Escape From New York Deleted Original Opening "Remastered" (Plus Alternate Takes)

For anyone interested, here is the scene with commentary by John Carpenter and Kurt Russell... • Escape From New York D...
Presented here is the deleted Bank Robbery opening sequence (VHS workprint quality), with better quality footage wherever possible, taken from the Joe Unger (Taylor) interview on the Shout Factory release. I also corrected the aspect ratio, for some reason the Blu-ray version has the image stretched vertically. At the end is all the upgraded footage run together, including alternate takes and clapperboard shots. The bank was shot in downtown Los Angeles, and the train was shot in the then brand-new MARTA subway in Atlanta, Georgia. Taylor (NOT Fresno Bob!) is played by the aforementioned Joe Unger, not Ted "Buffalo Bill" Levine. No one reads the description text.

[@saltytbone]

First rule of being a movie sidekick during an escape: Never say "We made it."

[@studinthemaking]

Or like cut up this loot.

[@holidayfish]

twice as deadly as synchronising your watch in a ww2 film

[@Kinos141]

Or talk about the future. That leads to instant death.

[@kevhead1525]

Franco from the dirty dozen.

[@blampfno]

@@Kinos141 Especially being 3 days from retirement. If anyone is ever 3 days from retirement they should just take the rest of the week off and call it good.

[@BlueCollar850]

The novelization goes into more detail about the movie and what’s going on. This scene was included. Snake lost his eye in a battle that was basically a suicide mission and the rest of his unit was wiped out. But he later finds out the mission was unnecessary and him and his men were expendable. That, coupled with the fact his parents were murdered by the police force (guards dressed in black Kevlar, who were all military veterans like snake) is what caused Snake to become a criminal against the system he once served. Update: I’m gonna add some more info. Snakes parents were murdered by a crazy person. In the movie and book the USA and USSR were fighting a war. The Soviets were bombing the USA with nerve gas. NY was the first major city to get attacked. Those crazy people from the sewers in the movie were survivors of the initial wave. Nerve gas was making the population in the USA go crazy and a crazy person broke into snakes parents house. When the police force got there rather than sort everything out they just murdered everyone there. I believe they burned everyone alive. The police force/guards are nicknamed “blackbellies”. They were comprised of military veterans who were suffering from PTSD and they’re mostly described as sadistic. Millions of people are dead because of the police force. They basically turned on their own people and treated Americans as the enemy when they got home. The crime rate is out of control because of the population going mad due to the nerve gas. When Snake robs the bank at the beginning of the book, what he steals are basically pre paid debit cards. The money is already loaded onto the cards. Travel is done underground. The USA created a high speed underground rail system that is faster than flying. When snake was arrested at the beginning of the book they loaded him into one and punched in the coordinates for NY. Hauk was made warden because he also was in the military. He was an officer in the war and was in the same battle snake fought in with his unit. Hauks unit were on the other side of Leningrad giving snakes unit fire support on the ground while snakes unit flew in gliders. He took the job because he wanted to look for his son who was locked up in NY prison. The book also states that upon his return home his wife had disappeared, his one son was killed in a riot I believe and the remaining son was locked up in NY. Snake comes across Hauks son who is revealed to be another crazy person. His name is tattooed on his knuckles. At the end of the book Snake doesn’t have the heart to tell Hauk about his son’s true condition but lies to him and tells him his son is ok as a form of respect and to ease the burden Hauk was carrying around. Snake was described as a “hot shot college boy” when he joined the military. He was shown to take duty seriously and was loyal. It wasn’t until after the mission where only him and his friend Taylor (who was with him when he robbed the bank) are the only survivors of the mission. Cabbie is implied not to be a prisoner but someone who didn’t want to leave NY when they walled NY in from the rest of the country. The cassette tape the President has in his briefcase contains information about a bomb the USA has created that has the capability of a thermonuclear weapon but doesn’t leave any radiation. It’s basically a nuclear weapon without the radiation. He’s going to play the tape to the Soviets and Chinese (who are implied to be fighting with the Soviets against the USA) as a warning for them to surrender or else he would use the weapon against them. Snake isn’t actually blind in his eye. During his suicide mission in the war his unit came under heavy fire and a piece of shrapnel cracked his goggles and let nerve gas in. His retina is paralyzed. Prisoners are castrated or sterilized before entering. Once you’re in the prison its survival of the fittest. There’s no law and order. Bob Hauk would stand and watch the city at night. There was limited electricity so prisoners would make fires in high rise buildings. Hauk thought to himself about how people in the prison would die off and there wouldn’t be as many fires at night. Snake used crystal meth for energy. He was given a chunk of it before entering the prison and would eat some from time to time. The book gives more detail about how run down and apocalyptic NY looked when snake was walking through it when he first got there. Prisoners would eat stray animals and other people for food. When Snake came across Air Force 1, someone was in the wreckage looking for bodies to eat. The economy is said to be devastated with lots and lots of poor people because of the USA going bankrupt fighting their war. At the end of the book after he asks the president how he feels about all that’s happened with people dying to save him he’s disgusted with the presidents answer and that’s probably his motivation for not giving him the real tape. Snake compares his experience in NY to what happened with his military unit in Leningrad how people died for no reason. I do remember one line from the book at the end when Hauk offers snake a job and it said “Snake didn’t know what he wanted out of life but it had nothing more to do with Bob Hauk or the NY penitentiary”

[@thedungeondelver]

It's interesting that you mention that mission. William Gibson based a lot of the plot of _Neuromancer_ on that very incident. He was watching _Escape from New York_ and liked the line "You flew the Gullfire, over Leningrad..." and the back-story about the suicide mission being unnecessary so much that he used them in the backstory of the character Armitage. The Pentagon knew the Soviets were ready for a covert cyber-attack from airborne troops, but sent soldiers in anyway, to test out new weapons and tactics. Willis Corto was a commander, and he and his unit barely made it out. They stole a Soviet gunship and flew at treetop level into NATO territory but (as it was implied that a limited, mostly conventional weapons WW3 was ongoing at the time) a nervous AA crew just across the border from Finland shot them down, leaving the rest of the team dead and Corto severely injured. The media, and parts of the US government that wanted the Pentagon gutted, paid for Corto's full physical reconstruction, and had him testify before the US Congress, spelling the end of the Military-Industrial complex for good. Afterward, the FBI (or was it CIA) tried to buy Corto off but he murdered his handler and vanished, he had a psychotic break and wound up in a mental hospital where the hostile AI called Neuromancer located him and through subliminal tactics reprogrammed him, created the Armitage persona and backstory, and set into motion the rest of the events in the book. And, the character Automatic Jack in _Burning Chrome_ lost his arm piloting a microlight aircraft over Leningrad during the same mission ("Screaming Fist").

