Escape from L.A. (1996)
Snake Plissken once more must work for the government against his own will.
Genre
Characters/Groups
Map to the Stars Eddie - Steve Buscemi
Cuervo Jones - George Corraface
Woman on Freeway - Caroleen Feeney
Com Officer - Tom McNulty
Surgeon General of Beverly Hills - Bruce Campbell
Surfer - Breckin Meyer
Female Narrator - Kathleen Blanchard
Mescalitos - William Luduena, Gabriel Castillo
Jacket Mescalito - William Pena
U.S. Cleric Justice - David Perrone
Character thumbnails with links to profiles
Detailed Synopsis
"1998. In the late 20th Century hostile forces inside the United States grow strong. The city of Los Angeles is ravaged by crime and immorality. To protect and defend its citizens, the United States Police Force is formed. A presidential candidate predicts a millennium earthquake will destroy L.A. in divine retribution. An earthquake measuring 9.6 on the Richter Scale hits at 12:59 pm August 23rd in the year 2000. After the devastation the Constitution is amended and the newly elected president accepts a lifetime term of office. The country's capital is relocated from Washington D.C. to the president's hometown of Lynchburg, Virginia. Los Angeles island is declared no longer part of the United States and becomes the deportation point for all people found undesirable or unfit to live in the new moral America. The United States Police Force, like an army, is encamped along the shoreline, making any escape from L.A. impossible. From the southeastern hills of Orange County to the northwestern shore of Malibu, the great wall excludes L.A. from the mainland. The president's first act as permanent commander-in-chief is Directive 17, once an American loses his or her citizenship they are deported to this island of the damned and they never come back."
"2013, Now" On Friday at 1900 hours, Snake Plissken arrives at the deportation point. Police Anchor reports that Snake was arrested for gun fighting for profit in the U.S. territory of New Vegas, Thailand. Brazen tells Malloy they are still getting a tracer signal from the rescue team, but it is static and Malloy decides the only chance they have is to use Snake. Duty Sergeant welcomes Snake to L.A. and as they are walking to the deportation area, Duty Sergeant lists off Snake's awards and asks why Snake threw it all away, but Snake refuses to answer instead telling Duty Sergeant to call him Snake. As Snake is walking through the processing area he is scratched by an officer on the back of his hand. He is brought into a room which Brazen and Malloy enter along with what appears to be the President. Brazen shows Snake a video of a group of government officials including Utopia, touring the Benford Space Defense lab at 1030 on Wednesday. During the tour Utopia steals a top secret prototype and while flying on Air Force 3, she hijacks the plane and then uses an emergency escape pod to land in L.A. carrying the top secret device. Brazen tells Snake that while Utopia was in a virtual reality world, she met Cuervo Jones who convinced her to steal the top secret device. The President tells Snake if he brings back the device then he will receive a full pardon. Malloy tells Snake that they have infected him with the Plutoxin 7 Virus, which causes those infected to bleed out of their orifices until they die. They tell him he has less than 10 hours to live, but the President tells him he will give him the antidote if he brings back the device. Snake charges at them, but finds out they have all been nothing but holograms. He agrees to go on the mission but threatens that he will have his revenge if he makes it back. He is shown the equipment he will be bringing with him including weapons and equipment including a tracking device to try and find the last surviving member of the previous team sent to find the device and a fire retardant suit. Before leaving he is told to kill Utopia when he finds her on orders of the President.
He crosses the recently created San Fernando Sea by submarine and crashes onto the beach, but his submarine sinks into the ocean. Snake is confronted by Pipeline who tells him to stay off his beach. Snake enters the Los Angeles theater looking for the lost rescue team member, which he finds impaled into a wall. Skinhead walks up to Snake and bets him 300 bucks he can't throw a blade from his distance into the rescue team member, but Snake just walks away. Blonde Hooker propositions Snake and she tells him he can find Cuervo Jones at Sunset Boulevard. Skinhead and another man step outside and Skinhead yells at Snake who just turns around and shoots Skinhead dead. Snake walks to Sunset Boulevard and witnesses Cuervo Jones lead a vehicle parade down the street with Utopia next to him and Cuervo tells the crowd to meet him at the Happy Kingdom. Snake steals a motorcycle from a pair of Mescalitos, but is knocked to the ground by Cuervo Jones with a pair of bolos. He is forced to leave his coat behind, which is taken by Jacket Mescalito. Snake takes a seat and meets Map to the Stars Eddie. Eddie offers to sell Snake his recorded map to the stars, but Snake walks away after asking where Cuervo Jones is. He hides in the woods when he sees an ambulance pull into The Beverly Hills hotel surrounded by a group of people wearing robes. Taslima, who is also hiding in the woods tells Snake to be quiet and as he steps out of the woods he sees Cloaked Figure staring at him. Snake realizes it is a trap too late and is caught in a net. Brazen sees on the screen that Snake's tracking beacon has gone away and Malloy urges the President to wait before reacting. Snake and Taslima are brought into the lair of the Surgical Failures and tied to gurneys. The Surgeon General of Beverly Hills, after inspecting Snake, is about to cut out his eye when Snake spits his hidden dart into the Surgeon General's forehead who as he is collapsing, cuts the ropes holding Snake. Snake orders Cloaked Figure to bring him his weapons and then after having Taslima freed they escape into a nearby storm drain. They get out into the Korean Dragons' territory and Taslima tells Snake where to go to get to Cuervo Jones. Snake comes across Woman on Freeway and other new people to L.A. praying and Taslima joins Snake again. As they are talking, Taslima is suddenly shot in the back and dies. The Korean Dragons continue to shoot at Snake and the newcomers and Snake is forced to retreat.
