In 1988, the crime rate of the United States had risen 400%. To combat the growing rate of criminals, New York's Manhattan Island was designated as the new place to store criminals. The waterways separating Manhattan Island from New York were mined, and a huge wall was erected on the New York border. The idea was that once someone goes into Manhattan Island, they would never get out. Now in 1997, Air Force One has been hijacked and the terrorists crash-land the plane on the island. The police, led by Hauk, go in to investigate, but are warned that unless they leave and don't come back, the President will be killed. They offer one of his fingers as proof that they have him. Hauk and his men quickly depart. Hauk then offers Snake Plissken, a highly decorated Special Forces officer and a newly convicted prisoner, a deal. If he rescues the President in 24 hours, he will receive a full pardon for all of his criminal activities. Snake accepts and they supply him with a tracking device and weapons. Hauk also has two mini-explosives planted in Snake's neck, and unless he comes back in the allotted time with the President, he will die. With a little more than 20 hrs left, they fly him in, and thus begins Snake's mission to find the President and escape from New York.

Escape From New York has always been one of my favorite movies, though I have to admit to not being a big fan of the sequel. Snake Plissken is just too cool. John Carpenter did a great job crafting a terrific story and melding it with fantastic action and visuals; people who still have yet to see this movie are really missing out on a gem.

Picture:
Escape from New York is presented in both 2.35:1 anamorphic widescreen and 1.33:1 full frame. The widescreen print generally looks fantastic for a film 19 years old with very minimal grain and only very few marks and specks. Contrast is very good with rich blacks.

Sound:
Escape from New York is presented in Dolby 2.0 Stereo Surround and it sounds great with clean dialogue and no distortion that I could detect. The film's music is terrific as well, contributing greatly to the atmosphere of the film.

Extras:
The only extras are the film's theatrical trailer in rough shape and subtitles in French and Spanish.

Summary:
Escape from New York is an awesome film that MGM really hasn't given justice to on DVD…yet. Hopefully soon this classic movie will have the extras it deserves, but until then, this DVD release should satisfy fans with a great transfer and decent sound. Recommended!