Snake Plissken
Kurt Russell as Snake Plissken in a still from Escape from L.A. (1996)
First appearance	Escape from New York (1981)
Last appearance	Escape from L.A. (1996)
Created by	John Carpenter
Portrayed by	Kurt Russell
Information
Nickname(s)	Snake
Gender	Male
Title	Lieutenant

S.D. Robert (Bob) "Snake" Plissken is a fictional character in John Carpenter's films Escape from New York and Escape from L.A., played by Kurt Russell. Image File history File links Metadata No higher resolution available. ... Escape from New York is a 1981 science fiction/action film directed and scored by John Carpenter. ... Escape From L.A. (also known as John Carpenters Escape From L.A.) is a 1996 film directed by John Carpenter. ... For other persons named John Carpenter, see John Carpenter (disambiguation). ... Kurt Vogel Russell (born March 17, 1951) is an American actor. ... For other persons named John Carpenter, see John Carpenter (disambiguation). ... Escape from New York is a 1981 science fiction/action film directed and scored by John Carpenter. ... Escape From L.A. (also known as John Carpenters Escape From L.A.) is a 1996 film directed by John Carpenter. ... Kurt Vogel Russell (born March 17, 1951) is an American actor. ...

Character history

Snake Plissken is a former U.S. Army Lieutenant; serving under Special Forces Unit Black Light, with two Purple Hearts,^[1] and the youngest soldier to be decorated by the U.S. President^[2] for bravery during campaigns in Leningrad and Siberia in World War III against the Communists. The United States Army is the largest and oldest branch of the armed forces of the United States. ... Lieutenant is a military, naval, paramilitary, fire service or police officer rank. ... For other uses, see Purple Heart (disambiguation). ... Federal courts Supreme Court Circuit Courts of Appeal District Courts Elections Presidential elections Midterm elections Political Parties Democratic Republican Third parties State & Local government Governors Legislatures (List) State Courts Local Government Other countries Atlas  US Government Portal      For other uses, see President of the United States (disambiguation). ... Saint Petersburg (Russian: Санкт-Петербу́рг, English transliteration: Sankt-Peterburg), colloquially known as Питер (transliterated Piter), formerly known as Leningrad (Ленингра́д, 1924–1991) and Petrograd (Петрогра́д, 1914–1924), is a city located in Northwestern Russia on the delta of the river Neva at the east end of the Gulf of Finland... This article is about Siberia as a whole. ... A nuclear holocaust is often associated with World War III For other uses, see World War III (disambiguation). ...

Some time later, he turned to a life of crime, probably due to the perceived betrayal of the United States government during the "Leningrad Ruse". Snake took up with partners Harold Hellman (later known as "Brain") and Fresno Bob. In Kansas City around 1993, Hellman apparently let Plissken and Fresno Bob get cornered by police,^[3] at which time Fresno Bob was brutally tortured and killed by sadistic fascists within the United States Police Force.^[4] Nickname: Location in Jackson, Clay, Platte, and Cass Counties in the state of Missouri. ...

Possibly as a result of the Kansas City incident, it was widely believed in the criminal community that Plissken was dead. This is a running gag in Escape from New York: "I heard you were dead" (a homage to the John Wayne film Big Jake). In Escape from L.A. the recurring joke is changed to "I thought you'd be taller." The running gag is a popular hallmark of comic and serious forms of entertainment. ... For other persons named John Wayne, see John Wayne (disambiguation). ... Big Jake is a 1971 Western film, starring John Wayne and directed by George Sherman. ...

Character traits

Snake proves to have a versatile range of skills, demonstrating advanced proficiency in firearms, knives, hand to hand combat, piloting, surfing, and even basketball. His combat prowess is so respected that he is recruited by the U.S. government to accomplish tasks that are seemingly impossible.

A rebel to the core, he outwardly dismisses authority of all kinds and has no qualms about breaking laws. He rarely speaks but is often acidic and sarcastic when he does.

Snake is crafty and devious, which aids his survival under constant danger. Although a loner, he attracts a number of colorful personalities during his adventures, many of whom attempt to escape their captivity with him. Despite a willingness to kill, he does not do it for enjoyment, killing only those that threaten him directly. He demonstrates a capacity for moral thinking, as demonstrated when he refuses to murder the president's daughter in Los Angeles.

