Escape from New York with Kurt Russell

The name Snake Plissken (Kurt Russel) was actually taken from a real person.

When writing the screenplay John Carpenter struggled over assigning a memorable name to his main character.

A friend of a friend suggested using the name of someone he knew in high school who he described as a “sort of a tough guy” who bore a large snake tattoo on his abdomen; his last name was Plissken and went by the nickname “Snake”. Said Carpenter “Anybody with a snake tattooed on them some place … that’s my kinda hero.”

Gallery

Cyberpunk pioneer William Gibson credits the film “Escape from New York” as an influence on his novel Neuromancer.
“I was intrigued by the exchange in one of the opening scenes where the Warden says to Snake ‘You flew the Gullfire over Leningrad, didn’t you?’ It turns out to be just a throwaway line, but for a moment it worked like the best science fiction, where a casual reference can imply a lot.”

Escape from New York by John Carpenter Details

Official Sites: Escape from New York by John Carpenter
Country: USA
Language: English
Release Date: 3 September 1981
Also Known As: Die Klapperschlange
Filming Locations: Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Tucson, Arizona, USA

Box Office

Budget:$6,000,000 (estimated)
Gross USA: $25,244,626
Cumulative Worldwide Gross: $25,244,626

Production

Production Co: AVCO Embassy Pictures, International Film Investors, Goldcrest Films International