Escape from New York is celebrating its 40th anniversary of release in 2021.

In the near future of 1997, New York has been turned into a maximum security prison. When Air Force One is hijacked, the President of the United States is spirited away to an escape pod, which lands in New York. The Duke of New York has the President and if any attempt to rescue the Commander in Chief is mounted, he’ll be killed. Snake Plissken has been arrested for robbing the Federal Reserve Bank and is offered an opportunity for a full pardon if he can enter New York and save the President in 24 hours.

Directed by John Carptenter, this sci-fi/action movie stars Kurt Russell as Snake and a stellar cast featuring Lee Van Cleef, Tom Atkins, Adrienne Barbeau, Harry Dean Stanton, Ernest Borgnine, Issac Hayes, and Donald Pleasance.

Fun Fact – This movie was an influence on William Gibson and his novel Neuromancer