The Secrets of Escape from New York Explained
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 25 ก.ค. 2024
- Today we continue our "Secrets" series with a break down of the underlying themes and ideas in John Carpenter's 1981 sci-fi classic Escape from New York.
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I've always believed that when Snake asks the president how he feels about the people who died to get him out, it's a test. If the president had displayed any real feelings, he might have gotten the real tape. But he didn't, so Plisken walks away with the real one and destroys it. I can't imagine any other reason he'd want to talk to the president.
Yea he definitely overthinks just about everything about this movie, like what the terrorist leader is reading after they take control of the airplane, that's not "a message from Carpenter about the "imperialist police state" that's truly America, they were simply using the typical kind of nonsense that someone like The Red Army Faction would read as some nonsense manifesto whenever they'd high jack a plane back then, all those European based terrorist organizations like them and The Bader Meinhoff would always spew out nonsense like that "in the name of the workers of the world" when the fact is not a single worker I've ever known wanted idiots like that speaking for them, there's no message behind it from Carpenter it was simply the kind of nonsense you'd hear the kind of organizations yak about every time they'd high jack a plane or plant a bomb somewhere.
Carpenter himself has said in interviews that people look too much into his films looking for meanings where there are none, some things are simple, The Duke is a violent criminal, that's it, there's no victim of repression message, he's just your basic garden variety bad guy, Carpenter says in one interview that there's people out there debating for years over the meanings of some things in his movies that are nothing more than continuity errors, but they'll analyze the living daylights out of it and sit around debating what it's meaning is, when in fact it's nothing more than a scene that had to be reshot and someone on the crew hung up jackets in a different order than they were when they originally shot the scene, splice the two together in editing and you have something people will debate for years, like he said back when they made these movies and people didn't have the ability to sit there in their home and continually rewind and fast forward finding little continuity errors like that they didn't worry about making sure all the jackets were hung up in the right order, people need to realize that, they were just made back when something like that wasn't an issue.
Escape from LA ending makes me wish there was a Snake Pliskin around today to shut the world down. Like Take that zuckerburg and Dorcy!!!
Escape from Safe Space
I think its about time
@@denisl2760 gear up snake get your Mac 10 warmed up!!
If only, we can dream.
Jesus has entered the chat...
The Duke did torture Harper with mentally humiliating and abusive actions. Remember Harper was threaten at machine gun point to declare that the Duke was the boss. *you're the Duke" was what he had to beg out or die. Harper yelling "you're the Duke" as he dumped the mag into him was directly caused by the mental abuse and trauma.
Somebody ELSE who didn't buy into the radical left slant of this "review"!
Agreed
If anything, a President who will execute a dirtbag personally is far more admirable.
Yes. I totally agree and always thought that. I have loved this movie since in was 14. I always Ioved when the Duke got shot. I am not sure why this guy seems to sympathize with the prisoners who engage rape and torture and cannibalism. The people on the plane were commie terrorists.
@@Balthorium It's the stance taken by every radical leftist. To them, it doesn't matter WHY, or HOW, you want to destroy a governing body freely chosen by the people it represents, only that you DO.
I don't know, I was thinking the Duke had tortured the President, so it seemed like a genuine moment of rage.
Can't feel sorry for a Duke that would waste Adrienne Barbeau. The scene of the President getting lead on the Duke was an example of how the film avoids the obvious. No big showdown fight between Snake and the Duke.
His finger was amputated as proof of life and it’s heavily implied that he allowed his henchmen to rape him. The audiotape is discovered as Duke is using him for target practice with a submachine gun.
Actor Donald Pleasance served in the RAF and was a POW after his bomber was shot down over Germany. Although he’s never described his experiences in captivity he did once mention that his violent outburst at the film’s climax was very much directed at his captors.
Yeah, to me it felt like revenge.
Kurt Russell's stunt double's name was Dick Warlock. Greatest name ever.
