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Escape from L.A.

Escape from L.A.

Action · Thriller · Science Fiction · 1996

Into the 9.6-quaked Los Angeles of 2013 comes Snake Plissken. His job: wade through L.A.'s ruined landmarks to retrieve a doomsday device.

Movie details

Escape from L.A.

“Snake is back.”

1996 Action · Thriller · Science Fiction 1h 41m

Critical arithmetic

One number, for now.

TMDB

5.9 / 10

Community rating

Into the 9.6-quaked Los Angeles of 2013 comes Snake Plissken. His job: wade through L.A.'s ruined landmarks to retrieve a doomsday device.

CriticWise case file

What this film says about your taste.

Not a recommendation score. A measure of how closely the film’s taste signals resemble yours.

The archetype split

Who fights over Escape from L.A.?

The split comes from the same five-axis model used by the test, not audience ratings or review sentiment.

Taste neighbourhood

Nearby on the taste map.

TMDB supplies the candidates. CriticWise reorders them by craft, strangeness, prestige, emotion, and pace.

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Where it lives

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Names above the title

The people responsible.

Directed by

John Carpenter

Written by

John Carpenter · Debra Hill · Kurt Russell

Kurt Russell

Kurt Russell

Snake Plissken

Stacy Keach

Stacy Keach

Malloy

Steve Buscemi

Steve Buscemi

Eddie

A. J. Langer

A. J. Langer

Utopia

Cliff Robertson

Cliff Robertson

President

Bruce Campbell

Bruce Campbell

Surgeon General of Beverly Hills

Pam Grier

Pam Grier

Hershe Las Palamas

Court is in session

Put Escape from L.A. on trial.

Two incompatible taste archetypes. One film. Read the arguments, then issue a completely binding cultural ruling.

The defence The Adrenaline Seeker

“Momentum is a formal choice.”

The velocity sharpens instinct and tension, making every beat land before self-importance can settle in.

The prosecution The Auteur Devotee

“Speed as an alibi.”

The film races past its weak spots and hopes acceleration will keep the audience from inspecting the evidence.