Kurt Russell busted out his impressive Clint Eastwood impression for Escape from New York, which is only appropriate considering Snake Plissken was written with Clint in mind. John Carpenter’s movie run from the 1970s and 1980s is an all-timer, where he was ripping out classics like Halloween, The Thing and They Live at a spectacular pace.
One of the best Kurt Russell and John Carpenter collaborations came with 1981’s Escape from New York, where Russell’s convict Snake is tasked with infiltrating the nightmarish prison that used to be New York. The movie has become a sci-fi classic, and despite many attempts to get it moving, an Escape from New York remake has yet to, well, escape.
The character of Snake Plissken also broke Russell out of his typecasting as a Disney teen star and paved the way for his leading man career in the years that followed. While it’s hard to imagine anyone but Russell in the lead, Carpenter considered everyone from Charles Bronson to Tommy Lee Jones as Snake.
John Carpenter Wrote Escape From New York For Clint Eastwood
The original draft of Escape from New York was penned in 1974
The origins of Escape from New York go all the way back to 1974, when Carpenter penned the script as the Watergate scandal was unfolding. Bronson was ideal casting for Plissken in this case, as Carpenter claims to have been inspired by the first Death Wish while working on the story.
That said, the actor Carpenter had in mind for the ultimate outlaw Snake was actually Clint Eastwood (via Review Graveyard). By this point, Eastwood had established himself with the Leone Dollars trilogy and the first two Dirty Harrys, so it’s not hard to imagine him donning Plissken’s eyepatch and roaming a post-apocalyptic New York.
Clint Eastwood was also Carpenter’s first choice to play Jack Burton in Big Trouble in Little China, a role that also went to Kurt Russell.
While it was written in the early 1970s, Carpenter put the script away for years. It was only after Halloween became a smash that he rescued the concept and managed to secure a modest budget for. Given that he was a major star who largely directed his own movies, Eastwood was out of Escape from New York’s price range.
Kurt Russell Is Impersonating Clint Eastwood While Playing Snake Plissken
“Call me Clint.”
Carpenter pᴀssed on Charles Bronson being Snake, feeling he was too old for the part – and also being intimidated by the very thought of directing him. Plissken was then offered to Russell, who had previously worked with Carpenter on the TV movie Elvis.
Kurt’s Clint Eastwood impression can be heard in Snake Plissken’s low, growly voice and economy of words and movement.
Recognizing the Eastwoodian elements of the character, Russell decided to imitate the screen legend while playing Snake. This can be heard in Plissken’s low, growly voice and his economy of words and movement. It should be noted, however, that it’s not just a straight impression – Russell brings a lot of his own persona and ideas to the role.
Russell has since confessed Snake was his favorite role, while Escape from New York was his favorite movie to work on. He loved it so much that at the height of his stardom in the 1990s, Russell pushed for the sequel Escape from L.A., as he wanted to play Snake again.
Escape From New York Would Have Reunited Clint Eastwood With This Dollars Co-Star
Maybe Carpenter could have hired Eastwood if he had A Few Dollars More
Another element that inspired Russell to use his best Clint impersonation was that he was acting alongside Lee Van Cleef. Van Cleef became a Spaghetti Western icon after starring in For A Few Dollars More and The Good, the Bad and the Ugly. In Escape from New York, he’s the gruff prison warden who forces Snake into the rescue mission.
Russell’s performance adds a meta touch to his scenes with Warden Hauk, but of course, had Eastwood agreed to star, he would have been reunited with his Dollars co-star Van Cleef. Having an old Clint and Van Cleef together would have been dynamite for Escape from New York, and given their scenes even more dramatic weight.
Again, Russell was perfect casting for Snake, so while it worked out that Clint didn’t star, having him square off with Van Cleef again would have rocked. Sadly, Van Cleef pᴀssed away before Escape from New York’s sequel arrived, where a new character played by Stacy Keach was the new authority figure in charge of messing with Snake.
Source: Review Graveyard
