Escape from L.A.

Escape from L.A. (Escape from L.A., 1996) is John Carpenter's sci-fi action thriller you can watch online on iFILM. Kurt Russell straps the eyepatch back on as Snake Plissken, a mercenary the government hauls out of the shadows for one more impossible job.

A massive quake has torn Los Angeles loose from the mainland, and the island now serves as a dumping ground for anyone a totalitarian regime deems undesirable. The president's daughter has fled there with a prototype superweapon. Snake gets exactly ten hours to drag both the girl and the device back, because a virus already runs in his blood and the clock is ticking. His path winds through the wrecked ruins of Hollywood, ruled by gangs, lunatics and a few familiar faces.

Carpenter surrounds Russell with a wild ensemble: Stacy Keach, Steve Buscemi, Pam Grier, Peter Fonda and Bruce Campbell as a deranged plastic surgeon. A loose sequel to Escape from New York, it doubles down on grim sarcasm, the director's own synth score, and a surfing set piece so absurd it could only come from Carpenter. Stream Escape from L.A. (1996) online on iFILM.