Nerds That Geek Movie Review: ‘Escape from L.A.’

Written by Scott Edwards

It is always the best idea to live your life the way you want to. Not giving into what others think you should be doing; you need to do what feels right and get the most out of your days on the planet. It is difficult not to bend to the will of others however and once you do, it is very hard to get back to the person that you were before. There is always someone out there that will want to change you, your attitude, or your outlook on life and if it is what you want, then you should succumb to it, but if not, you need to remember that this is your life and it is much too short to not be happy in.
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Los Angeles has almost been taken off of the map with a giant earthquake that measured 9.6 on the Richter Scale but is still standing. Becoming an island off the coast of California, it has become a prison of sorts for those citizens that are deemed undesirable by the President’s new rules. Just like New York, there is no coming back after you are sent to this island. But the streets of L.A. hold a different type of danger since they are monitored even less and with the addition of the President’s daughter and a doomsday device that can take out the United States, preparations are being made to change the balance of power. Under the leadership of Cuervo Jones, the plan is to disable and shut down the United States and the only way to stop this, is to recover the new toy that has been designed to take out all the electronics in a designated area. 

Snake Plissken has been captured again, but not without a fight. After barely escaping Cleveland by the hair of his teeth, he has been picked up on a gun fighting charge and is ready to serve his time. Being pulled away from the regular pack of detainees, Snake knows that there is something special he is going to be asked to do for the government, again. Listing to the sob story about what could happen to the country, Snake is ready to walk away, but finding out that he has already been infected by a ten-hour virus that will kill him without the antidote, he is forced into the President’s employ without question. Needing to find the little black box that the went missing from Air Force One is his primary objective, but when he gets to the island of Los Angeles, he finds out that it will be much more difficult than expected.

Arriving in Los Angeles and losing his ride out, Snake is on his own, but his fame precedes him as everyone that he meets knows who the outlaw is. Getting directions to his final destination, Snake travels throughout the city and finds out that things are not as bad as they seem, that is until he tries to get a bead on Cuervo Jones. Beating Cuervo at his own game, Snake is forced to look for reinforcements to take down the crazy leader and finds that some of his old friends, although reluctant, are willing to help take down the madman. With a plan in place, Snake is in a race against time and will have to move quickly to retrieve the doomsday device and get back to the base before his clock runs out and he becomes just another casualty of Los Angeles.

It pains me to say this, but I think I like this movie better than Escape from New York. It might be because I knew more of the actors in this movie, but I think I liked the idea of a power struggle between two leaders that are wanting the same thing. I know that Snake is his own man and will do whatever he wants, even when he is being directed to do something for somebody else, so that part of the story does not change. But when the President’s daughter comes clean about her father and Cuervo Jones and what she has seen, it appears that both men are crazy about their convictions and even though they are on the opposite sides of the realm, they both want to rule the United States with an iron fist. Although I did not mention Map to the Stars Eddie, he has got to be one of my favorite characters in this movie. He is always in the right place at the right time and wants to back whomever he sees the greatest opportunity with. He is far from a role model, but he is a very entertaining character to say the least and has a way of making dreams come true for everyone that he works for, in Los Angeles. Happy Viewing.

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