[@samfrito]

@@thedungeondelver compelling stuff. Glad you commented. Man, I miss that part of the 80's. Stuff like this seemed like great fiction, back then.

[@6strprodigy]

Thanks for that!

[@ghostofpambo6266]

I've been wanting to get the novelization but they are hard to come by.

[@ZoolGatekeeper]

It somehow works better with some of this information lost, ie the running joke that everyone thought Snake was dead… (the name is Plissken, sorry.).

[@mohanicus]

snake plissken...one of the coolest characters ever put on film. They really need to re-release this in 4K with this scene put back in.

[@neilenglish8582]

Snake Plissken...I heard of him...but I heard he was....

[@Tigerfire75]

I say Kurt Russell was cooler

[@dragonmartijn]

@@michaelchadkirk9437 The name is Plissken.

[@Virtualglue]

Indeed :)

[@RepublicConstitution]

Played perfectly by Kurt.

[@micahclawrence]

How is Carpenter so good at taking things that should be corny, and presenting them in completely non corny, grounded and totally badass ways?

[@traysutherland8491]

You gotta give it to Russell too for how straight he always plays it. Very refreshing since so many action movies today have to be full of wacky self aware one liners that pull you out of the story.

[@jameswilliams-zr8co]

coz he always took the material serious,, and never made it corny and lame.. he understood movie making and characters

[@1badjesus401]

Right!

[@coreymcmanus4749]

I absolutely love carpenters soundtracks for his movies

[@Detroittruckdoctor55]

Hell yeah dude

[@robertdaone]

Yep all synthesized. Loved them all including the Halloween tunes.

[@edthedaddy]

totally agree. he was a master.

[@Comrade-zh7rt]

that pure retro-future soundtrack!

[@gulgul2006]

@Donkavision The Thing by far but it is primarily Ennio Morricone that does it. As far as all his movies Carpenter has done his own music personally. I made an exact replica (cheating someone with my multi-track sequencer) on my Roland synth and workstaiton. Definitely by far the chase score is the best one in the movie. That is the one I replicated.

[@FONZIEGOBRAZY]

Without this movie, there wouldn’t be no Metal Gear Solid. Facts.

[@fear5735]

Kojima is a talentless hack. Without this movie there wouldn't be a shitty character in a shit franchise. Kojima stole everything from this movie and the original Wolfenstein game and said "I maku da sneaky gamu!" M.G.S. is shit and you should feel bad for playing it. "He [Kojima] would not even be able to get a job writing for an American soap opera." - Translator for M.G.S. 2

[@wealthmaterialized]

absolutely correct. btw, I bought the original Metal Gear when it first debuted on the NES back on the 8-bit cartridge system. EPIC!

[@rickyyyl3873]

@@fear5735 lmfao he really stole your bitch didn't he

[@Halo0115]

@@rickyyyl3873 Ya he mad Snake is one of the most recognized faces in gaming history xD

[@Halo0115]

@@fear5735 You probably just sucked at it bro it's alright

[@cyborgninja5489]

I love how even though Snake is jaded and such a dark hero, he is still concerned about his running buddy and seems upset he couldn't save him.

[@CaptainSeato]

Because, he's competent, he respects his comrades and, like he told Taylor, "I trust you."

[@udirt]

He gives him a perfect revenge!

[@redadamearth]

That's exactly why Carpenter deleted this scene - after some thought, he didn't WANT Plissken to have any redeeming qualities.

[@TimeandMonotony]

​@@redadamearth I think Carpenter made the right choice, Snake is supposed to be as cold-blooded as a, well....

[@Perfectcheeseberger]

@@TimeandMonotony i think this is an intro to him becoming who he was in the movie. You gotta remember the scene where he meets brain they were all war buddies. Taylor was the last person snake could ever trust

[@loayprettyboy206]

God I love the 80s action movies Ps. The female voice was Jamie lee curtis

[@JoseMorales-lw5nt]

@ Loay Fraih: The synergy makes sense. John Carpenter found success with Jaime Lee Curtis in HALLOWEEN, so strike while the iron's hot. I recall finding out about this cut sequence through MAXIM magazine. Years back, when DVDs were still a viable market, I read a review for a special 2 Disc set of ESCAPE FROM NEW YORK that contained this sequence as an extra. Always thought Curtis had a great documentary voice. 🇵🇷😊🇺🇸

[@FrauleinMuller999]

The voice reminds me of the Overwatch Voice from Half-Life 2 , this omnipresent voice, directing people with instructions

[@avidnongetit8710]

Cool did not know that! Thank you

[@doomsday9973]

Common myth. Its actually not. its the voice of producer Debra Hill.

[@zebunker]

"The synergy makes sense. John Carpenter found success with Jaime Lee Curtis in HALLOWEEN, so strike while the iron's hot." its cause they were banging brah. How about 90% of female actors even have a job.

[@firefightergoggie]

So snake DID have a friend. Explains his anger and resentment in the theatrical release.

[@spinocus]

Snake also mentions the gruesome demise of Fresno Bob, another former friend/accomplice during a conversation with Harold 'Brain' during the scene in the NY Public Library.

[@jimthomas777]

SuperSix Delta , Did you see what they did to Fresno Bob ?

[@Dirtbag-Hyena]

They had A comic book miniseries explaining everything prior to opening credits, including the bank robbery.

[@Azreal20]

I once read somewhere that carpenter decided against this intro because it humanized snake to much, when first introduced, snake had to give of the lone wolf/renegade feeling. That he wont stab you in the back, but also had no remorse leaving you behind if you couldn't keep up. We do learn that Snake can be "human", but for it to be a character development troughout the movie was better in my opinion.

[@studiodevelopers2467]

@@Dirtbag-Hyena Woww no way !

[@Haktarrr]

I love that feel of this late hour empty subway. Reminds me of my job (I work shifts), so calm and serene during the night hours. If you ever meet anyone at this time, it's probably another tech guy or just Snake Plissken on his way from bank robbery.

[@wiiretime3704]

This open has such a eerie feel like a Romero movie feel it's so creepy I love it

[@babytoshiro7014]

yeah me too. Love the 80's💖

[@ZappasBappas]

I love how MGS1's opening loosely follows this opening. The whole underground sequence of him sneaking through the base, undressing gear in the elevator, then running into soldiers topside.

