What happens when men in blue, sworn to protect and to serve, fly out of control? If we're lucky, we get a good movie out of it. If we're really lucky, we get a larger than life character to cheer and to fear. Are you feeling lucky, punk?

Keanu Reaves, of all people, will follow in the steel-toed shoes of some of cinema's finest as a cop who goes on an avenging rampage in David Ayer's Street Kings, which opens tomorrow. That made me reflect on my favorite out of control cinematic cops, men in blue who break free from the laws of god and man. Let us know who we missed in the comments section. But be nice, or we'll track you down and crack you over the head with a night stick.

1. Clint Eastwood, Dirty Harry

Clint is so cool as Harry Callahan that he can just glare at bad guys and they give themselves up. Dirty Harry never met a criminal he couldn't beat up, a sergeant he couldn't hate, or a partner he couldn't get killed. He can't help it: he married justice a long time ago and the blind old bat won't leave him alone until he takes out the garbage. Don't even think about getting in his way: he solved the Zodiac killings in 102 minutes! Dirty Harry paved the way for several sequels and countless gruff, lone wolf outlaw police detectives.

Once again, I'm going to pretend like I made something happen. Two days ago, on this very Cinematical program, I declared that there can be only one Snake Plissken in movieland, and he shall be forever played by Kurt Russell. Well, perhaps Gerard Butler agrees with me, because he's now dropped out of the remake of Escape from New York, according to Variety. The trade says the decision was due to creative differences, which could very well mean that New Line wants to go with the Snake Plissken name, while Butler sided with me in saying that was a bad idea. Of course, I don't want to be responsible for Butler quitting a gig; after all, I implied that it was okay for the 300 star to do the remake, just that he needed another, less-iconic character name. Regardless, though, Butler's departure follows news that Brett Ratner is no longer or was never attached to direct the movie, which had followed news that Len Wiseman was also not involved. And suddenly the project is empty of talent. But for those three of you who are looking forward to it, the remake is not dead yet. New Line has hired Jonathan Mostow to script a rewrite and has apparently offered him the option to direct as well.

Mostow, who interestingly enough directed Russell in Breakdown, will be revising the current script penned by Ken Nolan. Back in July, Aint it Cool News posted a review of the earlier draft; revealing that it was relatively faithful to John Carpenter's original while also being modernized with timely relevance to the Middle East conflicts. The script also was said to feature flashbacks to Snake's military career in order to show background for his imprisonment. We'll have to wait and see if Mostow changes much of the details from that version, but I think we can trust the project in his hands. Sure, he's been known to play with history, substituting Americans for British in significant WWII plots, and he seemed to piss off a lot of fans with his direction of Terminator 3: Rise o the Machines (not me, though; I enjoyed it), but Mostow is a heck of a lot better than Wiseman and Ratner. So, should he direct? Is it like choosing the lesser of evils? Do you wish New Line would just scrap the whole thing altogether (they won't -- they paid too much for it)? And most importantly, who should play Snake, or "guy who isn't called Snake" as I suggested the character to be named, now that Butler is out?

Fire up the flame war, because I'm about to admit to another crazy opinion: John Carpenter's Escape from New York is boring. It's a great concept -- that of Manhattan being a maximum security prison in which a military prisoner must seek and rescue the President of the United States in order to receive a pardon. The movie is even relatively impressive considering its low budget, regardless of how dated it now looks. But it just doesn't have enough going on to garner as much praise as it receives. Maybe if I'd seen it 25 years ago I would have the same fondness that its fans have, but I saw it this year and was seriously disappointed; and yes, I was extremely bored. Because of this crazy opinion, I actually wouldn't mind seeing a well-done remake. Unfortunately, I don't believe I will get to see such a thing considering the directors so far linked to the job. First there was Len Wiseman (I still haven't seen Live Free or Die Hard, so I can't judge him completely). Then there was the much worse news that Brett Ratner was taking the helm. Fortunately, we can count him out too, as Aint it Cool News has relayed an email claiming Ratner himself denied his involvement.

I'll admit one other thing, that may save me from too many flames: Kurt Russell is the only Snake Plissken. No matter who New Line gets to direct the EFNY redo, the studio might as well save themselves some pain by changing the main character's name. Technically there's no reason to do this, but for those of us who associate Russell with Snake, it would be a wonderful, narratively insignificant change (I even have a suggestion for a "new" name: Ben Richards). Yeah, I know I just saw the movie for the first time within twelve months, but even without sitting through the thing, I spent the last 25 years with the image of Russell with the eyepatch in my head. That means he's a part of the pop-cultural consciousness. Giving us a new Snake, at least by name, is like trying to re-introduce Mickey Mouse as a rat. Or Ronald McDonald as a bearded lady. Or Willy Wonka as Michael Jackson. Anyway, that is my invitation for scrutiny for the day, and I'm sticking by it. The Escape from New York remake, hopefully starring Gerard Butler as "some other dude with an eye patch," is due in 2009.