Lmfao the more you know imagine if his name was Dick (Hard) Johnson
Fun fact: Dick Warlock plays Micheal Myers in Halloween II while Nick Castle, co-writer of Escape from NY played Michael Myers in Halloween I, so we have 2 Michaels contributing to this movie
@@xraystudios3693 Not to mention Dick Warlock was one of the android goons in Halloween 3
@YellaDude Yep, that’s what I know him for.
Now I have an epiphany.
“Escape From New York” is similar to Rocksteady Games “Batman: Arkham City” when Dr. Hugo Strange orchestrated events and circumstances to get to become Ras Al Ghul’s heir.
Like how you think.
Escape would be sweet as a GTA-style MMO. Higher population, of course.
It's amazing how much it looks like Chicago.
It was St. Louis.
@@Balthorium didn't they look for the most rundown apocalyptic looking city and decided on ST Louis
@@matthewestrada407 Actually, East Saint Louis, Illinois, about twelve square blocks of which were abandoned and were being razed and redeveloped when Carpenter filmed there
@@edvaira6891 makes sense thanks friend
Chicago ain’t Detroit.
This is one of my fav movies when I was a kid in the 90's.
Great interpretation.
That scene in the Chock Full O' Nuts where they come out of the floor was a great creepy way to start Snakes trip into the depths of New York.
Everyone who likes the movie should read the novelization, it adds a huge amount to the characters and worldbuilding. New York was left full of crazies after chemical warfare, which also turned a lot of the ex-soldiers bloodthirsty and many of them joined the police, which is why the police state in it is more harsh. Snake was blinded in his eye by the same chemicals leaking into the goggles of his gas mask during the war and between that and some unclear deception he lost his faith in the government, and even more so when he came home to find his parents burning alive in his house by the police.
It also adds a lot to Bob Hauk especially, it took him from a jerk who enlists Snake to a tragic character with extra motives that weren’t in the movie.
I just read it again.
You're leaving out a key aspect that potentially explains Snake's reason for switching the cassette tape. Remember that before he switches the tape, Snake asks for a moment of the President's time. He then says to the President, "We did get you out. But a lot of people died in the process. I just wondered how you felt about it." The President responds with a canned, half-hearted, insincere spiel about their "sacrifice" before coldly telling Snake to shuffle off because he's got big business with the cassette tape. Now with that in mind Snake switches the tape? The Cabbie's song.
That coda to the film is very important. For one thing, it arguably shows that the supposed cold, anti-hero Snake may not be as cold as we think. After all, by switching the tape he's essentially paying tribute to the Cabbie. It also lays bare any remaining questions a viewer could have about the President. You could say that the President's mania while killing the Duke was a result of mental abuse and trauma. However, that final exchange between Snake and the President pretty definitively shows him to be a self-serving little man who cares little for the citizenry from whom the consent of governed is supposed to spring. You don't have to be left-wing or right-wing to get that either.
The coda also raises other questions. Like, for example, what was on the cassette tape? We're told the contents contained secrets related to nuclear fusion and, on the word of the President and his administration, that it will bring world peace. However, given the way the President throws Snake away like used toilet paper and shows little care for those who died in the escape can we really take the President's word? Or was there something more Orwellian going on in regards to what that tape would lead to on a global scale? Namely, the possibility that the contents of the tape could allow the President to gain hegemonic dominance on the geopolitical chessboard.
Yes
I would love to see a follow up that talks about the sequel (Escape from LA) and whether the two movies together make any particular points that neither do individually.
Fans had been waiting and pushing for a sequel to Escape from NY, but we were given that crap movie Escape from LA. Message from Escape from LA was that Snake was a mass murderer. Oh yeah he activated the EMP device knocking out all tech taking us back to the stone age essentially. He cause all the airplanes in the sky to crash, ships to be stranded at sea and those people onboard to die, all people on life support to die, not to mention the starvation he would have caused.
