetrate the Sodom that is L.A., retrieve the device, and eliminate Utopia. Infected by a fatal virus, Snake's clock is ticking as enemy forces threaten to storm America's Borders.
As he searches for Cuervo and the device, he encounters many of L.A.'s unique denizens, including the literally burnt-out surfer Pipeline (Peter Fonda), the weasely Map To The Stars Eddie (Steve Buscemi), the exotic Taslimo (Valeria Golino), the grisly Surgeon General of Beverly Hills (Bruce Campbell), and the beaufiful but ambiguous Hershe (Pam Grier).
Can Snake complete his deadly mission in fime to Escape from L.A.?
Kurt Russell stars in "John Carpenter's Escape from L.A.," a futuristic action-adventure directed by John Carpenter, written by John Carpenter & Debra Hill & Kurt Russell. Co-starring are Stacy Keach, Steve Buscemi, Peter Fonda, George Corraface, Valeria Golino, Bruce Campbell, Pam Grier, A.J. Longer and Cliff Robertson. Debra Hill and Kurt Russell are the producers of the Debra Hill production, which is a Paramount Pictures presentation in association with Rysher Entertainment. Paramount Pictures is part of the entertainment operations of Viacom Inc.
Kurt Russell reprises his role as the lone desperado Snake Plissken from the 1981 cult hit "Escape From New York."
"I've been fortunate to be able to play a gamut of different characters in different situations," says Kurt Russell. "Snake Plissken is the one who has been my favorite. I find him endlessly fascinating. He is a visceral character, one that you feel, not one that you figure out. I feel he got to a point very early on in his life where he realizes that it's about just making it another 60 seconds. Nobody has ever been as socially unredeemable as Snake Plissken."
"Snake Plissken is one of those cult characters that seem to gather momentum with time," explains Debra Hill. "There is no one else in the world that can play Snake Plisskin like Kurt Russell. He becomes the character. I think Snake is an extension of the dark side of Kurt. He's the meanest, baddest, anti-hero on the screen today."
"Nobody's done an L.A. as dark as this one, and I don't think anybody has hit this particular brand of humor," continues Russell. I think the character is a bit of an alter ego to John Carpenter. He has a great dry sense of humor and a strange way of looking at the world which is an ultimate dislike of authority that is somehow comical. Some people are capable of taking leadership quietly, easily, and they have their
own vision. They guide the way and make you feel comfortable in the process. I'm thrilled to be working with John again."
Russell re-teams with director John Carpenter and producer Debra Hill (who gave us the legendary "Halloween", among others) to bring this dark vision of the future to the screen.
"After the earthquake in Los Angeles, Kurt Russell came to me and said I think it's time for us to do to LA. what we did to New York," said John Carpenter. "He said that of all the characters he
has ever played, Snake Plissken is the only one he would like to play again. Snake is a classic character that you don't need to change. No one knows exactly who he is or where he comes from, but you know he's the baddest man in a bad world and he definitely takes care of business. This movie basically is what I call cowboy noir. It's a dark western placed in the future."
Although the idea for a sequel to "Escape From New York" was always a consideration, the real impetus for this film came after the Los Angeles earthquake in January of 1994.
"John, Kurt and I got together in July at my house for about five hours," says Debra Hill. "Not unlike a lot of people living in Los Angeles, we sat around the kitchen table and talked about how the earthquake had affected us. After the last few years in L.A., I think a lot of people have considered escape as an option. The fires, floods, earthquakes, gangs and violence have hit all of us in one way or the other. It's the main subject in conversations all over town - actually, all over the country. John, Kurt and I thought why not take it a step further and make the obvious connection. The filming felt perfect to make this movie. As John was writing the screenplay, he fed Kurt and I pages. What evolved was a collaborative screenplay.
"The chemistry between Kurt and John is great to watch," continues Hill. "They really have fun together. They have a unique working relationship based on a lot of trust. I think it's one of the reasons why Snake Plissken really works. It's part of both of them."


Credits for John Carpenter's Escape From LA