Escape from New York is a 1981 dystopian action film co-written, co-scored, and directed by John Carpenter. Set in the then future year of 1997, the film stars Kurt Russell as Snake Plissken, a former soldier and hardened convict who is tasked by the US government to rescue the President of the United States (Donald Pleasence), who has crash landed onto the island of Manhattan, now sealed off to become the world's largest prison. Russell would return as Plissken in Escape from L.A., the 1996 sequel.
In March 2017, it was announced that Robert Rodriguez would direct a remake of the film with Carpenter producing it. In February 2019, it was reported that Leigh Whannell will be writing the script after Luther creator Neil Cross completed a recent iteration of the project.
The following weapons were used in the film Escape from New York:
Snake's sidearm in the film is a Smith & Wesson Model 67 with a scope mounted on it. During the climax, Maggie (Adrienne Barbeau) fires it at the Duke before she is run down by him. You can tell it's a Model 67 because it has adjustable sights but lacks the shrouded lug that protects the ejector rod like on the Smith & Wesson Model 66. Therefore it's a 38 Special revolver and not a .357 Magnum. If it was a Smith & Wesson Model 64 or a Smith & Wesson Model 65 it would not have adjustable sights. The Model 67 can also be differentiated from the Model 65 due to the slightly shorter (.38 Special only) cylinder. The Model 67 is the stainless steel counterpart of the Smith & Wesson Model 15 Combat Masterpiece.
The main weapon the USPF issues to Snake Plissken (Kurt Russell) is a MAC-10 fitted with a rifle scope that is mounted onto a sound suppressor. After Snake is captured, the Duke of New York (Isaac Hayes) uses it for the remainder of the film, notably taunting the President with it in front of his gang. The sound effects heard when fired are not silenced shots.
The U.S. Police Force Soldiers throughout the film and U.S.S.S. Agents in the Air Force One hijack scene use slab side M16/AR-15 SP1 rifles with their hand guards removed and replaced with a slender plastic sleeve that wraps around the barrel and gas tube, in order to make them look more "futuristic". Some of the rifles have three-prong flash hiders, and others have the M16A1-style 'birdcage' flash hider. Near the conclusion of the film, the President (Donald Pleasence) in a freak rage is seen using one taken from a dead U.S.P.F. guard to kill the Duke of New York (Isaac Hayes).