[@professerutonium]

and Snake used the alias "Pliskin" in MGS2

[@youtubemademakethis6449]

Hahah yeah its funny how kojima had such a hard on for Russel and this movie lol

[@SimplyAustins]

@@youtubemademakethis6449 True that. As crazy as his mind can be sometimes, he has some great taste in media

[@AimForTheBushes908]

Snaaakkeeee!!!!!!!!

[@sanchezzz1]

What is MGS ?

[@wiseguymaybe]

Actually I can see why they cut this beginning. It has more impact NOT to show Snake in the first scene and wait to show his character after the events of the kidnapping of the president. Plus Snake's first appears on screen in the cut version gives his character more mystery and makes you wonder why he was imprisoned. Your imagination can be a better story teller than the actual reason. Like he was a liberator of some cause that made him a legend. For me, a bank robbery is rather disappointing for a character who has his reputation like the rest of the movie implies.

[@blurqeqoherds]

Dialogue in the movie later references the fact that he was imprisoned for a bank robbery, though, so it's not as though it's left a total mystery. For me that disappointment adds to the punch of the setting (and the obvious commentary on veterans' treatment). He has this legendary reputation, but it all comes from what he did while he was in the service. Once he left the army he might as well have disappeared, and ended up going to prison for something as comparatively pedestrian as a bank robbery.

[@adamgardiner5869]

larry potter yup good point, I agree.

[@unclequack5445]

I love those old school motocross boots ''Snake'' is wearing try finding a pair like them with the steel plates its impossible.

[@KakashiHatake-wj5bv]

A 7/11 would be pedestrian. In jail fr real bank robbers are the highest regarded i think that has been something that goes back longway...Agreed bout vets nd this movie 1 of my all time top 50 orso :)

[@swirlershark-dragon8393]

"just a bank robbery"? No, it's an at least 2 BILLION $$ bank robbery.

[@mikecotto1167]

I like the touch Carpenter put on this scene with cards being the new currency over cash in the future. It’s as if he somehow knew this would happen. Pretty cool foreshadowing of reality.

[@delboyo3922]

Yep and robots taking over jobs. Also the end of the New York film the guy says you can’t have red meat and look at the other film ‘They live ‘. He was well ahead

[@michaelluccketta5838]

This was my all time favorite when I was a kid. Snake was the man!!!!

[@DrCrazyAzz]

Snake IS the man!!!!

[@mitchsalawine5420]

Right with you my friend!

[@lukewarmwater6412]

I always liked the end.... "you're the duke of new york eh?" bbbrrrraaaaap. "a number one huh?" brrrraaaaaaap. we need a president like that today.

[@stefjonno1]

Still is one of my favs. Escape from LA was trash though.

[@ImSonnyBurnett]

The first time I saw this, I was about 12, staying up late on weekends to watch the late movies on cable at 1 a.m. It's been one of my favorites ever since.

[@SimulationStarterKit]

Love it. This scene is quite deep. Carpenter's music underpins the calm and calculated nature of the heist. After the heist Snake is happy for his compadre to count the takings as he clearly didn't do it for the money, the money seems incidental and of no interest to him. There is some other motivation that leaves a question mark hanging over the scene and the character. Snake's intuition when the situation starts to turn, his instinct to run but then his loyalty to his friend and his submission. Great opening act. I can see why they cut it as on face value Snake looks like a common thief but in reality he has some higher cause which reveals itself in the final act (but we never find out why he has so much angst against the system). It must have been hard to let the scene end up on the cutting room floor but a nice little treasure for us to find all these years later 🙂 . Great video, thanks for sharing!

[@FailedBard]

I do like that it shows a nice contrast of the modern and clean US versus the utterly grimy New York prison colony, and that it gives some insight into Snake's hostility to the law, but I agree with it being cut. Some characters don't need backstories that are explained beyond "I heard you were dead" style references.

[@literacylabyrinth4018]

I saw the movie in cinemas in 1981 and it impacted me as a teen. Loved it so much. It was in Starlog and Starburst magazines and I read all about it. Had no idea John Carpenter was a master filmmaker till then.

[@bunkman64]

John Carpenter made some of the most under-rated films in history! Would love to have seen what could have been had he and George Romero gotten together!

[@ONE_OF_MANY-MANY_OF_ONE]

Ghosts of Mars kind of reminded me of a futuristic zombie movie concept. Your comment made me think of how much kick ass it could of been with Romero on board.

[@DefMettle]

yeah thats a good pairing, and Clive Barker

[@drlight6677]

Underrated? Halloween, Christine, Escape From New York, They Live and The Thing are considered all time classics with Halloween and The Thing often considered the GOATs of their genres (Halloween best slasher movie, The Thing best sci-fi horror along with Alien/Aliens/Predator/Terminator 1). The Fog and Big Trouble In Little China are vastly underrated, especially The Fog since people rarely talk about it when discussing his earlier films. Assault on Precinct 13 is his only movie that gets undeserved praise since it's so poorly made and cheesy imo. I need to watch Prince of Darkness again sometime, I saw it when i was very little and don't remember anything about it. Halloween 2 and 3 Carpenter worked on but he didn't direct.

[@jeffnorbert1871]

Prince of Darkness?

[@jamesrogers2382]

I thought it was cool that Carpenter named the lead crazy “Romero” in this movie.

[@DennisMoore664]

Thank you for this! Glad to be a member of the Snake cult. Escape from New York is a cinematographic work of art with a stellar cast and that amazing theme music. It doesn't get anywhere near enough recognition IMO.

[@marklewen9384]

Carpenter said he got his inspiration of night time desolate NY from THE WARRIORS...

[@1981menso]

The music at the very beginning is so bad ass.

[@MatteoPrezioso]

Written by Carpenter himself.

[@JN-Bellicose]

@@MatteoPrezioso Performed as well.

[@Dirtbag-Hyena]

"Duke's Arrival " is pretty sweet too.. And well,all things Carpenter. Escape from New York in particular is my favourite. I have it in my playlist.

[@Lifeisshortby]

Drtbag39 you can find it on amazon prime music app.

[@chrisklecker]

This actually explains a LOT when it comes to the animosity Snake has at the very beginning. We could guess but this fills in the gaps nicely.

[@gregcyr]

Yes, it shows a softer side to Pliskin that we otherwise only get glimpses of. Pity it wasn't in the cinematic release. But they didn't know it would be a success.

