John Carpenter
Fuga da Los Angeles

Escape from Los Angeles, by John Carpenter.

In theory a sequel, in practice a kind of remake, of "Escape from New York", by the same Carpenter.

This time, Jena Plissken finds himself in Los Angeles, which, like New York before, has become an open-air prison for the outcasts of an American society where everything is forbidden (from swearing to smoking).

Once again, something needs to be retrieved, ended up down there among the criminals, and once again good Kurt Russell has little time to spare, due to a virus inserted in his blood.

Unjustly ignored by the public and trashed by critics as "an unsuccessful sequel" (it’s the definition you'll find everywhere), this film is almost a masterpiece.

To watch it, it's necessary to have a clear understanding of what "Escape from New York" is, a colorful, exaggerated film, with minimal special effects.

Here, instead, Carpenter shows us a Los Angeles as dark as it can be, with a Jena as angry as he can be, and absurd special effects as absurd as they can be (intentionally so; keep in mind it's a 1996 film where computer use was rampant. It's no coincidence that in this film every computer-made scene is evident, nor is it a coincidence that Jena drives a submarine, clearly computer-made, with a video game console).

If in New York Plissken gave hope to the world by simply destroying the essential tape for (supposed) nuclear peace, in this film, after seeing how far human degradation can go (the scene where he is kidnapped by cosmetic surgeons is brilliant, where women are depicted exactly as the forty-year-old divas appear to us today, more silicone than flesh), he decides to reset the world. That is, to erase any type of technology present on Earth, from weapons to electricity. And now it's your problem. No wonder it wasn't appreciated…

Kurt Russell is immense, even more than in the first one, in representing a negative character, a criminal with dubious morality (the scene of "how about we play like they do in Bangkok?") who is still superior to the world's rulers.

Among moments of incredible brashness (the basketball game), extreme trash beyond the believable (the surfing scene), and unique strokes of genius, the film captivates, never falls into banality, and above all (like every Carpenter film) has an incredible ending that makes you want to watch it again, just for the last scene.

Carpenter always amazes and never disappoints.