On-screen history

Escape from New York

Snake was arrested in 1997 after breaking into the U.S. Federal Reserve in Denver, Colorado. Following the heist, the story of his capture was filmed, although the footage was cut from the beginning of the movie. It can be seen on supplementary materials on the VHS and DVD editions of Escape from New York. Escape from New York is a 1981 science fiction/action film directed and scored by John Carpenter. ... The Federal Reserve System is headquartered in the Eccles Building on Constitution Avenue in Washington, DC. The Federal Reserve System (also the Federal Reserve; informally The Fed) is the central banking system of the United States. ... Denver redirects here. ... Official language(s) English Capital Denver Largest city Denver Largest metro area Denver-Aurora Metro Area Area  Ranked 8th  - Total 104,185 sq mi (269,837 km²)  - Width 280 miles (451 km)  - Length 380 miles (612 km)  - % water 0. ...

He was sentenced to life in New York maximum security prison, the entire island of Manhattan, surrounded by an impenetrable wall and left in an anarchic state. At this time, Air Force One was hijacked and crashed into Manhattan, and the President, played by Donald Pleasence, was captured by the Duke of New York (Isaac Hayes), the de facto leader of the prison. Robert Hauk (Lee Van Cleef) offered Snake a full pardon for every criminal action he committed if he would go in and rescue the President within 24 hours. Plissken succeeded with the help of Harold Hellman (Harry Dean Stanton) (now known as Brain, and working for the Duke of New York), Brain's "squeeze" Maggie (Adrienne Barbeau), and a taxicab driver nicknamed Cabby (Ernest Borgnine). Only Plissken and the President survived in their escape. This article is about the state. ... Supermax is the name used to describe control-unit prisons, or units within prisons, which represent the most secure levels of custody in prison systems. ... This article is about the borough of New York City. ... For the current aircraft, see Boeing VC-25. ... Donald Henry Pleasence, OBE (October 5, 1919 – February 2, 1995) was an English stage and film actor. ... For the American arctic explorer, see Isaac Israel Hayes Isaac Lee Hayes (born August 20, 1942, in Covington, Tennessee) is an American soul and funk singer, songwriter, musician, record producer, arranger, and actor best known as the voice of Chef on the Emmy-winning animated sitcom South Park. ... Lee Van Cleef (January 9, 1925 – December 16, 1989) was an American film actor, who appeared mostly in Western and action pictures. ... Harry Dean Stanton (born July 14, 1926 in West Irvine, Kentucky, USA) is an American actor. ... Adrienne Jo Barbeau (born June 11, 1945) is an American television, film, and musical theater actress. ... Ermes Effron Borgnino or better known as Ernest Borgnine (born January 24, 1917[1][2]) is a Golden Globe-, BAFTA- and Academy Award-winning American actor. ...

Escape from L.A.

Sixteen years later, Snake was once again enlisted for a similar situation. This time, he was forced to retrieve a black box which controls a series of EMP style satellites. These devices were positioned around the entire world. The box was somewhere in Los Angeles. Some time ago, the city had separated from the mainland due to an earthquake and had become an island. Escape From L.A. (also known as John Carpenters Escape From L.A.) is a 1996 film directed by John Carpenter. ... The term electromagnetic pulse (EMP) has the following meanings: electromagnetic radiation from an explosion (especially a nuclear explosion) or an intensely fluctuating magnetic field caused by Compton-recoil electrons and photoelectrons from photons scattered in the materials of the electronic or explosive device or in a surrounding medium. ... Los Angeles and L.A. redirect here. ...

Escape from Earth

This was a proposed second sequel often mentioned by Carpenter and Russell in interviews prior to the release of Escape From L.A. The concept was that Earth was the only place left for Plissken to escape. After Escape From L.A. failed to attract much business, the project never materialized.

In August 2006, there was an internet rumor circulating that the project was actively being pursued by Paramount at Russell's urging, but the rumor was revealed to be untrue[1]. Paramount Pictures Corporation is an American motion picture production and distribution company, based in Hollywood, California. ...

Escape from New York (remake)

On March 13, 2007, It was announced that Gerard Butler was asked to play the role of Snake Plissken in the remake of Escape from New York, but Russell is reportedly displeased over the casting of Butler. However, due to scheduling issues, Butler has since turned down the role.^[5][6][7] , is the 72nd day of the year (73rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... Gerard James Butler (born November 13, 1969) is a Scottish actor perhaps best known for his portrayal of King Leonidas in 300 and The Phantom in the 2004 film version of The Phantom of the Opera. ...

Other appearances

• Snake Plissken appeared in John Carpenter's Snake Plissken Chronicles, a four-part comic book miniseries released in 2003 that was published by CrossGen comics.

• Marvel released the one shot "The Adventures of Snake Plissken" in 1997. The premise is a military/government law enforcement robot with Snake's personality.