[@BlazingOwnager]

@@gregcyr I'm just loving the fact that they managed to restore this scene so many years later. Even with the visual quality changes it's one of the best most complete lost scenes I've seen.

[@MicahMicahel]

One of the reasons is that the movie looks to have a high budget. The movie starts looking big budget and gets going pretty quickly. Starting with this scene, it shows the lower budget... Carpenter was able to make the movie look like it wasn't a low budget 'b' movie. That was part of the great inventiveness of this movie. That was part of his modus operandi.

[@armageddon4831]

And now Escape from NY and Escape from LA have become reality. I guess Carpenter was on to something. I mean why else would studios keep giving him money to waste...

[@Dirtbag-Hyena]

@@BlazingOwnager It's been restored for years. I got this way back in the 90's in A collector's edition. Haven't seen it in A thousand years though because it's separate from the movie. I'd like A full cut,fully restored, not just mixed in with the extras.

[@dellcargill5698]

That would really suck, Be in a popular movie And your scene get cut.

[@hirumbiffidum9145]

You think that's bad look what happened to Fresno Bob ...

[@GrandHighGamer]

Not uncommon either. Actress Katherine Langford had her scene in Avengers Endgame cut (playing an aged-up version of Iron Man's daughter in a dream sequence kind of deal) and that film made a bazillion dollars.

[@jatilq]

@@GrandHighGamer Ashley Johnson was Captains love interest in Avengers.

[@theomegaman218]

Gradius Actors still get paid. And royalties . That’s why a bad films can break companies. High risk business

[@alec0065]

the worst thing ever is the guy who filmed half back to the future and at the last second the director said mmmmm I don't know better put Michael fox I can't believe in that something obscure happened there

[@MadMaxx.1977]

"We were buddies, Harold, you, me and Fresno Bob... you know what they did to Bob?" I think we finally saw what happened to him.

[@jimthomas777]

MadMaxx , the name is Brain and stop calling me Harold

[@PhoenixLyon]

No, actually, Fresno Bob, Snake and Haeold did a job together before this heist. Old history.✌😺

[@bubbaguy4411]

well..no. See, Harold has been in New York for some time, and this scene is days before the movie opening. Plus, Snake calls him Taylor.

[@normturner4849]

MadMaxx Pretty sure at 6:09 Snake calls out Taylor.

[@yvesheinrich5013]

So what was Snake talking about something in Kansas four years prior?

[@moonspots01]

Filmed in the then new, futuristic, (and clean), Atlanta MARTA subway.

[@omeganoobz]

I remember that subway when I was a 10 yr old kid travelling from Europe to USA for the 1st time in 1985... It felt like I was in the future

[@slave288]

Your right, I watched this having no idea and immediately was like...wait...that's MARTA! which I ride from time to time...yes it was SURPRISINGLY Clean and sparkly...NOTHING of what it is like today where the whole system is just falling apart, dirty everywhere, and smells horrible.

[@dmk5n1]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/fIC9iWWulp6Cnqs

[@slave288]

@@dmk5n1 Another great, now replaced, Atlanta Icon that only lives on in older people's memories. As kids we used to go around mimicking this.

[@plissken2156]

Peach Street Station, downtown Atlanta. Know it well.

[@Comicsluvr]

I'd really like to see one last film. Kurt STILL looks good, he's aged very well. So he can easily do a final film. After the events of 'LA' I'd like to see him being asked for one last mission as the world recovers. This time, instead of him being screwed over, they really do need him to play the hero. The corrupt administration is on the way out and the good guys are coming in. But the 'bad guys' have a poison pill to ruin things as they leave. Snake needs to figure out what it is and stop it before the rebuilding of the free world is ruined blah blah. Just to break up the monotony...

[@414pwz]

Could also consider casting his son.

[@cyborgninja5489]

Pretty good idea

[@andrewp7509]

This comment did not age well at all lol

[@nateshelmadine2791]

"Old man Jack Burton" was a DOPE follow up comic to "Big Trouble in Little China" Wang Grace Mau Yin Lopan And everyone else made an appearance in it

[@manonymous4737]

@@414pwz Or Clint Eastwoods boy. I always thought he could be a Plissken

[@narayadewe7979]

I remember watching this when I was a kid, It gave me so much adrenaline that years later I started to plan escapes of any kind :D

[@markshulusky6680]

While it is possible to over-explain character's motivations I really like this intro. Never even knew it existed before now. Makes me want to see the movie again.

[@diamondstar1200]

I think he just changed his clothes solely to appear more badass.

[@inquisitor4635]

Stupid move. Would have been better to remain disguised than with that get up with white camo stretchy pants.

[@bunnyfoofoo9695]

Call me snnnnake....

[@diamondstar1200]

@@inquisitor4635The stretchy pants were a dead giveaway.

[@diamondstar1200]

@@bunnyfoofoo9695 I heard you were dead.

[@scockery]

@@inquisitor4635 Dude was just really into that hard rock hair band look.

[@losttribe3001]

I’m glad K-9 from Doctor Who got work after his time ended on the show.

[@jamespeters2859]

Ha ha, excellent!

[@pressureworks]

Or one of Red Dwarfs shudders.

[@soulmechanics7946]

They told it the job was custodial duty at a bank at minimum wage to avoid paying out for an acting contract.

[@soulmechanics7946]

#AndroidRightsNow

[@col.greasebagmcqueen9933]

Such an awesome movie. I watch it anytime it comes on. Never gets old.

[@TheJosep70]

President of what? BEST LINE EVER

[@thatcreepnathan9358]

"Get a new President".

[@collingalanos1783]

That's not funny, Plissken. lol

[@panzerriff]

"Somebody ate him for dinner!"

[@georgioquestor597]

It's great because his country has been destroyed by a fascist dictatorship inside AmeriKa, where you can't smoke, eat red meat, congregate with others, sing the star spangled banner or pray inside a church.

[@georgioquestor597]

It's actually quite funny the way he says it.

[@shanej.w4822]

Most Badass Anti-Hero of all time! Love Snake Plissken!

[@MrPrincepop]

When I played Metal Gear Solid back in 1998, I kept telling myself Solid Snake reminded me of someone. It finally dawned on me when Escape from New York aired on TV one day. I saw the theatrical release in 1981, and many viewings over the years (HBO, VHS rentals, TV). I thought Hideo Kojima must have been a fan of the movie and of Snake Plissken. Of course later lots of fans of the game who knew the movie referenced the connection. Snake Plissken is such a cool badass character. Even though the sequel, Escape from L.A. wasn't as good you didn't care...you came to see Snake Plissken kick ass.

