Escape from New York deleted scene

Bank Robbery Opening Sequence

INT. FUTURISTIC COMPLEX - DAY - LOW ANGLE

A large computer room. Eerie neon lighting.
SUPERIMPOSE:

BANK OF THE UNITED STATES COLORADO FEDERAL RESERVE
3:35 P.M.
OCTOBER 21, 1997

Suddenly a small, mechanized trolly rounds a corner. There is a flashing yellow light on its top. Speakers in the sides. As the trolly MOVES PAST CAMERA, a pleasant, female voice speaks.

COMPUTER (V.O.)
Attention. Banking hours are over. Lock-up begins in thirty seconds. All personnel must leave the blue coded areas immediately. Thank you.

CAMERA PANS with the trolly as it rounds another corner. Then a figure stands up from behind a machine. A MAN in a brown maintenance uniform, A cap on his head. Carrying a satchel. Too far away to see his face. He darts away.

LOW ANGLE PANAGLIDE - MAN'S BOOTS

CAMERA PANAGLIDES along with the man's boots. Close to the floor. Through the huge computer room. Through a doorway, into another room. Ducking close to the machines. Keeping out of sight. CAMERA MOVES UP to the satchel he carries.

PANAGLIDE ON MAN - MAN TRAP

CAMERA PANAGLIDES CLOSE on the man's back. Emblazoned on the uniform is "COLORADO SOLAR," He moves AWAY FROM CAMERA up to a man trap.

CLOSE - I.D. SLOT

An I.D. slot in the man trap. The man's hand inserts a small metal screwdriver with an elongated point.

ANGLE ON MAN TRAP

The door opens. The man steps inside. The door closes. He inserts the screwdriver into another slot and the outer door opens. The mans ducks out.

PANAGLIDE WITH MAN

As he moves down corridors, around corners, through the hallway of the futuristic bank. The man and CAMERA round a corner and MOVE through a door up to an elevator. Marked: "ROOF EXIT." The man's hand punches the button.

Suddenly a SHRILL, CLANGING ALARM goes off!

COMPUTER VOICE
(calmly)
Attention. Code red. A bank robbery is in progress. All security personnel to code red stations.

The elevator doors open. The man plunges inside.

INT. ELEVATOR/EXT. DESERT - DAY - PANAGLIDE

The man punches the "ROOF" button. The doors close. The CLANG of the alarm fades as the elevator rises.

The man rips out of his maintenance uniform. His cap comes off. Long hair underneath. But we still don't see his face. Just pieces of his clothing. A black leather jacket. Boots. Fatique pants.

The the doors open. A blast of sunlight. The man dashes out into a bleak, expansive Colorado desert. This is the roof of the underground bank!

CAMERA PANAGLIDES with the man as he races toward a concrete structure with doors in it. Up to the doors. The screwdriver is inserted into a lock. The doors slide open. The man ducks inside, CAMERA MOVING BEHIND HIM INTO DARKNESS.

INT. ESCALATOR - TERMINAL CORRIDOR (ATLANTA TERMINAL)

OUT OF DARKNESS, moving down a huge escalator toward the lighted floor bellow. CAMERA PANAGLIDES off the escalator on to the huge terminal corridor.

As he turns and begins to run, CAMERA PANAGLIDES BACK WITH HIM to REVEAL SNAKE PLISSKEN. Arrogant, mean and handsome. His left eye is totally black. An eye-patch.



He hurtles off down the corridor. A sign on the concrete walls: "PACIFIC EXPRESS".

INT. SUBWAY PLATFORM - PANAGLIDE (MARTA)

CAMERA PANAGLIDES WITH PLISSKEN down another escalator into a subway platform. Empty, except for a FIGURE crouched down by wall. Plissken and CAMERA RUN toward the figure. Closer. It is BILL TAYLOR. He wears an army fatique jacket and a cap. Long dark hair. Older than Plissken. Late thirties. He works feverishly on a mass of wires in identical satchel next to him.

TAYLOR
You're early!

PLISSKEN
They're on my ass!

Taylor works the wires with blinding speed. Finally Taylor CLICKS his wires into place. Then, a moment later, the ROAR of a subway train coming to life. The train RUMBLES up to a stop on the tracks. It is completely empty.

Plissken and Taylor run for the train. Taylor lopes along with a limp, slowing him slightly. They duck inside the car.

INT. SUBWAY CAR (MARTA)

Neon lit. The doors close. Plissken and Taylor hang on as the train begins to accelerate, its engines WHINING. 50 m.p.h., 60, 70, 80.