@@mmabri TBH it was pretty obvious in the first one already that he really couldn't care less about anyone or anything
@@mmabri the world had become a nightmare, snake wanted to get back at the people who made it that way. I think he improved the lives of those who survived the blackout because they were no longer slaves to tyrants
Does anyone else think Escape From New York is a lead up to a shared universe with other movies like Blade Runner, Soldier, Aliens, Predator, and Prometheus? Soldier’s protagonist, Todd, is played by Kurt Russell as well and could be the progeny of Snake Plisken since he is born in 1997 and is raised into a future that is confirmed to take place in the same universe as Blade Runner. Which is confirmed to be in the Predator and Alien universes, and so on and so forth. Ringing true for anyone?
John Carpenters movies were so original and legendary. they're all copied endlessly now. there's really no point in going more in depth into it than that. there's certain movies you'll see when you're young that will blow your mind when you're young, but when you get older they get copied so much they no longer seem special at all. it's only the people who saw them first who knew they opened the door for others.
Soldier and alien and blade runner are all in the same universe
As I was joining up all my friends warned that I would become a brainwashed killing machine when, in point of fact, witnessing state-backed corporate oligarchy firsthand pitched me even more firmly into anti-authoritarian thinking after I got out. Carpenter had a good grasp on the mindset of the post-Nam vet that still resonates all these years later, and that's what makes Plissken such a believable character.
True enough.
"...America is a dystopian place and Manhattan is filled with violence..."
Where's the fiction in this story?
It just gets worse ever fuckin year. Hope to see you 2024. We are so screwed.
@@palerider3178 you too, Bro. It's no joke...
@@robzilla730 just survive and stock up. Good luck brother.
The fiction is that nobody is rescuing the people of Manhattan from the Democrat Criminal Horde !
I remember my dad taking me to see this when I was 13... man it was such a dark flick .. I’ve watched it again many times I’ve met life .. the escape to LA was horrible. They just don’t make movies like they did back then
Amen. The sequel ate Bart's shorts 🤣
My Dad took me too and I became obsessed with this movie. Same age. Good times.
Did your Dad take you, a seventh-grader, to see it because he wanted you to see it with him, or was he trying to share something with his son about life and manhood? A Father and son movie trip can be a very special and long remembered experience. I only had a few with my Dad, but they remain fresh in my mind. Here is one; in 1961 when I was 7, my Dad came to my school and on a pretext, took me out for the day and we saw a matinee showing of "Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea". This was unforgettably mind-blowing to a second-grader. If you have had such experiences, they and he will be with you always.
I know it didn't do the best job but the second one is supposed to be a cheesy rehash - Carpenter was making fun of the spectacle and unoriginality of Hollywood.
This channel should talk about Ender's game, the ships design from the movie looks "Realistic"
What I like the most is the take it has on extraterrestrial life with the Formics being and extension of a hive mind and not having an individual will at all. Not because we have never seen a hive mind before but because it explores how a hive mind sees humanity.
@@EarhirX that and the fact that for once, the hive mind specie isn't evil.
@@Torlik11 they seemed pretty evil when they tried invading earth the first time. I haven't read the books, but the movie didn't seem to hint at the formix being provoked when they tried to invade.
No disrespect but the Ender's Game movie doesn't hold a candle to the book. I know that's most movies that are from books but they usually don't leave out over half the book.
@@michaelhowell2326 agreed. Books aren’t constrained by budget though.
I love this classic movie and it's sequel! Thanks for the entertainming and informative video appreciate it! 👍🏼🔥
Thx Jason!
You're welcome.
Aka: if CHAZ/CHOP was left to fester
Or someone’s second term...
Trump 2024
As a just barely no longer a teen who saw this, at least twice, in '81, I must admit I skipped over a lot of the details. For me and my friends, it was just a bloody good film.
As always thank you so very much for your video.
Definitely need to see the "deleted scene" of hitting the reserve, very deep scene
“I’m not gonna inject my personal opinions just use what the film gave”
Proceeds to inject personal opinions and see symbolism where most do not
Yeah, one of the most unlikable aspects of millennials and Generation Z is their tendency to moralize and project on things. Do any of you have any idea how tedious and pretentious you sound?