[@MrEab2010]

this is actually pretty good. I like this movie better today than when I first saw it when it came out in 1981.

[@Frisenette]

What didn’t you like about it in 81? Do you remember?

[@ONE_OF_MANY-MANY_OF_ONE]

@@Frisenette That's easy. It's not so much the movie itself. It was the picture quality. It was too fuzzy and had horrible contrast. The side by side comparison of this clip shows the original almost perfectly. It's just missing the VCR style off tracking lines to go with it.

[@Vingul]

@@ONE_OF_MANY-MANY_OF_ONE film quality was no worse then than it is now. If he saw it in the theaters that wouldn't have been an issue.

[@MrEab2010]

@@rosselliswilkinson that was a great flick.

[@MrEab2010]

@@Frisenette I expected better f/x and a realistic looking NY. It had neither. Great concept but disappointing execution overall. And Pleasance as the President was miscast. (It would have been an excellent role for Trump had he been the same person that he is now - a total sh*t.) However, it had (and has) a certain funky style to it.

[@stansinger2115]

The most underrated actor ever in the greatest action movie ever.

[@stephenpiper5604]

I can see why this wasn't used. Snake's introduction in the the final cut is that much more badass.

[@mrthunderbird5]

A great anti-establishment movie 🎥 definitely a cult picture of our times . Would love to see a new widescreen blu-ray editing of it . If any movie 🍿 deserved it it is this one . Thank you 🙏 for the incredible share 👏 👍

[@freddyp07ify]

One of my all time faves !! This movie was ahead of it's time

[@rickploddingzombieproducti1530]

Now if they can only find the different additional scenes they used in the TV versions and put it all together for an ultimate cut.

[@Dylantomasi]

I was thinking the same thing

[@MGSBigBoss77]

@@Dylantomasi Same here!

[@tamaku2903]

I agree

[@MedardKrzisnik]

Awesome scene. Carpenter and his crew were working very hard for this great great movie indeed. These shots are part of the important film history, too. Immensely thanks to the uploader for showing us it.

[@nobodynowhere7163]

Love the roomba robot telling everyone the bank is closed.

[@h2orich2]

Never knew there was an alternate opening till hearing about it on the Rewatchables podcast.

[@allofyourdreams]

me neither. also gives backstory how he got in prison, is nice

[@dominicvega9267]

Same with Christine. They removed an alternate ending scene.

[@veritasinvicta8128]

This is gold. I never saw this and I was 10 when it came out.

[@fjccommish]

This seemed odd at the time, but now in America there are drones flying around telling people to get back inside their homes.

[@MrJack1992]

In some ways the government in the original film was more free than ours today.

[@saber0089]

@@MrJack1992 Which is good right?

[@Cyber_Kriss]

@@MrJack1992 The government ? No... The people.

[@michaeljames4904]

And Elon Musk’s boring company planning an underground transport network across the US.

[@CaptAmerica12]

Just like the movie V

[@lukecage3569]

I can see why he cut the scene but its super cool to see so many years later. Too bad Carpenter and Russell don't have one more story in them. Snake Plissken is too cool to let fade away.

[@tbirddddd]

2:35 Excellent, Snake. Age hasn't slowed you down one bit.

[@ek2156]

Kurt Russell is such a great actor! He made the Escape movies so good playing Snake. I like that they stopped at 2 movies, but sometimes wonder if a 3rd, Snake as an older badass might be kind of fun. Someone out there needs to write a good script, and maybe we can all talk John Carpenter our of retirement..... Hey, we can always have dreams! :D

[@blakethomas5637]

Shame this was cut based on the music alone...some of Carpenter’s best work right here.

[@jackbedient]

Carpenter was right to exclude this from the final cut, but man am I glad this exists. The in-movie music is phenomenal. Is it edited in post by somebody other than Carpenter?

[@thetooginator153]

I agree. Carpenter is great at exposition and continuity, but this scene had a few minor problems, like, Plisken wouldn’t wear that outfit if he wanted to “blend in”, and it seems unlikely that a person could just jump the turnstile without attracting attention. It was a fun scene, but the way Carpenter started the movie in the final cut was better.

[@indiecritic3164]

this entire scene should have stayed in the film! it's perfect and doesn't give away Snake Plisken's character, it actually shows he can have some heart.

[@lestermagnuson939]

Art imitates life, 10 years and new york will be this

[@Christof_Classen]

*Hamburg too, but in 5 Years ;)*

[@merlineric8335]

@@Christof_Classen Paris too... Tomorrow...

[@Y2Kr4SHM4N]

Tokyo, Singapore, Hong Kong already are. Singapore especially. No drivers in the autonomous trains.

[@Xalgucennia]

Liberals think conservatives will turn society into robocop, conservatives think liberals will turn it I to escape from NY.

[@Tibrious-ms6mm]

@@Xalgucennia Both extremes will do horrible things to this country, on top of what's already been done, or undone rather, like the right to carry, the freedom of speech, and the right to vote unrestricted.

[@getAliKhan]

Wow, switching back and forth between the original and remastered footage really contrasts how crisp the remastered version is. It’s cool but there is something about that 70s/80s fuzziness of the celluloid that adds to the atmosphere, especially for old horror movies. It’s kind of like listening to something on vinyl as opposed to digital or maybe my almost half century old brain imprinted on the media of the time making folks like me a bit more sensitive to the differences.

[@Brian-ih2cw]

I wish I could go back in time and live in the 80's forever and travel the world

[@at6686]

It would be worth it for the music alone.

[@waraspan755]

May I come with you?

[@whatwillyoudowithoutfreedom]

Yeah me too Brian

[@ExtremePragmatist]

I guess they should've gone to Barstow after all.

[@Riskmangler]

You might be the only person in the history of saying stuff to have ever said that.

[@avidnongetit8710]

Freakin' a, if you know Barstow, you'd have said Barstow fu-- --in a

[@Brentster1953]

Somewhere else when summer approaches...!

[@jdavis417]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/hF7EfGmAo955o80 ;)

[@punkem733]

@@avidnongetit8710 I live 40 miles away from Barstow, no one wants to go there.

[@holdmypopcornpodcast5727]

The chopping mall robots would have come in handy here

[@abhishes]

I loved chopping mall too ;)

[@annoyed707]

@@abhishes The service is fast there. Chop chop!