PLISSKEN
We wired in to Seattle?

TAYLOR
(disgruntled)
Maybe. Maybe Seattle, maybe San Francisco, maybe Barstow. I can't tell, those goddamn circuits are so small.

Plissken tosses his satchel to Taylor. Taylor just stares in amazement. Plissken slumps down in a seat. Taylor zips open the satchel.

INSERT - SATCHEL

Inside are hundreds of plastic white credit cards. Printed on them are "MASTER, U.S. NATIONAL BANK," "MASTER, U.S. PORT AUTHORITY," "MASTER, U.S. TOBACCO RESERVE," etc.

ON PLISSKEN AND TAYLOR

Taylor's eyes are wide.

PLISSKEN
Congratulations. You're a billionaire.

TAYLOR
Jesus, Snake, look at this!

PLISSKEN
You look at it. I'm tired.

Plissken folds his hands and leans back in the seat. He closes his eyes.

TAYLOR
Come on, man, we gotta split it up!

PLISSKEN
I trust you.

As Taylor opens his empty satchel and begins splitting up the take, Plissken drifts off to sleep.

CUT TO:

WIDE SHOT - SUBWAY CAR

Plissken and Taylor are both asleep. The subway train comes to a WHOOSHING stop. The doors open. A pre-recorded voice:

SUBWAY VOICE
Welcome to San Francisco. Please step to your right.

Plissken and Taylor stir, gather themselves and walk out of the car.

EXT. SAN FRANCISCO SUBWAY PLATFORM - PANAGLIDE (BART)

As the subway train ROARS away CAMERA PANAGLIDES with Plissken and Taylor through the empty subway platform. They walk toward the "up escalator."

TAYLOR
San Francisco ain't bad. I can spend a billion here.

PLISSKEN
Yeah.

TAYLOR
Can't spend it in Barstow, man.

PLISSKEN
Yeah.

Plissken looks around suspiciously.



TAYLOR
What's wrong?

INT. UPPER LOBBY - PANAGLIDE (MARTA)

They come off the escalator into a completely deserted upper lobby. They begin to walk. CAMERA PANAGLIDES WITH THEM. Plissken continues to glance around.

TAYLOR
It's four in the morning, Snake. Stop worrying, man. We made it!



Suddenly Taylor is hit! His shoulder and Arm EXPLODE! Four bullets from an automatic rifle!

Taylor slumps to the floor. Plissken grabs him and looks back.

POV - TROOPERS - ESCALATORS

SIX TROOPERS. Spread out across the escalators in a line. Black uniforms. AR-15 rifles. Helmets. Face plates. Featureless. They move slowly down the escalators.



ON PLISSKEN AND TAYLOR - PANAGLIDE

Plissken pulls Taylor to his feet. They start running. CAMERA PANAGLIDES WITH THEM. Back down to the subway platform. Taylor can barely move. He falls behind.

CAMERA MOVES WITH PLISSKEN toward the subway train. Then Plissken stops. Looks back. Taylor is not behind him. Plissken pauses a moment.

PLISSKEN
Taylor!

No answer. Plissken stares. Torn. Trying to decide. Glances at the subway train and freedom. Then finally makes his mind. He moves back up the escalator to the lobby.

POV - TAYLOR AND TROOPERS - PANAGLIDE

Back into the lobby. Taylor stands twenty feet away. Barely able to stand. Still clutching the satchel. Dragging himself away from the troopers that slowly close in.

ON PLISSKEN

Sees his friend. Decided. Plissken drops his satchel.

PLISSKEN
Drop the bag, Taylor.

POV - TAYLOR AND TROOPERS

Taylor keeps clutching the satchel. Still moving toward Plissken.

TAYLOR
Go on, Snake! Go on!

ON PLISSKEN
Drop the bag!

POV - TAYLOR AND TROOPERS

One of the troopers OPEN FIRE! Taylor is riddled with bullets! He flops to the floor dead! The troopers move forward toward Plissken.

ON PLISSKEN

He stares at Taylor's body. Stunned. Quiet. TROOPERS move in toward him. He is surrounded. He raises his hands over his head. Continues to stare at Taylor's body. As the troopers close in around him CAMERA MOVES IN TO his face.



Trivia: This opening sequence was cut after a test screening John Carpenter had. They became disillusioned with the plot due to its length. He also felt it slowed down the movie and also softened Plissken.