Escape From L.A. (1996)

Country of Origin: USA
Year of Production: 1996
Running Times: 101 mins
Format: colour     35mm
Ratio: Panavision (anamorphic)     2.35:1
Sound: Dolby

CREDITS

PRODUCTION
Production Company: Paramount Pictures / Rysher Entertainment
Producers: Debra Hill, Kurt Russell
Unit Production Manager: David Witz
Production Supervisor: Alexandra Koch
Production Co-Ordinator: Jeffrey Berk
Assistant Production Co-Ordinators: Jeffrey Berk, Diane Ward

SCRIPT
Script: John Carpenter, Debra Hill, Kurt Russell
Characters: John Carpenter, Nick Castle

DIRECTION
Director: John Carpenter
Assistant Director: Christian P. Della Penna
2nd Assistant Director: Martin Jedlicka
2nd 2nd Assistant Director: Jason Roberts

PHOTOGRAPHY
Director of Photography: Gary B. Kibbe
Chief Lighting Technician: Norman L. Glasser
Camera Operators: Jud Kehl, Leo Napolitano, Chris Squires
Steadicam Operator: Jerome Fauci
1st Assistant Camera: Michael Condro
1st Assistant VistaVision Camera: Evan A. Nesbitt
Key Grip: Charles Saldana
Dolly Grip: Antonio Garrido
Best Boy Grip: Jan Gould
Colour: DeLuxe

EDITING AND POST-PRODUCTION
Editor: Edward A. Warschilka Jr
Negative Cutter: Theresa Repola Mohammed

MUSIC
Music: John Carpenter, Shirley Walker, Alan Howarth
Songs: Sugar Ray (10 Seconds Down); James Keenan, Adam Jones, Carey Daniel, Paul D'Amour (Sweat); Tori Amos (Professional Widow); Christopher Hall, Jim Sellers, Walter Flakus, Andy Kubichewski (Dawn); Gravity Kills (Blame); Randy Newman (I Love L.A.); Paul Leary, Gibby Haynes, King Coffey (Pottery); Dick Dale (Scalped); Rob Zombie, J. Yuenger, Sean Yseult, John Tempesta, Charlie Clousser (The One)
Songs Performed By: Sugar Ray (10 Seconds Down); Tool (Sweat); Tori Amos (Professional Widow); Stabbing Westward (Dawn); Gravity Kills (Blame); Randy Newman (I Love L.A.); Butthole Surfers (Pottery); Dick Dale (Scalped); White Zombie (The One)
Orchestrators: Kristopher Carter (uncredited), Michael McCuistion
Conductor: Shirley Walker
Music Editor: Thomas Milano

SOUND
Sound Designer: John Pospisil
Sound: Thomas Causey
Re-Recording Mixers: Ron Bartlett, Michael C. Casper, Steve Maslow
Supervising Sound Editor: John Dunn
Supervising ADR Editor: Robert Ulrich
ADR Editor: Kerry Dean Williams
Foley Recording: Matt Colleran
Supervising Foley Editor: Christopher Flick
Sound Effects Editors: Donald Flick, John Hulsman, David A. Whittaker
Supervising Dialogue Editor: David Williams

MAKE UP AND COSTUMES
Costume Designer: Robin Michel Bush
Costumer: Damien Quinn

SPECIAL MAKE UP EFFECTS
Special Make Up Effects: Rick Baker
Surgeon General and Mutants Sculptor: Jim McPherson

SPECIAL EFFECTS
Special Effects Supervisor: Dale Ettema
Special Effects Co-Ordinator: Marty Bresin
Special Effects Foreman: Robert Simokovic
Special Effects Shop Foreman: Mark Yuricich
Underwater Effects: Richard Stringfellow
Screen Graphics: Brian C. Davis, Rick Sander (uncredited)
Action Miniatures: Stirber Visual Effects Network Inc
Miniature Helicopter: Larry Jolly Miniature Productions
Hang Glider Puppies: The Character Shop

