If movies were graded solely on their concept, Escape from L.A. would be an absolutely fantastic movie. The city of Los Angeles has finally been hit with “the big one” and fallen away from California. The anarchy escalating from the ’89 riots has made it the haven of moral degrady and thus becomes forcibly ceded from the United States by the new theocratic dictatorship government. It creates a beautiful scene. A post-apocalyptic setting before the apocalypse even happens.
Indeed, the scenery throughout the movie is gorgeous, and though a desolate ruin, everything in the movie reiterates the distinct “This is L.A.” feeling, from the car-graveyard highways, to the plastic surgery patients turned organ-hungered freak shows. Aside from the now-outdated computer effects in some scenes, it’s an extremely appealing movie, visually.
The problem in the movie is the execution. The plot, the acting, the general meat of most good movies. While there isn’t any downright “bad” acting, Kurt Russell as Snake Plisskin is essentially a typical action hero. He can’t talk in any tone other than the gruffest, most manly voice that humans are scarcely capable of. He also is incapable of talking in anything other than catchy one-liners. This probably would have annoyed me, had I felt the movie took itself seriously.
One CAN’T take the movie seriously, because there’s just WAY too much belief to suspend. Then there would be many questions the movie can’t answer. Why would any country willingly give up all its civil rights and liberties so easily? Why is it that Snake can barely walk with a bullet in his leg, but he can surf perfectly on that same leg? When apparently ten or so aftershocks happen everyday in Los Angeles, why is it that the one that occurs when Snake is in the sewer causes a cave-in, when the last 200 didn’t?
Steve Buscemi does his usual great work as the wormy map peddler, and he was the most interesting person on the screen anytime he had a scene. I noticed Bruce Campbell’s name in the opening credits too, whom I’m a fan of, but I didn’t even recognize him through his makeup when he appeared. His voice was unmistakable though. It’s a shame he had such a small part, though.