[@obviousproductions7468]

(Exploding girl's head) "Have a nice day"

[@peterkrug4124]

Where shopping costs you an arm and a leg. Shop 'til you drop...dead. They're slashing prices...and employees! Some people would kill for a bargain...and at the chopping mall they do! At the chopping mall you can save on everything except your life!

[@mindbendernine]

This is amazing! I've been such a huge fan of the movie (and character) and I've never had the chance to see this footage. Thank you for sharing this!

[@observerfx212]

This movie was the birth of Cyberpunk. One line in it inspired WIlliam Gibson, who took that line's tone and wrote Neuromancer - The Sprawl Trilogy - and created the entire cyberpunk genre that gave us everything from Blade Runner to the Matrix and a whole lot more. One throwaway line, and the rest was history. That line was: ""You flew the Gullfire over Leningrad, didn't you?"; by Police Commissioner Bob Hauk. IE, a whole lotta backstory tossed around in little lines like that, which gave Cyberpunk its hyper-realism.

[@violent_bebop9687]

Well, there was THX1138 , and a few more before this.

[@seventieskid]

Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep (Blade Runner) was published in 1968... Long before this film was even thought of. I share your enthusiasm though, this is a very special film.

[@brandonbentley5453]

@@seventieskid Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep is more dystopia then cyberpunk...cyberpunk as in cyborgs and the integration into a system is hundreds if years old...man and technology is the oldest paradymn there is.

[@ImSonnyBurnett]

@@brandonbentley5453 Older than Man vs Nature? Or Man vs Man? Or Man vs Self?

[@BalrogUdun]

Cyberpunk was a concept long before this film came out.

[@cosmoevents21st56]

The Duke of New York. A number one. That still cracks me up. RIP Issac Hayes.

[@violent_bebop9687]

The chop guy in Seattle, tried to imitate, but never better than the original

[@sammydogg123]

I loved him on south park.

[@greglaplante7593]

I watched a interview with Kurt about the movie. He said it was filmed in St. Louis and one night he took a walk and come across these 3 bad looking dude’s . Anyway he had all his costumes with his machine gun and they was like ok man be on our way.

[@GranPuba]

"Rules. Your rules are beginning to annoy me." - Snake Plyskin

[@yvesheinrich5013]

Plyskin? Like plywood?

[@iainrussell8383]

Escape From New York was my favourite film as a teenager and i wasn't fortunate enough to get my hands on the novelisation so this scene fills in some of the blanks, so well in fact it should have made the final cut.

[@oliverdenker8267]

Interesting, but I understand why they did cut it.

[@QuantumRift]

Yea, it really did NOT add much, if anything to the story or his backstory.

[@robtimuscron1126]

"Concourse A" is Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport. The 2 MARTA stations.... "Colorado" is the Ashby Station "San Francisco" is the Dome/GWCC/Phillips Arena/CNN Center station

[@hexane360]

And the MARTA trains still look basically like that, 80s paintjob and all

[@vwlssnvwls3262]

Thank you for this. They should have left this in the original release. It gives you a better feel of what that future was like.

[@capnjackgallows3204]

The 80's were the best , I say that while being born in 91 but I've always thought as the 90's as an extension of the 80's!!

[@jamesd6390]

This was the greatest documentary ever it’s up there with they live and point break

[@hunterslugg2337]

First movie I saw on a VCR. With a remote, not wireless

[@avidnongetit8710]

Good movie good memories Mine was Diamonds are Forever..b day gift

[@halloweenjack8655]

Oh...you mean the ones that you forgot about after a few hours, stood up caught the wire sending the remote flying across the room and snapping the jack in two.....

[@mattturner7531]

Like a lot of deleted scenes, this actually adds to the film...different dimension of the story

[@swirlershark-dragon8393]

No man, this was good footage. It gives Snake some backstory we can grab ahold of

[@Dirtbag-Hyena]

@@swirlershark-dragon8393 There's books,about his backstory.

[@kitchenerleslie2755]

5:42 pretty cool sound effect of the gun shot

[@FrauleinMuller999]

I'm not sure if they use that effect in the full movie but you can check it out on sound effect wiki or something

[@SlyRy]

I’m trying to figure out what first person shooter video game uses that sound effect

[@s0nnyburnett]

@@SlyRy It's been used in lots of games and movies.

[@TheRmm1976]

Sounded like a Howitzer hitting a wall of butter!

[@yvesheinrich5013]

@@s0nnyburnett Latest game I think this gunshot sound was used was in Return to Castle Wolfenstein. Either way, it sounds like a rifle.

[@beatricevela4844]

One of the Best Sci-fi Movies 🎥 🍿 ever made - still holds up by todays action /adventure standards Kurt Russel plays one of the most Bad ass Iconic characters ever : Snake 🐍 Plisken !

[@AnnaMontana-gn4hb]

You compare them a bit backwards though, from a perspective of probably viewing it the other way around for me. I agree on that it´s a classic but they build on these movies today and back and it´s more visual today with less characters like Isaac Hayes, Lee van Cleef and the taxi driver, the whole cast, every part and scene from the movie breath see worthy. Today more visually but less soul if putting it short, i emphasize that it´s my opinion only and i respect yours.

[@Commanderziff]

Why does he take off his disguise before he's escaped? Seems like you'd want to keep that on a while longer.

[@BlazingOwnager]

They'd be looking for a tech, pretty much.

[@rlazz]

@@BlazingOwnager Thank you, I was gonna comment on that. Maybe that's why this never made the cut?

[@texasrockshillcountry6574]

I was thinking the same thing...

[@kendo5862]

It was starting to chafe

[@nicholaszamudio2189]

Because no one wants to wear all that clothes.

[@bpsun1609]

"You were late." - Harold Helman(Brain)

[@samfrito]

Harry Dean Stanton. Some of the best 70's & 80's actors in this movie.

[@sandmanlogan5ran149]

We were buddies Harold. You, me, and Fresno Bob. Do you know what they did to Bob.? Hmm?

[@TheVetusMores]

@@sandmanlogan5ran149 Well, we do now ;)

[@ivargas8492]

@@sandmanlogan5ran149 i believed they torture him or kill it on awfull way possible...

[@captaincorleone7088]

@@TheVetusMores You do in the graphic novels that chronicle his adventures but this, is not Fresno Bob. It's a different partner in crime called Taylor. ;)

[@mojocosmetics]

the internet is so great. my fave movie of all time, had no idea this was a thing until today.

