Set in a grim, not-too-distant future where Manhattan Island has been walled off and converted to a massive prison to deal with a major increase in crime across the United States, John Carpenter’s Escape from New York deals with issues of social unrest, government surveillance, and political corruption. Kurt Russell plays Snake Plissken, a former bank robber and classic antihero who is promised a pardon if he rescues the President of the United States from Manhattan. An early example of cyberpunk cinema, the film developed a dedicated following and influenced later screenwriters and authors including William Gibson (Neuromancer).