@@ericdale4641 BIG OOPS
@@danrichards9516 I wasn't clear. I was commenting in agreement with you.
@@ericdale4641 oops my mistake 😅
@@ericdale4641 he's not wrong though..... you like to pretend the media you consume doesn't have any deeper message because you wouldn't be comfortable thinking about the implications.
And your dig at younger generations is blatantly stupid lol, they didn't invent art criticism. So it's less a matter of different generations so much as it's a matter of you likely being to stupid to engage in an activity that has been going strong for centuries.
But you go ahead and bury your head and blame someone else because you couldn't bother to be relevant even to your own generation.
I thought it was strange that the entire movie was based around the retrieval of a single audio cassette tape that for some reason couldn't be duplicated.
That being said I still think it's a badass movie.
Awesome. I mentioned previously that Kurt Russell was always a favorite actor of mine but I should also mention that John Carpenter is my all-time favorite director. I grew up on films like this, The Thing, Halloween, The Fog, Assault on Precinct 13, etc. I really love this series you've been doing - looking forward to what else you might cover.
The original Precinct 13 is phenomenal indeed, as is the thing; another "Kirt" special! 👌
How about "They Live"?
@@jonnyq680 Definitely.
@@miami_pete4646 The remake was passable but imo was unnecessary and nowhere near as good.
Briliant analysis👏👏 i love when movies don t explain much about them. They just invite you to enter their World and uses dialogue only when it s necessary. Carpenter knows this for sure (The Thing, Halloween, In the mouth of madness just to name a few). That s why this classic is timeless. Watched it again two days ago and it s awesome🤘🏻
I had no idea it had a secret but now I’m all in
My comment may be generic, but I still mean it when I say "Brilliant explanation!"
Cool video! I didn’t agree with all your points but I agreed with some, and I always like that dynamic.
It's amazing how this dystopian New York looks so much better maintained than the current modern interpretation.
Very nice video. Thank you.
REQUEST: Would you consider doing an analysis on the civilization in the movie, ‘The Minority Report’?
Don't forget the most overt symbolism: "Hawk" vs. "Snake."
We're on our way . . .
You should do Stargate next!
Nice video. Just FYI 9:07 "Begs the question" doesn't mean raising the question, rather it is a type fallacy involving circular reasoning.
If it seems a little dated, well yeah, it is 1981.
Nice summary of the issues. I think you hit it straight on.
I'm curious to hear what you think of the sequel, "Escape from L.A." It's a LITTLE bit different…
Next time..."They Live" or "The Warriors"...
Good choices!
"They Live" doesn't really have much in the way of secrets. It wears its disdain for illegal aliens on its sleeve.
@@Argonnosi No, it doesn't; it was a critique about the rampant consumerism, commercialization, and general economic conditions of the era in which it was made. The fact that aliens were involved has nothing to do with the current illegal crisis.
@@kfeltenberger Right over your head. Straight into the stratosphere.
@@Argonnosi No, I got what you were trying to say and as a joke or sarcasm it was about as humorous as gum stuck to my shoe.
I disagree with your opinion on the president killing the Duke; that was awesome and exactly what I wanted to see. It humanizes him if albeit in a non-goody-two-shoes sort of way, which is fine with me!
Also, I think it's a stretch to refer to the Duke and all those living in the maximum security prison that is Manhattan "citizens". Pretty sure they lost that status and have no real rights.
Hideo must have really loved this movie to make the best video game character ever make from this movie
It's great that Michael Myers ( Nick Castle), co_wrote this great movie.
*SUGGESTION:*
MCRN Donnager _(The Expanse)_
vs
UNSC In Amber Clad _(Halo)_
I like this secrets series.
Don't mess with someone who survive WW3.