You know how people try and make you feel better by saying things could always be worse? Well, if Ain't it Cool News is right, then things have officially gotten worse with regards to the remake of Escape From New York. According to AICN's Merrick (via one of their ultra hip scoopers), a rumor has been making the rounds that claims Brett Ratner in in talks (or in the running) to take over directing duties on the remake of John Carpenter's classic. Now, to be fair, AICN is not confirming the news to be true, but you could probably already hear the collective groans from fans of the original film at the thought of Ratner ruining a cult favorite. Len Wiseman was officially attached to the project back in August, but according to AICN's source, Wiseman is off the project for good.

Released in 1981, the original film starred Kurt Russell as Snake Plissken; a mercenary soldier turned convict who is forced into service to rescue the daughter of the president in the apocalyptic wasteland formerly known as New York. Ryan had reported back in May that Gerard Butler (300) would be taking over the lead -- much to the dismay of the original Snake Plissken . Changes seem to be the order of the day when it comes to the remake, since there had been talk that the script would be getting an update as well. Since the original film was a comment on Watergate and political corruption, it has been assumed that the new film would be working in some Iraq war commentary. Although if Ratner does take over, this will probably be some pretty ham-fisted discourse. But before anyone gets too upset; just remember that so far this is all just speculation. So keep your fingers crossed that this is all just someone's idea of a cruel joke.

UPDATE: IESB claims this rumor is 100% true, and that Brett Ratner has indeed replaced Len Wiseman as director of the Escape from New York remake.

There are films that fall from our view -- after the initial heat-rush of their release, they quickly cool and fade, their flash of incandescence dimming like a dying ember until they disappear. There are other films, however, that do not fall from view, or fade, but rather shine constantly, unceasing and unwavering in their quality. These enduring films are not all high art; some of them (indeed, many of them) are excellent trash, casual masterpieces. Their enduring glow is like the sickly undimming light of radioactivity; their tenacity is like that of the cockroach. Many of these films were made on a shoestring with a legion of low-level actors and without a single original bone in their bodies -- and yet, something in them reaches us, resonates, tapping -- deliberately or accidentally -- into some primal aspect of our psyches to endure as dreams or visions or, in some cases, nightmares. John Carpenter's The Thing, released in 1982, endures even though we might not want it to, much the same way we'd try to shake off a bad dream -- it's a remake of a d-grade b-movie that rises head and shoulders above the source material and still sends both wet, visceral disgust and cold, clinical terror keening through you 25 years later. As Stephen King points out in his genre study Danse Macabre, there's a difference between revulsion and fear, between shock and suspense. But The Thing has all of those: the bloody terrors of sudden death, the terrible quiet in the icy halls as our heroes are eliminated one by one; the existential nightmare of the other replacing you and the more immediate concern of the other in the room with you, snarling and slashing and hungry.

And you'd be hard-pressed to imagine The Thing enduring at the time of its release; it was conceived as a mid-level moneymaker, with a $10 million budget and (with the exception of Kurt Russell and director Carpenter) completely devoid of marquee value. Screenwriter Bill Lancaster's previous credits were for the Bad News Bears films -- which hardly suggest that sci-fi horror was his forte or his passion. The Thing was a flop at the box office; in a cruel twist of fate, Steven Spielberg's E.T. opened two weeks before The Thing made its debut, and Spielberg's kinder, gentler visitor from beyond went on to rake in money hand over fist. And yet, there's a reason why we remember bitter nightmares more fiercely than sweet dreams. ...

Len Wiseman did the nearly unthinkable this summer and made me like (not love, mind you, but certainly enjoy) a fourth Die Hard film. I was mighty concerned going in that the guy would dump all over one of the greatest movie series ever made, but instead Wiseman made a solid flick with some very cool action scenes (loved that tunnel "lights out" sequence in particular). Miraculously, the movie didn't make me cringe once. Live Free or Die Hard won't join "The Thrillogy" in my DVD collection, but it impressed me with all the mistakes it didn't make. I never saw Wiseman's Underworld films, but now there's a much greater chance I'll queue the suckers up. And Wiseman must be feeling pretty cocky these days, (being married to Kate Beckinsale probably helps) because he's following up LFODH with another project that could potentially tick off action fans.