Map to the Stairs Eddie drives up in a car and Snake gets in. While they are driving, Snake shoots Snake with a stun gun and he is brought into Cuervo Jones' hideout. He overhears Test Tube tell Cuervo Jones that the device Utopia stole allows someone to connect to the satellite system called the Sword of Damocles which can shut down the power grids of nations. The President orders an air strike against Los Angeles, but Malloy tells him that if Cuervo Jones sees any aircraft he might use the Sword of Damocles against the United States. Cuervo Jones gives a news conference and uses the device to shut down the power grid in Lynchburg, Virginia. He demands a police helicopter meet him at the Happy Kingdom and ends the news conference. Snake is brought to the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum and placed inside of a basketball court guarded by members of the Black Jihad where he is forced to make 10 points before a timer ends while also not missing a shot. He makes the final basket and the crowd begins to chant Snake. Snake climbs over the fence and escapes while an earthquake hits before Cuervo can shoot him with a rifle. Snake causes a distraction by setting a car on fire and then ambushes Cuervo Jones before shooting and killing a group of Mescalitos and steals the device before jumping into a storm drain. Utopia follows him into the storm drain and asks to join him before realizing that her father sent him to also kill her. Map to the Stars Eddie shoots Snake and steals the device and gives it to Cuervo Jones. Snake ends up on the beach where Pipeline is hanging out and Pipeline tells him he should see Hershe and gives Snake a surf board and they ride a wave out of the canyon area. Snake sees Eddie driving in Cuervo's car and jumps onto the back of it before making Eddie tell him where to find Hershe.
They go to Hershe's hideout and Snake is forced to give his gun to a guard. Snake walks up to Hershe who he recognizes as Carjack Malone who abandoned him and Texas Mike O'Shea during a job in Cleveland. Snake makes a deal with Hershe that if she helps him get to Cuervo Jones he will take her and her gang out of L.A. and she agrees. Hershe tells Snake that the Plutoxin virus is fake government propaganda, which makes him think. As they are trying to figure out how to get to the Happy Kingdom, a Saigon Shadow suggests they fly there and they take hang gliders to the Happy Kingdom, but before they go Eddie makes a mark on a disc in case he can switch it out with the real one Cuervo Jones has. Brazen tells the President that an armada of warships is heading towards Miami and the President starts to loose confidence and contemplates fleeing. Eddie crash lands and warns Cuervo that Snake is about to attack him and when Cuervo is distracted takes the case holding the device. Cuervo is about to shoot Eddie when the attack begins. Snake lands on top of Cuervo and they begin to fight. Snake knocks out Cuervo and steals the device before taking his coat back from Jacket Mescalito and he, Hershe, Utopia, Eddie and the surviving members of the Saigon Shadows escape in the government helicopter sent for Cuervo. Cuervo fires a rocket at the helicopter before being shot dead by Eddie. Eddie jumps out of the helicopter, but the rocket blast kills most of the others in the helicopter except Snake and Utopia. Snake tells Utopia to jump out and secretly puts the device in her pocket before crash landing in a field. Snake demands the antidote and finds out the Plutoxin virus us just the flu. Utopia is caught and brought forward and Malloy finds the device Snake hid in her pocket. The President has Utopia immediately sent to be electrocuted. The President gives a news conference and threatens to shut down the attacking countries electrical systems, but when he presses the button on the device, Eddie's voice from his tour comes on. The President orders Snake to be shot, but his image is nothing but a hologram and Snake shuts off the entire world's electrical system. Snake finds an old pack of American Spirit cigarettes, lights one and takes a drag.