Current Events > It's something to finally see an influential film you'd missed.

(+) Yeah! (+)

Today, I saw Escape from New York for the first time. Not only did it inspire an interest in movies set in a bleak future filled with crime-ridden or post-apocalyptic cities, but it was also influential on video games as well.

The Metal Gear series was more or less inspired by Kurt Russel's nice ass cheeks as he climbed down the ladder in one scene. That much I think we all know.

But it was also surprisingly influential on Final Fight. The destroyed cars, the similar attires of the baddies, the grungy streets, the similar color schemes, night-to-day transitions, and even an arena in which people watch as a fight takes place inside of a ring. While certainly in nicer condition, the hallway in Belger's high rise has a virtually identical color scheme to the dilapidated hallways of the building in which the film's president had been kept hostage.

And I had no idea that Kurt Russel was primarily seen as a Disney actor before this film. I found his casting in The Fox and the Hound odd because of his tough guy roles in films like The Thing and Tombstone. When Copper threatens Todd, I imagine him following it up by saying, "...And Hell's coming with me!"

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