The Hollywood Reporter has announced that Wiseman is in negotiations to direct the remake of Escape From New York. 300's abbed-up hero Gerard Butler is attached to star as Snake Plissken, a role memorably played by Kurt Russell in John Carpenter's original film and the dreary sequel Escape From LA. Ken Nolan (writer of Black Hawk Down) wrote the script for the remake, which "will combine an origin story for Plissken merged with the story of the 1981 movie." That story, for those of you who've never seen the Carpenter classic, envisions a futuristic (the original was set in 1997) New York City as one big maximum security prison. When the president's plane crashes, inmate Plissken is sent on a mission to rescue him. Carpenter will executive produce the new film. For some past Escape news, here's a script review, Kurt Russell's angry response to Butler's casting and the project in general, and his later, friendlier response to the film, What say you, Cinematical readers? Wiseman and Butler -- can they pull this thing off?

Ah, Elvis Presley. Having been born the year he died, I always find my big birthday years to be saturated with Elvis. This year is no exception, as we're almost to the 30th anniversary of the hip-shaker's death (August 16). As I told you last month, the cinematic loves of Elvis' life will soon descend on Memphis to dish the Presley dirt and sign autographs. As the big anniversary gets even closer, The Telegraph has put up a little photo feature about the actors who dared to become Elvis on the big screen.

Of course, when we think of those who embody The King, Nicolas Cage is usually the first to come to mind. While Christian Slater (who donned the sequins in 3000 Miles to Graceland) is the guy who always brings to mind Jack Nicholson, Cage is our modern-day Elvis. He worshiped the guy in Wild at Heart, sky-dived with impersonators in Honeymoon in Vegas and even married Presley's daughter, Lisa Marie. What you might not remember: Kurt Russell was actually one of the first with Elvis: The Movie in 1979, and as you might remember, was alongside Slater in 3000 Miles. Heck, even Joe Strummer of The Clash had a stint as Elvis in Jim Jarmusch's Mystery Train. But my personal favorite will always be the mummy-fighting Elvis, whose best friend is a black JFK. Of course, I'm talking about Bruce Campbell as an aged Elvis in an old folks' home in Bubba Ho-tep. Even if you remove all the over-the-top elements, the guy just has that Presley thing.

Back in March, Variety reported on a bidding war for the rights to remake John Carpenter's action classic Escape From New York. When the dust settled, New Line emerged victorious and the project was put together as a starring vehicle for 300's Gerard Butler. Now, Ain't It Cool News claims to have gotten a first look at the new script by Black Hawk Down writer Ken Nolan and provides their own review. Since this news depends on how much you trust the sources at AICN, you should probably take most of the review with a huge grain of salt. Also, if you are the type who likes to remain "spoiler-free" you should tread lightly, since they are pretty liberal with the reveals. The original film of course starred Kurt Russell as Snake Plissken, an ex-soldier and fugitive who is roped into rescuing the U.S. President from New York, which has been turned into a brutal high-security prison. When news of the remake hit, let's just say that it did not receive a warm welcome from fans or the original Snake -- Russell has since mellowed on the whole thing, but is still far from enthusiastic.

According to AICN's review, the new script manages to keep most of the original film's story and characters while managing to come up with a few ideas of their own, such as flashbacks to Plissken's military career, and an updated political context. The original film was Carpenter's reaction to the Watergate scandal, so the new film is apparently placing Plissken's political dissent in direct connection with the crisis in the Middle East. There are some other changes supposedly on the way, but since the script is still in the draft stage, who knows how much could actually wind up in the finished product?

With only the most-anticipated blockbusters, fans can expect special midnight screenings the night before a movie's official release date. Certainly this will be the case with upcoming sequels Spider-Man 3, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix and maybe even Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End. But in a bit of a surprise move, Dimension will be offering such a sneak peek of its eagerly awaited double-feature-within-a-single-release, Grindhouse. The only problem is that it is being limited to select cities. So, if you aren't near a major metropolis, you'll just have to wait about ten hours until your local theater opens for the first matinee.

There are definitely enough followers of Quentin Tarantino and Robert Rodriguez to make these exclusive screenings sell out, so if you can get to one, make sure and order your tickets now. And if you want to make this event on par with the other release-eve sneaks that I've been to, you should dress up as your favorite character from the duo's other films, or if you so desire, from one of the two films they've made for Grindhouse (if anyone can do Rose McGowan's machine gun leg, I want pictures!). If you can't attend any of the shows tomorrow night, you can still at least watch Eli Roth's fake trailer that is included in the Grindhouse package, as it has already popped up online.