Seen this in the theater back then. One of my favorite 80's flicks. Was dissapointed that Marvel didn't create a movie tie-in for it like they did with so many of them so I tried to create my own. I didn't get very far.
well marvel was owned by Wall Street investor pricks at the time who didn't know what they hell they were doing. now it, owned by Disney, and d.c. owned by Warner brothers, both feel the need to own every bit of their own intellectual property and realize that the creative intellectual property itself is the real value of the companies and they won't share anymore if they can help it.
that scope on the uzi kills me lol
For the longest time I couldn't understand why Pliskin had a "?" on his abs.
Love this movie series
The theme of the movie is Snake's theme : what comes around goes around .
I watched that movie years ago but I remember wondering why Snake destroyed the tape. after a while I came to the realization that he did so for two reasons. First, throughout the film, that taxi driver was one of the rare person he met that showed him true humanity (until he died) and the second, the secret of nuclear fusion was not a promise of free energy (and perhaps freedom) but rather another tool in the arsenal of Imperial exploitation. In short, with the secret of Nuclear Fusion in its possession, the USA would have been able to dictate its domination to the rest of the world... which is what I think snake understood and acted accordingly to foil it.
That tumbnail, for a second I tough it was a remake with his son
Yeah it does. I remember watching Wyatt in Overlord, and thinking why does this guy keep doing Kurt Russell impersonations. Credits rolled and then it made total sense.
Wyatt was Todd in one scene in Soldier. Should Soldier need a reboot, it needs to be in the proper hands of capable and caring people to improve it.
First time I watched this, I had never before seen a movie so funny. Of course, this may have been due to the fact that not half an hour before those title credits began rolling out to the score of Carpenter's tautly bleak laser beam of a synth theme, my brother helped me discover the splendor and joy to be found in the South Farthing's finest Old Toby. It has never been nearly as hilarious since that first viewing, if you can believe it...
Love this movie.
Great movie!
Oh my God!! I freaking love you bro!! I'm writing this comment before I even watch the video. You are the man American Ben! Thank you, thank you, thank you!
Good work Ben.and remember, tank tops are for no one.
Crime, Pandemic, whatever the reason for the government to restrict trade will inevitably lead to loss, suffering & death.
Yes couldn't agree more! The government exclusively gets it's income from taxation of goods and services so it makes sense that it would be restricting trade in order to drive down available income streams through taxation. And an increase in crime or a pandemic is the perfect excuse for the government to give itself a pay cut. I always thought the government wanted an excuse to make money off of it's citizens but now that you mention it I couldn't agree more that they want to lose money via restricting the very thing they can tax.
@@benfubbs2432 Power is more important than money. What does the government budget matter when it can take what it wants and you can't move if they say you can't.
@@benfubbs2432 they gain more power when the destitute are forced to depend on the government and those who get to confiscate the homes and business also get to fund the campaigns of those who promise to close ensuring that the bank that donates gets to later confiscate the land & then resell what was almost already sold. Corporatistsimps and commiesimps don't understand economics or escape from the New York chad
10:16 Chock Full o' Nuts sign can be taken as a joke referring to New York being full of psychos.
Absolute classic.
You think that you could put where you can watch the movies you talk about in the description whenever possible?
pirate bay
Yes please
Watching this 2 months late but all I can say is AMERICAN BEN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
The Duke had it coming. He had a gun and was moving to engage... how did you want him to stop the Duke?
Wow and third 🥉, wish u can make video of How To Survive in the marshlands of Amphibia from the Disney show - Amphibia
Just 💖 this movie
12 monkeys1995 next please
Those were M16A1 with the grips removed, not M4 carbines. We got those later, and they were burst fire only. Although some were full auto. But liked and subscribed!
Nell' 81 , dove stavo io in Italia , resto' al cinema 3 giorni, andai tutti i giorni, l'ultimo giorno "trascinai' mia mamma anche se non era proprio il suo genere , ma le piacque molto !
Snake saves the day even in the 80's!
Ah, "Megaforce", now THERE'S a movie begging for socio-political-gender-economic critical analysis... or not. An 80s "rule of cool" movie, if ever there was one. Also noteworthy for its commitment to the 100% accurate portrayal of Newtonian physics in its stunt-work and effects. 😜
I wonder if snake from MGS is loosely based on plisskin, the resemblance and namesake are strikingly similar. Both came out before my time and I’ve unfortunately never seen this film so if there is a connection I wouldn’t know, looks like a great film though, may have to track it down
@6:15 congrats Gen films, you've been duped 🤣
When you mention the Iran hostages you show a picture of Nixon. However this happened during the Carter years. Not sure if this was sloppy editing or meant as a slam against the republican party. Either way I would expect better from Generation Films.
I mean during that segment of the video there's a succession of pictures representing the various events I quickly mention in a short sentence. That said, when I say, "Iranian Hostage Crisis" the picture shown is of students climbing the US embassy gates in Tehran. So, your point doesn't work from any angle.
Read the novel if you can find it.
Wow didnt know captain america 2.0 was an 80s action hero
Snake had his jaw cloned so it is said...
That's Kirk Russle's son who plays Captain America 2.0
Thanks for the rub
U got my sub
Why shouldn't Harker polish off the Duke? Better to have a leader who's willing to kill with his own hand, rather than one who only ever orders it done.
Nick Castle (Michael Myers) helped co-write the story
So basically what New York could turn into in 6 months.
Funny watching this video in 2022
i’m confused. where are any “secrets” from this movie presented? other that commenting on the movie…?
I'm not sure about the interpretation of why Plisskin destroyed the tape.
Plisskin isn't a hero, he's a rebel and antihero but also he's very self serving. When he goes on this mission he only does it for a pardon and to save his own skin. He's forced to do it.
He destroyed the tape because he thrives in the chaos his world is descending into. He has a choice when he has the tape, peace and a delay in society's decline or war and society's inevitable collapse. Like the Joker in the The Dark Knight, Plisskin is about chaos. He thrives in a lawless environment. If a Tiger had the power to change the world, he'd turn it into one enormous jungle where he would be King.
By switching and destroying the tape he turns the whole world into New York, and this time no one escapes.
Yes the president was headed to a peace summit of all of the nuclear powers that were involved in the conflict when he was shot down. The tape was a lecture by a scientist discussing the long term effects of a nuclear exchange. He wasn’t being rude to Snake he had just endured the most stressful 22 hours of his life and thought that he was going to be tortured to death. He just killed the man who had tortured him. Don’t make the mistake of being sympathetic to Duke bc he’s played by Isaac Hayes The Duke wasn’t in that prison for stealing hub caps The president was trying to present information that could alter the fate of the world and he was on a countdown until the broadcast started. He didn’t have time to sit there and talk along time
Snake Pliskin was sentenced to that hell hole for the rest of his life He was offered a deal in exchange for a pardon. He excepted and got the job done and the deal was honored. What does he have to complain about
something else to "bare in mind" is that this film is FORTY yes FORTY years old
Obedience is better than sacrifice
Can't feel sorry for a Duke that would waste Adrienne Barbeau. The scene of the President getting lead on the Duke was an example of how the film avoids the obvious. No big showdown fight between Snake and the Duke.
Ridiculous premise brilliantly carried out. Russell completely sheds his Disney persona, he has often called Snake Plisken his favorite character, and Lee Van Cleef was one of the few actors who could dominate Russell. Great supporting work from Harry Dean Stanton, Ernest Borgnine, and Isaac Hayes.
The Duke corn holed the President.
I thought snake was considered a outlaw for taking part in a failed rebellion against the government..
I Honestly forgot they mounted a Hunting Scope on a UZI! Not only that, But they also mounted it somehow on the Silencer that is attached to the end of it's BARREL ROFL! For those who are into Firearms, UZI's are Close Quarter Weapons that shoot .380, 9mm and 45 caliber handgun rounds. Those rounds are ineffective and practically USELESS above 50 meters for a Professional Shooter the average sports man can hit a man size target at 25 meters tops! Last but not least they mounted that scope on the SILENCER itself!? Other than attaching it to the Bolt carrier itself putting it on that part of the firearm that jumps around and gets hot the most nullifies your abilities to hit a target with a Machine Pistol. Plus it will never hold zero because the Silencer screws onto the threaded end of the muzzle. I bet the props department just thought it look COOL but in reality this is like putting a mini dress 👗 on a pig. Pointless at best, Ridiculous you better believe it!
Please do escape from L.A
So basically New York City has not changed?
The Beast Mothership from Homeworld Cataclysm
Growing up on the 80’s Halloween
Kids costumes 🎃👻:
HULK 🧼
CAPTAIN America 🇺🇸
Thor ⚡️
Me : where the F’ is the SNAKE 🐍 PLISKEN
costume ??!!
It’s that guy from The Grim Adventures of Billy and Mandy
I wish my name was Snake Plisskin.
Ehh, the only thing I have here is that Plisken's gun look unwieldy as heck.
Yes, empty, obvious commentary.
American Ben is the only one to watch on this channel.....call me snake hey snake ..call me plisken
Killing "The Duke" was the best part of the movie. Well done, Mr. President.
Crime waves happen. Chicago.
New York was in a crime wave as well.... around that time I believe.
So the image of New York just being a slumland to wall in wasn't that crazy.
Could we do that with Chicago. Should we. :D
I'm the Duke !! I'm A #1!!
Pliskin took the tape for the same reasons he robbed the reserve. Both would harm the public, and that's how the two evil leaders kept control, by being too harmful to remove. All Pliskin did was doing was erase that leverage, and giving people an actual reason to fight them off. The issue is his competence. He don't understand the average person won't fight them off, or that they're part of the system. (Or perhaps he does, and he simply believes they deserve it?)
This movie made metal gear solid 1 . Kurt Russell is my hero
Manhattan was turned into a maximum security prison because in 1988 the crime rate in the US rose 400%. It had nothing to do with World War III, which was mostly confined to Alaska, Siberia, and Mongolia, where the USA, USSR, and China were fighting.
If you look at the shooting scene, The President is not saving Snake. He didn't need to be saved until The President paused the winch bringing him up the wall, specifically to use him as bait to draw out The Duke. The President killing The Duke is cohesive with Snake's worldview and illustrative of The President and The Duke both being self-interested authoritarians who will do whatever they like so long as they can get away with it.
The President has more structure behind him and a cleaner image, though if you listen to the highjackers' monologue it's clear that The President is seen as an imperialist thug enforcing a Police State (at least by some people). It's an act of rebellion or terrorism (depending on who wins in the long term). The Duke and his followers are entirely uninvolved, The President just falls into their lap, as it were.
Plisken's ethos is radical anti-authoritarian self-reliance, though not in a politically active sense. He just happens to find himself mired in world events and when possible his modus operandi is to deny overwhelming power to any tyrant because he sees them all as exactly the same.
The President and The Duke could easily be one another under different circumstances. In fact, there may be some redeeming honesty in The Duke's rule compared to The President. At least he's not dressing up his actions as "doing it for the children" or "for the country" or "for the people". It's just transparent and blatant self-interest with populist support.
“Of all tyrannies, a tyranny sincerely exercised for the good of its victims may be the most oppressive. It would be better to live under robber barons than under omnipotent moral busybodies. The robber baron's cruelty may sometimes sleep, his cupidity may at some point be satiated; but those who torment us for our own good will torment us without end for they do so with the approval of their own conscience.”
I think the film is at least partially a meditation on anti-authoritarianism or libertarianism, not among the people sentenced to live in Manhattan, but Snake himself. Carpenter is definitely not aggrandizing the ethos, however. Snake is always the outcast, has no community or permanence, and is consistently in the middle of forces he cannot hope to contend with head-on.
Like any useful, but antisocial, person, he is sometimes invaluable while also being disposable. There are no happy endings for him, he just strikes when provoked, then slithers off once there's no longer an immediate threat. That's pretty much the standard anti-hero playbook.