[@rishdog100]

Remember watching this for the first time , was around 10/11 , I don't know why but I decided to record it ? (VHS tape I'm 37 lol) , it was on the BBC 2 UK I remember it being on late , maybe just after 12 I believe. From the first moment that opening music hits I was glued... Absolutely glued... From start to finish , as a kid I was blown away by the darkness of it all.. from the mysterious opening to the future apocalypse setting of N.Y , I was completely stuck to the TV.. This film to me is an absolute masterpiece of film making and story telling, acting .. this film has it all. Kurt Russell is iconic in this role and will never be replaced in my eyes. The impact it had on sci fi , and culture to video games and more is unprecedented. I know L.A got some stick from fans but he still looked amazing in that too to be fair, and was still cool as hell... I purchased this on DVD a few years back and was totally blown away by the opening scene... After 20 years + I couldn't believe how cool it was , it was like a prequel almost and was a pleasure to watch it really was and was completely blown away again just like when I was younger!! I came across an article a few days ago somewhere on the net about an idea of a new possible escape involving snake planning a rescue of his son...? With Kurt Russell returning a little older and grizzled like metal gear older snake... I thought wow!! How cool is that!! What an amazing idea!! I saw this on my KZbin feed and had to comment , What an amazing piece of cinema and endless hours of watching that video over and over lol ha ha ✌️ My god tho that soundtrack at the end of this video is unbelievable... Mr carpenter I salute you sir... 💯

[@adamaant4159]

who would have known that all this would be our actual reality.

[@blameusa7082]

lots of people.... but to many coward beta soy boys and cat women ruining the world!

[@paulmoffat9306]

And Manhattan Island is really a prison.

[@valeriogabrielli7286]

deloreandmc85 just another David Icke’s fan.

[@rossvolkmann1161]

Do you live in a world where there's affordable high speed rail transit between all major US cities? Because I sure don't.

[@tonykelzo7455]

@deloreandmc85 kzbin.info/www/bejne/oGnZkIune7RreMU

[@flightofthebumblebee9529]

Jamie Lee Curtis even got more dialogue in these scenes! Awesome!! I think it was best left out of the film but works great as a deleted scene to enjoy.

[@murrow54]

I love Dean Cundey's cinematography! Awesome!

[@samketner8341]

Thanks for posting this! It appears as the first chapter in the novelization. I had always wondered where that came from--likely the book was based on the script. It's really interesting to see this; it's a blast of that old pre-cyberpunk alternate future where everything was clean concrete and bad guys in black uniforms.

[@kenamaro3942]

Awe man....this was great, I've never seen it before. I remember seeing this movie in the theaters, rented it 100's of times, watched the DVD another 100 times.

[@AMLCOrey]

It sure was a surprise for me to see the opening scene and to find out that it actually makes sense when watching the scene in Bob Hauke's office, in which he reads the criminal record in front of Snake Plissken. I only knew the film with the German language dubbing. They gave the story a different direction in it. See, the German audience was never introduced to this opening sequence and the criminal record that Bob is reading in front of Snake Plissken does not speak of a Bank heist but of breaking an entry into the US strategic nuclear warhead storage facilities, leaving however to the unknown why Snake would break in with a hand full of adventurers and steal some nuclear warheads in the alternate 1997. It is this nuke heist that got him the sentence for lifetime imprisonment in the N.Y. penal colony.

[@bill8711]

i wonder what was the french , and the italian version? ohh by the way why the german title was Die Klapperschlange (rattlesnake)?

[@veritasinvicta8128]

I do believe the reading of his record mentioned robbing the New York branch of The Federal Reserve.

[@theylivewesleep925]

@@veritasinvicta8128 the real World bank

[@davideclerici511]

@@bill8711 The italian version says the same story, the major change is the name of Plysskeen that became "hyena" (same sound in italian) because snake in italian is a longer word and doesn't sound good as a name (they could have named him "cobra") Not a big difference but I realized the meaning of the big snake tatoo only when I watched the movie with the original language. The dubbing was fine, the cursings are even better in the italian version.

[@Jorvard]

@@bill8711 There probably isn't a really compelling reason to the renaming, other than that some marketing guy thought it sounded good. To this day german film nerds will point out that even the snake tattoo Snake has is a cobra instead of a rattlesnake. West germany was notorious for renaming foreign movies to (hopefully) make them more appealing to the local audience. Leslie Nielsen's Airplane! became "Die unglaubliche Reise in einem verrückten Flugzeug" (The incredible journey in a crazy airplane). I also remember the Eurowar-flick Quattro notti con Alba, which in English was simply known as Desert War. The german title? "Rommel: Wüstenschlacht in Afrika" (Rommel: Desert Battle in Africa) Which would be fine, if Rommel made any appearance what so ever. Which he doesn't. German peculiarities didn't stop there, as it was very popular to dub foreign films... interestingly. It was called Schnodderdeutsch, which one would have to translate with snot german, but the connotation is a very unrespectful, lowerclass, quick and witty speech. Famously the westerns and later films with Bud Spencer and Terrence Hill became tremendously popular in germany because of it. Also their early films (which were quite average italo-westerns in their native language) suddendly became comedies in german, which was normal for Schnodderdeutsch-films. The two stars are still well known and loved in germany (despite one of them being dead now) and virtually unknown everywhere else in the world, except their homeland of Italy perhaps. Basically: Localization in the last century relied more on modifying the film to what was thought of as best fitting to the local audience, instead of making a perfect and true-to-the-original adapation. In the past the average audience couldn't just view foreign films in the original, as they were barely shown in cinemas. That changed a bit after the introduction of home video, but even than it remained relatively fringe to watch the originals. The whole "watching films in their native language"-craze really only started in germany with the introduction of DVDs and internet streaming in the 2000s and 2010s, where language selection is just a button click away. Before that the dubbed versions where pretty much the definitive version, so it mattered little to the audience that it was different from the unknown original. Well that was rambly, but here you go. I answered more than you ever bargained for :D

[@kevinb2844]

Great Find! I am 52 so I was 10 years old when this movie first came out and was feeling old and wanting to be nostalgic and watch this movie earlier today so it’s cool to find this clip. Thank you.!

[@johnp1787]

Damn!👌..John Carpenter should rerealese it in 4k with this as the opening..so cool!✌

[@mattermat1925]

It's already out in 4K, but not with that intro included.

[@FelisDestructicus]

I'm surprised there isn't a cat sitting on top of that retro-Roomba.

