Escape from New York (1981): cast, story & where to watch

Released in 1981, Escape from New York is an action and science fiction film directed by John Carpenter, running about 99 minutes. “1997. New York City Is Now a Maximum Security Prison. Breaking Out is Impossible. Breaking In is Insane.” — that tagline sets the tone.

What it’s about. In the future, crime is out of control and New York City's Manhattan is a maximum security prison. Grabbing a bargaining chip right out of the air, convicts bring down the President's plane in bad old Gotham. Gruff Snake Plissken, a one-eyed lone warrior new to prison life, is coerced into bringing the President, and his cargo, out of this land of undesirables.

Who’s in it. Escape from New York stars Kurt Russell as Snake Plissken, Lee Van Cleef as Police Commissioner Bob Hauk, Donald Pleasence as President of the United States and Adrienne Barbeau as Maggie, among others.

How it landed. With an audience score of 7.1/10, Escape from New York has been warmly received by audiences. It went on to earn $50.2M at the box office.

Where to watch. In US you can stream it on Amazon Prime Video, Philo, YouTube TV and Criterion Channel and rent or buy it from Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies and YouTube. See the full, country-by-country breakdown on our where to watch Escape from New York page.

If you liked it. Fans of Escape from New York tend to enjoy The Dark Knight, The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, Inception and The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring.