Escape from New York

"In 1988, the crime rate in the United States rises four hundred percent. The once great city of New York becomes the one maximum security prison for the entire country. A 50-foot containment wall is erected along the New Jersey shoreline, across the Harlem River, and down along the Brooklyn shoreline. It completely surrounds Manhattan Island. All bridges and waterways are mined. The United States Police Force, like an army, is encamped around the island. There are no guards inside the prison, only prisoners and the worlds they have made. The rules are simple: once you go in, you dont come out."

"St. Louis - unbelievable! We went there because, well, there were certain sequences we just couldnt do in New York; they would have tied up the whole city too much. And St. Louis, due to a major fire they had there in 1977, now has just the right amount of emptiness in the downtown area. Also the right architecture. So much of the city looks vacant and dead; perfect for our needs since we couldnt use anything looking new or fresh. The city officials literally turned over the city to us. Theyd shut down 10 blocks at a time to help us. I was told they hadnt hosted a major film for 15 years; they dont even have a real film commission, just a Department of Tourism. They let us trash it up, and do anything we needed. A major coup was finding, in St Louis, an exact replica - deserted, desolate, unused - of New Yorks Grand Central Station, complete with a train engine. Says Carpenter, "I was told its the biggest roofed-in area in the world. We walked in and said, My Lord! We dont even have to dress it!"

"[addressing his followers] They sent in their best man, and when we roll across the 69th Street bridge tomorrow, on our way to freedom, were going to have their best man leading the way - from the neck up! [cheering erupts] On the hood of my car! [more cheering]"

"The city officials not only gave permission, but were very helpful. We were the first film company in history allowed to shoot on Liberty Island, at the Statue of Liberty, at night. They let us have the whole island to ourselves. We were lucky. It wasnt easy to get that initial permission."

"So its entirely fair to say, and Ive said it before, that the way Neuromancer-the-novel "looks" was influenced in large part by some of the artwork I saw in Heavy Metal. I assume that this must also be true of John Carpenters Escape from New York, Ridley Scotts Blade Runner", and all other artefacts of the style sometimes dubbed cyberpunk. Those French guys, they got their end in early."

"The worlds greatest leader is a hostage in the most dangerous place on Earth. Now only the deadliest man alive can save him."