[@daveohboy4165]

I really like this scene. I can see why it was cut but I'm glad it survived.

[@eclecticx]

Such a great movie. I wish this scene had remained. Thank you for uploading!

[@mrmicro22]

Almost a million views? Gives me some hope for the future. 1999, that is.

[@Bontebok5]

These guys are taking a high speed train? In America? Ha, how silly those 80's writers were.

[@Gogglesofkrome]

I mean with the right subsidization in place, it definitely would have been a thing. Instead, we're spending billions on welfare rather than sending them into city sized prisons.

[@hegeliandetective1034]

@@Gogglesofkrome True. If the government wasn't such a wasteful piece of shit, using our money against us, and also spending it on bunkers for themselves, we'd have awesome homes/vehicles/food, etc.

[@rauljulia9557]

They shouldn't have our money to begin with. They should be in a hole somewhere.

[@jamegumb7298]

@@Gogglesofkrome Well, to be fair we do both. Welfare costs us, then we send them to the privatized prison system where they must for everything but the most low tier of food and water which generates good sales and thus taxes in the form of cakes, coffee, tea, $5 a piece emails, then most states require people to bring a check to begin serving their time or be sent away to be re arrested and be charges added for failing to turn in for their sentence, then when they get out they must pay for their parole, then the halfway houses take their income, and meanwhile millions of people are employed and pay taxes to private prisons the world over. And as an added bonus, more and more states are adding mandatory work programs where inmates must work, that is 20 cents for inmates but $20 an hour for the prison, a lot of taxable income. A positive net result if you ask me. In fact, with all the money the prison system generates, we could subsidize high speed rail easily. And if we are smart, we can simply send inmates to do all the unskilled work for massive savings, and if highly skilled inmates are in the population, we can pay them 40 instead of 20 cents and have the cheapest of skilled labor.

[@kingcobrajfsofficial]

Absolutely nobody is reading all that.

[@vonhapen1]

The score at the beginning (and ending @02:05) is just awesome. Way ahead of its time...

[@cryptoxenologist]

Sweet . Thnx for posting. This is one of my top 10 films I can watch everyday lol.

[@The_OneManCrowd]

I like how with all the modern surveillance Snake still doesn't try to disguise himself lol

[@craigdolan7715]

Looks like an actual BART station and train from the 70’s

[@TyDowney85]

It's MARTA in Atlanta

[@wotnograpefruit]

@@TyDowney85 Thanks for clarifying that. I thought the train and the stations resembled the DC Metro, but some of the details were just a little off. All of those systems were conceived and built around the same time, it makes sense that they resemble each other. EDIT: A little googling says the subway scenes were shot at the Peachtree Plaza station in Atlanta

[@wentle1985]

@@TyDowney85 Know which station? I recognize it but can't remember the name.

[@underavenue]

@@wentle1985 The last station is the Georgia World Congress Center-State Farm Arena-Mercedes Benz Stadium station. When this was shot it was simply the GWCC-Omni station.

[@stephenbobic3226]

I believe the first station is Art Center station, with the train headed North on the Southbound side.

[@Irishhaf]

Love the movie, and honestly I like this opening a lot more than what we got.

[@greglaplante7593]

Just watched it on AMC . ‘ You going to kill me now Snake ? I’m too tired maybe later’ classic 🐍

[@ronaldredmond3308]

I saw this original beginning in 1981. They should have kept this in the movie because it explains what happened to Fresno Bob, Snake's sidekick. Because in Escape from LA , Snake mentioned Fresno Bob to Carjack Jones.

[@FomorViceroy]

I'm glad they didn't use this. While I think it's awesome more for curiosity sake, overall, I don't think it's necessary. Why Snake was arrested and brought to New York is totally irrelevant to the events of the movie. It also makes him a much more mysterious figure. Here, he shows to have somewhat of a soul as he cares for the well-being of his partner in crime. What we see in the movie is Snake more as a careless, soulless, anti-hero. IMO, he works much better as a character without this scene.

[@LanceJ.]

We already knew why he was arrested. Hauk says it when he gives him the mission.

[@stevewatts6008]

it does come back to show things later in the movie, when they're on the bridge and he doesn't want to leave Maggie (Adrienne barbeaux behind

[@ryanbarker5217]

i think it adds to his character, but does nothing for the story. if you can cut five minutes out of movie then that's what have to do. i think we understand he's not a psychopath, he's just a bad-ass, but this opening does make him seem a bit soft.

[@jplus2601]

Agreed, this is a fun watch though I like to think of it as a stand alone short film

[@ge2719]

plus this scene doesnt really make him seem like a badass that the original movie presents him as. hes just a guy who walked out of a bank and got on a train. if those two dudes in the passageway had looke dhis way he'd have been caught even earlier. this kinda makes him look less capable. leaving it to our imagination was better at leaat compared to this minimalist scene. they would have needed more about him planning it, sneaking in. subverting security undetected, etc. more showing off what he's capable of

[@powermetal26]

Frig I dig the music track at the end.

[@jdstark24]

It is called "The Bank Robbery", by John Carpenter

[@Frisenette]

Way too seventies, post disco. Doesn’t really fit the rest of the movie, which is cyberpunk, clean and clear like cold water. This smells like orange and brown, ornamental old sweat, pear shaped, plush etc.

[@jdstark24]

@@Frisenette very interesting interpretation. I've never heard music described like that. Nice :)

[@drlight6677]

Yeah, the synths at the end when Taylor is shot has a very Bruce Faulconer/DBZ vibe

[@user-lm9zb7tj8s]

One of the greatest movies from the 1980s

[@ronaldredmond3308]

I remember seeing this original beginning in theaters in December 1981. They should have kept this in the beginning that way the conversation with Hawke makes more sense.

[@1969EType]

What makes this film so special is the way you are given a brief overview of the situation in Manhattan...and then it's go time. Why does everybody know who Snake is? Why is everyone surprised he isn't dead? The plot device of just immersing the audience immediately into the world of a film is so effective and I don't understand why it isn't used more frequently. Hollywood, the world has been going to the movies and enjoying the art form of film and cinema for over 100 years now. We're pretty smart by now. So, please don't bog down your storytelling with color by numbers, plodding plot exposition. Give us the basics and let's go. In closing, Carpenter made the right choice deleting this scene and it's also fun all the years later to learn "what happened to Snake before the film?".

[@fritzvanlonden1388]

God Kurt Russell looked SOOO young!

[@Njbear7453]

29/ 30 Years old depending when they filmed the scenes.