Official Score = 2 1/2 Devils[/caption]The first movie that I ever saw that Kurt Russell (Soldier), had ever done was the movie, Backdraft (1991). When I saw that movie I found that everyone in that movie had done a great job, but I found that I liked the role that Kurt Russell had played the most!
In that movie Kurt Russell played a veteran fire fighter who was divorced, but was great at his job... And I suspect was really torn up about being separated from his family, and had never quite been the same when he witnessed his fireman father die when he was a kid... And his unhappy life gets even more complicated when the little brother that left behind his brother and the family business to make it on his own comes back to take on the mantle of, 'Fire Fighter' with his older brother!
I personally suspect that because of Kurt Russell's amazing performance in 'Backdraft', that in some way that it was the inspiration for the character of, 'Tommy Gavin' (played by: Denis Leary), in the hit TV series, Rescue Me!
Anyway after that though I hadn't seen much of the work that he did, until I saw the movie, Escape From L.A. (1996)! And you know what? I gotta say that the role that he played of, 'Snake Plissken' was truly awe inspiring for some one like me who at the time was aspiring to become a writer and an actor!
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Snake Plissken is back in the kick ass thrill ride![/caption]I mean I hadn't seen the predecessor to this movie, Escape From New York (1981) at that time, so I hadn't seen where all of this began, but I gotta say that the work that Kurt Russell put in to this role was so awesome that it started my interest in the movies that he has done... And you know what? I haven't been disappointed since!
Now I know I haven't said why I like this character so much... I will let you see this movie to understand better, but trust me when I say that if you like biker movies, or outlaw movies (which I really do), then I think you might find that you really like, 'Snake Plissken'!
As far as the movie goes, there are some truly amazing talent that did a great job, including: Stacy Keach (Galaxy Hunter), Steve Buscemi (Fargo), Peter Fonda (Ghost Rider), Pam Grier (Scream Blacula Scream), Bruce Campbell (The Evil Dead), Michelle Forbes (Star Trek: The Next Generation), A.J. Langer (The People Under The Stairs)... As a matter of fact, the only character I really didn't like or believe as legitimate was, 'The President' but I don't think that it was the actors fault, I think Cliff Robertson (Spider-Man) is an amazing actor, I just think that it was a poorly written character!
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Snake, as he is making his way to the, 'Magic Kingdom' to see a man about a box...[/caption]I also liked the vision that John Carpenter brought to the big screen in bringing Snake Plissken back for one more attempt to go in to a dystopian waste land and for one more mission for the President...
The only problem that I had between the writing and directing (and this seemed to be something that became a problem in the 90s, and has since become a real problem with some sequels in the new millennium,) that is that sometimes more explosions are not always better, and although I am a fan of special effects and big explosions, I found the over use of explosions and special effects out shadowed what I still thought was a great story!
In the end, this movie is fun, and it was well worth my time to watch it again recently, and if you check it out you might find the same thing as well!
http://youtu.be/drOdRwD1JF0
Bruce Campbell as, 'Elvis Presley' in, 'Bubba Ho-Tep' (2002)[/caption]
Elvis Presley and JFK are going to war in, 'Bubba Ho-Tep' (2002)![/caption]