VISUAL EFFECTS
Visual Effects: Buena Vista Visual Effects
Executive Producer: Harrison Ellenshaw
Visual Effects Supervisors: Michael Lessa, Kimberly K. Nelson, Paul Taglianetti
Visual Effects Producer: Denise Davis
Digital Art Department Supervisor: Allen Gonzales
Digital Matte Painter: Craig Mullins
Lead Digital Compositor: Winston Quitasol
Gunfire Animation and Compositing: Available Light Limited
Titles and Opticals: Pacific Title

DESIGN AND SET CONSTRUCTION
Production Designer: Lawrence G. Paull
Art Director: Bruce Crone
Assistant Art Director: William Hiney
Set Designers: Nathan Crowley, Richard Mays, Christopher S. Nushawg, Patrick M. Sullivan Jr, Darrell L. Wight
Set Decorator: Kathe Klopp
Set Dressers: Larry A. Cornick, Kurt V. Hulett, Luigi Mugavero, Nicholas Rymond
Property Master: Bill MacSems
Construction Co-Ordinator: John Hoskins
Construction Foreman: Clete Cetrone
Set Constructor: Jonas Kirk
Title Designers: Nina Saxon Film Design; Ken Rudolph, Nina Saxon, Laurence Starkman

MISCELLANEOUS
Script Supervisor: Benu Bhandari
Production Assistants: Danny Carter, Cecily Gambrell, Jeffrey M. Howard, Angelica Sini
Assistant to Producer: Christina Svoboda
Assistant to Director: Karin Costa, Christian P. Della
Unit Publicist: Patti Hawn
Military Vehicle Supplier: Dennis H. Murdoch

LOCATIONS
Locations: Los Angeles Sports Arena, Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles, California, USA; Miami, Florida, USA; New Braunfels, Texas, USA
Location Manager: Gregory Alpert

CASTING
Casting: Carrie Frazier
Voice Casting: Barbara Harris

STUNTS
Stunt Co-Ordinator: Jeff Imada
Stunts: Laura Albert, Rochelle Ashana, John Ashker, Rick Avery, Janet S. Brady, William H. Burton, Jeff Cadiente, Damon Caro, John Casino, Mike Ceballos, George Cheung, Phil Chong, Eugene Collier, Paul Crawford, Gregg Dandridge, Jadie David, Gary Davis, Maria Doest,
Richard Duran, Annie Ellis, Danny Epper, John Escobar, Ramiro González, Al Goto, Joe Greblo, Tom Harper, John Hateley, Toby Holguin, Norman Howell, Shawn Howell, Brian Imada, Dan Inosanto, Steven Ito, Freddie Jin, Matt Johnston, Barbara Anne Klein, John Koy, Brad Lackey, Peter Lai, Steven Lambert, Danny Lee, Leo Lee, Al Leong, James Lew, Brad Martin, Steve Martinez, Dwayne McGee, Wayne Montanio, Bennie Moore, Hugh A. O'Brien, Jimmy Ortega, Manuel Perry, Stuart Quan, Simon Rhee, Vernon Rieta, J.N. Roberts, Jimmy N. Roberts, Mario Roberts, Shawn Robinson, Troy Robinson, Thomas Rosales Jr, Gilbert Rosales, Debby Lynn Ross, Lori Lynn Ross, Erik Stabenau, Chad Stahelski, Nils Allen Stewart, Ray Sua, Keith Tellez, Cris Thomas-Palomino, Mary Torres, Gary Toy, Dain Turner, Tierre Turner, David Wald, Scott Waugh, Danny Weselis, Danny Wong, Roger Yuan

CAST
Kurt Russell (Snake Plissken)
Stacy Keach (Malloy)
Steve Buscemi (Map to the Stars Eddie)
Peter Fonda (Pipeline)
Georges Corraface (Cuervo Jones)
Bruce Campbell (Surgeon General of Beverly Hills)
Valeria Golino (Taslima)
Pam Grier (Hershe)
A.J. Langer (Utopia)
Michelle Forbes (Brazen)
Jeff Imada (Saigon Shadow)
Cliff Robertson (President)
Ina Romeo (hooker)
Peter Jason (duty sergeant)
Jordan Baker (police anchor)
Caroleen Feeney (woman on freeway)
Paul Bartel (Congressman)
Tom McNulty (officer)
Breckin Meyer (surfer)
Robert Carradine (skinhead)
Shelly Desai (cloaked figure)
Leland Orser (Test Tube)
Kathleen Blanchard (female narrator)
William Luduena, Gabriel Castillo (Mescalitos)
William Peña (jacket Mescalito)
David Perrone (US cleric justice)
Al Leong (Hershey's - uncredited)
John Sencio (skinhead in alley - uncredited)
Vivicca A. Whitsett (bitch gang leader - uncredited)

