Escape From L,A, MPAA Rating: R Entertainment: +2 1/2 Content: -3

Sixteen years after he rescued the President in "Escape From New York," Kurt Russell is back as rebellious Snake Plissken in this similarly plotted action sequel. The year is 2013, and a new President (Cliff Robertson) is in power, proclaimed Commander-in-Chief for life. He declares the U.S. to be a morally superior country, and anyone who does not adhere to his strict moral code is deported to Los Angeles, now an island after a massive earthquake. But the President's daughter Utopia (A.J. Langer) has stolen a doomsday device and joined forces with South American revolutionary Cuervo Jones (George Corraface), who has assumed leadership of L.A.'s colony of undesirables. Infected with a deadly virus by the President's men, Plissken is reluctantly recruited to infiltrate the island, recover the device and eliminate Utopia. As he searches for Cuervo amongst the earthquake-ravaged streets of L.A., Snake meets some colorful characters and fights off various attackers. ESCAPE FROM L.A. is basically an uninspired retread of the original film. The action scenes are conventional, and the only originality comes from its wild and satirical notions about the future.

ESCAPE FROM L.A. features many familiar pitfalls associated with action-thriller films. Much gratuitiou violence includes explosions and gunfire with multiple killings, and a man is brutally gunned down in a deadly game of basketball. There is a lengthy gun battle that includes a vicious fistfight between Plissken and Jones. The women of L.A. are all dressed like prostitutes in scanty outfits that includes some rear nudity. Foul language includes several crudities, three regular profanities and many obscenities. What's particularly reprehensible, however, is the film's blatant bias against morality and the Religious Right. The implication is that moralists have come into power and have turned the United States into a state run by religionists. Although Christianity is never mentioned, the President is depicted as a zealous, intolerant moral crusader. He regards the destructive earthquake as "the mighty fist of God" destroying a "sinful city." The President moves the U.S. Capitol to Lynchburg, Va. - an obvious allusion to the home of Moral Majority leader Jerry Falwell. In a critical moment, the President says that he has to pray When his rebellious daughter announces her plans to join the revolution, she is shown wearing a "True Love Waits" button, a satirical reference to the Christian movement promoting sexual purity before marriage. One character says she was deported for being a Muslim, indicating that religious freedom has been outlawed. Potential deportees are offered an option; they can "repent" of their sins before they are immediately electrocuted. The President orders his daughter killed by saying "For a man so loved his country that he sacrificed his daughter," a self-serving corruption of John 3:16. The film-makers are obviously trying to malign the Religious Right. Anyone who views morality and righteousness as positive traits, and the best hope for the future for our country, will be profoundly offended by this film.

Preview Reviewer: Mark Perry
Distributor: Paramount Pictures, 15 Columbus Circle, New York, NY 10023-7780