By Stephen Pytak 

     Back when I was a kid, I could only see 
the adventures of "Snake" on cable, VHS or 
CED.
     Now, kids of all ages can own this
incredible DVD package which includes the
widescreen version, two audio commentaries,
some specials, including the deleted bank 
robbery opening, and an ash-can sized 
version of the first issue of the comic 
"John Carpenter's Snake Plissken 
Chronicles."
    It makes me wonder what they'll do next.
     The deleted opening was the best part.
     When Carpenter originally made the 
film, he had this beginning attached.
     Snake (Russell) robs a bank with one of 
his war buddies. He's played by Joe Unger 
who some horror fans will recognize as 
"Tinker" from "Leatherface: The Texas 
Chainsaw Massacre III (1990)."
     What's neat about this is the part where
the buddy starts to divide the loot on a 
train car.
     He asks Snake about dividing it.
     Snake says "I trust you."
     The buddy gets blown away by the MPF
later in the train station. And Snake is 
taken in and bused to NYC.
     I'll remember this scene because I never
saw Snake say he trusted anyone. Makes 
you wonder what these two went through
in Siberia and Leningrad.
     As a film, there's nothing quite like it.
It's always been one of my favorites, for
a number of reasons. In particular, it's
got attitude. It pisses on authority 
figures basically. And it's got a great
boogie-action score. It'll stick to you. 
You'll hear it in your head then go out
and look for it on CD.
      This film is also a great escape for fans
of Blaxploitation. Isaac Hayes, the legend
who scored "Shaft (1970)" and played the
lead in "Truck Turner (1974)," plays "The
Duke" with solid-gold relish.
     The music can actuallly be compared to 
the soul-injected scores of Black Cinema.
     It's also kind of neat to watch the
film now post 9/11. 
     In the beginning, a jet, the president's
Air Force One of all things, is crashed
by a suicide pilot at the top of the show.
     A little later on, Snake flys in on a 
glider and lands on one of the twin
towers.
     I wonder if some of this stuff would 
have come up in Carpenter's commentary
with Russell if it was recorded more
recently. 
     The talk we hear is from the laserdisc
made in the 1990s.