• In the early 2000s, John Carpenter, Kurt Russell, and Debra Hill developed a proposed Snake Plissken television series that was ultimately turned down by all the major networks for being "too dark and bleak." It is believed that the concept of the series was what was used for the Snake Plissken Chronicles comic series.

• Along with the comic book, other Snake Plissken Chronicles projects were announced. A Namco-produced video game was announced,^[8] but was later cancelled. Production I.G was also set to create an anime film based on the property, reportedly based on the Escape From Earth concept John Carpenter and Kurt Russell had conceived, but this also never materialized. Carpenter and Russell would have executive produced, and Russell would have provided the voice and likeness of Snake.^[9]

A comic book is a magazine or book containing the art form of comics. ... CrossGen Logo Cross Generation Entertainment, or CrossGen, was an American comic book publisher. ... Debra Hill (November 10, 1950–March 7, 2005) was an American screenwriter and film producer who co-wrote the horror movie Halloween. ... A television program is the content of television broadcasting. ... This article is about Namco, a Japanese leisure company and game developer. ... Production IG was founded on December 15, 1987, by Mitsuhisa Ishikawa. ... Animé redirects here. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ...

Trivia

Trivia sections are discouraged under Wikipedia guidelines. The article could be improved by integrating relevant items and removing inappropriate ones.

• Hideo Kojima, the creator of the Metal Gear series, has said in an interview that the character designs for Solid Snake and Big Boss were based on Snake Plissken. In the second game Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty, the character Snake uses the codename "Iroquois Pliskin" early in the game, as a reference to the character.
• The Grim Adventures of Billy and Mandy features a recurring character, Hoss Delgado (played by Diedrich Bader), who is a parody of both Snake and Evil Dead's Ash Williams.
• Snake can also be seen in the Nintendo 64 game Duke Nukem in a secret room deep inside a prison. His upper body is hanging on a hook and Duke says, "I guess he didn't escape from L.A."
• A playground in Gumniste, Kosovo called the Snake Plissken Memorial Playground was constructed in the Summer of 2007.^{[citation needed]}[[2]]
• In the Episode of American Dad, "Con Heir", Roger is tackled by Stan's father who wears a turtleneck and an eyepatch. Roger responds, "Please tell Snake Plissken here to get off of me."
• Quentin Tarantino has stated that Russell's performance as Snake justified his decision to cast him in his film, Grindhouse.^{[citation needed]}

Image File history File links Broom_icon. ... Hideo Kojima Hideo Kojima , born August 24, 1963) is a Japanese video game designer originally employed at Konami. ... For the original video game titled Metal Gear, see Metal Gear. ... Solid Snake ) is the predominant anti-hero protagonist of the Metal Gear series. ... This article or section contains a plot summary that is overly long. ... Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty (commonly abbreviated MGS2) is a stealth-based game that was developed and published by Konami for the PlayStation 2 in 2001. ... The Grim Adventures of Billy & Mandy, created by Maxwell Atoms, is an American animated television series that currently airs on Cartoon Network and Teletoon. ... Hoss Delgado is a fictional characters from the animated television series The Grim Adventures of Billy and Mandy. ... Diedrich Bader Karl Diedrich Bader (born December 24, 1966) is an American actor. ... Ashley J. Ash Williams (Ashly in the original Evil Dead script) is the fictional protagonist in the Evil Dead horror film franchise, played by Bruce Campbell, and created by director Sam Raimi. ... The Smiths, from left to right: Roger, Francine, Stan, Klaus, Hayley, and Steve. ... Quentin Jerome Tarantino (born March 27, 1963) is a Palme dOr-winning American film director, actor, and an Oscar winning screenwriter. ... Grindhouse is a 2007 anthology film co-written, produced and directed by Robert Rodriguez and Quentin Tarantino. ...

Notes

1. ^ Mentioned by Cmdr. Malloy in Escape from LA.
2. ^ Mentioned by Hauk in Escape from New York.
3. ^ When they meet later in Escape from New York, Brain says to Plissken, "You were late."
4. ^ This is loosely referred to in Escape from New York when Snake confronts Hellman saying, "You know what 'they' did to Fresno Bob? Do you want me to show you?"
5. ^ IGN: Kurt Blasts Escape Remake
6. ^ edmontonsun.com - Showbiz: Movies, TV and Theatre - Snake Plissken hissing over Escape From New York remake
7. ^ NEWS RUSSELL ENRAGED WITH NEW SNAKE PLISSKEN Music, movie & Entertainment News
8. ^ IGN: New Snake Game
9. ^ Production IG working on Escape from New York Anime - Anime News Network

External links

• Escape from New York at the Internet Movie Database
• Escape from L.A. at the Internet Movie Database