PLOT SUMMARY

In the year 2000, a massive earthquake devastates southern California and Los Angeles is torn from the mainland and isolated as an island. A right-wing President uses the island of L.A. as a dumping ground for those who don't meet up to the high moral standards he has imposed on the country. Thirteen years later, terrorist Cuervo Jones brainwashes the President's daughter, Utopia, and has her steal a secret super-weapon. With Jones and Utopia hiding out in L.A., Snake Plissken is again forced back into action to get get the weapon back.

CAPSULE REVIEW

A disaster, nothing less. An un-asked for and unwanted sequel to Escape From New York that merely confirmed the worst fears of a lot of his fans - that John Carpenter had seriously lost the plot. An episodic and juvenile mess, the plot has little to say and what it does say it says rather badly. Watching this, it's hard to believe that this is the same man who made Assault on Precinct 13 (1976), Halloween (1978) and The Thing (1982). How the mighty have fallen.

Germany
DVD Distributor: Paramount

Spain
Theatrical Distributor: United International Pictures

UK
Video Distributor: Paramount

USA
Theatrical Distributor: Paramount
Laserdisc Distributor: Pioneer (PLFEB 36121 - 1997); Paramount (LV 33249-WS - 1997); Paramount (LV 33249 - 1997)
DVD Distributor: Paramount (332497)

Australia
Rating: M

Finland
Rating: K-16

Germany
Rating: 16

Netherlands
Rating: 12

Norway
Rating: 15

Portugal
Rating: M/12

Spain
Rating: 18

UK
Rating: 15

USA
Rating: R (rated R for violence and some language)

TIMELINE

1996
August
9: USA theatrical release

September
20: UK theatrical release

October
10: Australia, Hong Kong - theatrical release
16: Spain - theatrical release
17: Argentina - theatrical release
25: South Africa - theatrical release
31: Germany - theatrical release

November
1: Portugal - theatrical release
8: Switzerland - theatrical release
13: Belgium, France - theatrical release
23: Japan - theatrical release
29: Poland - theatrical release

1997
January
2: Hungary - theatrical release
21: USA - laserdisc release (Paramount (LV 33249-WS))

August
11: USA - laserdisc release (Pioneer (PLFEB 36121))

1998
December
15: USA - DVD release (Paramount (332497))

1999
October
18: Sweden - television broadcast

2001
June
7: Germany - DVD release (Paramount)

POSTER TAGS

Snake is back.

Plan Your Escape.

ALTERNATIVE TITLES

John Carpenter's Escape from L.A.
Escape From Los Angeles
Flucht aus L.A. - German title

LINKS

SEQUEL TO
Escape from New York (1981)

SEE ALSO
Jaws (1975)
The Omega Man (1971)
Soldier (1998)

REFERENCES

MAGAZINES

Cinefantastique April 1996 p.6
article

Cinefantastique July 1996 pp.8-9
illustrated article

Cinema (Germany) 24 October 1996
review (by Heiko Rosner)

Dark Star 13 p.13
review

Empire September 1996 p.34
review

Empire no.88 (October 1996) p.17 (UK)
illustrated article (The Name of the Game)

Fangoria 153 p.9
note

Imágenes December 1996 p.112
review (by Tomas Fernandez Valenti)

Première (France) December 1996 p.24
review (by Alexandre Brillant)

Shivers 45 p.15
review

Sight and Sound October 1996 p.44
credits, synopsis, review (by Philip Strick)

Starburst 213 p.4
note

Studio November 1996 p.16
review (by Laurent Tirard)

NEWSPAPERS

A Capital, Guia TV 25 July 1997
review (by Rui Brazuna)

Expresso, Cartaz 1 November 1996
review (by Manuel Cintra Ferreira)

KEYWORDS

the future, los angeles, holograms, amusement parks, earthquakes, helicopters, prisons, sequels