Cine Insomnia: Escape from New York

In the near future, the US is desperately crime-plagued, the Isle of Manhattan has been converted to a high-security prison and only an ex-soldier named Snake Plissken can save the President after he has been captured by terrorists. So goes the thrilling plot of Escape from New York, voted Time Out NY’s #9 best Big Apple film and showing at midnight at the Nuart this week. A modest hit at the time of its release, the film has since developed legendary cult status thanks to utterly original dialogue and plotting from John Carpenter, drop dead cool cameos from the likes of Isaac Hayes and Harry Dean Stanton and a career-defining central performance from Kurt Russell.