Here is the list of cities showing Grindhouse Thursday night: Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Houston, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, Philadelphia, San Francisco, Seattle, Washington DC. (I guess Austin doesn't need another bonus, huh?)

For more of Cinematical's exclusive Grindhouse coverage, check out the following:

Grindhouse Junket Report, Part 1: QT Talks Future Grindhouse Projects, Rose McGowan Talks 'Black Oasis,' Zoe Bell Talks Stunts, Jordan Ladd On 'Hostel II,' More!

Grindhouse Junket Report, Part 2: Kurt Russell On Remakes, Rosario Dawson Talks 'OCT' Film, Marley Shelton Gives Deleted Scene Details, More!

Austin Grindhouse Part 1: Planet Red Carpet

Austin Grindhouse Part 2: Critic Proof

Cinematical Seven: My Favorite Grindhouse Movies

Kurt Russell

How did Quentin first approach you about the film? "Well, I was in Tahiti actually. I was on vacation, and I had worked with Freddy Rodriguez on Poseidon and Dreamer. The release of Poseidon was still in the future. I forget how I got this message, but I called him back, and we played a little phone tag, and finally when I got ahold of him, he said 'I'm doing this movie with Robert Rodrigeuz and Quentin Tarantino is doing his own movie, and they're gonna put 'em together for a double feature under the name Grindhouse. And I said 'that sounds like fun, that sounds interesting.' And he said 'yeah, I think Quentin is gonna come to you with this, I know Mickey Rourke is maybe happening, maybe not happening.' Then I found out later there were also other people -- Ving Rhames was a name. I kind of got the gist of what the character might sort of be in the vein of. Then somewhere along the line, Quentin called and then I called him back, and we played phone tag, but in our phone messages we began to strike up a relationship.

Then all of a sudden, he just said 'I want you to do this.' He said 'I want you to add this to your rogue's gallery of characters.' He said 'you've played some phenomenal characters and I want you to do this one.' And I remember sending a message back to him saying 'I suppose it is about time we worked together.' I knew what he meant. I had spent an hour with him, and I knew that he knew a lot of the things I'd done, and I knew that he was specifically interested in some of the stuff I'd done with John Carpenter. And I knew that Rodriguez was, because he came down to the set of Escape from L.A., when he was just kind of getting going. So I got the drift, the gist of what was going on. Then I read the script and my only concern was, as has happened sometimes in the past, there's a director you want to work with, but then you read the part and you go 'ehh ... I don't wanna do that guy,' or 'that's not the kind of movie I want to do with this director'...It would be like getting a script from Sam Peckinpah and he wants you to play, I don't know, the gay smithee. And you go, 'well, that could be fun ... but I don't want to do that with him.'

We caught up with Kurt Russell at the Grindhouse press junket over the weekend, and we were able to get the skinny from him on the developing hubbub over the possibility of Gerard Butler playing Snake Plissken in the remake of Escape from New York. The full junket report is coming very soon, but here's a sample:

Question: They've announced that they want to remake The Thing, and your The Thing with John Carpenter is one of the great remakes. What do you think about that, and would you like someone else to go in and play Snake Plissken? "You know, it's been a long time and I've seen a lot of it. They remade one of the Disney movies I was in ... The Computer Wore Tennis Shoes. They took Stargate and made it into the most successful series, they took Backdraft and made that into two television shows that did okay I guess, They're gonna remake The Thing, they talked about remaking Escape from New York. You know what ... whatever, and good on you."

Question: So, you're not worried about it? "I feel like we did what we did, and that's always gonna be there. It'll be there to be compared, I'm sure it will be, they have to do that. My thoughts on it were, as a joke, you know when somebody said that about Gerard Butler playing Snake ... it is interesting to create a role that is iconic, and then have somebody go do that. That's interesting. At the same time, I had a sort of joke response, which is the way look at life, which is 'Oh my god, wait 'til Stuntman Mike (his character in Death Proof) hears about this.' (laughter).

"That's how I feel about! Maybe 30 years from now, someone's gonna do Stuntman Mike, and, well ... I got my version. You know, that's kind of all I think about it, I don't know what else to say."

So, probably not the final word on the whole matter, but it sounds like once he originally blew off some steam about the issue, he's starting to come to terms with it. Not sure he'll be front and center at the premiere for the remake, however.

Just a few days ago we learned that a new rendition of John Carpenter's Escape from New York was in the planning stages, and also that 300 star Gerard Butler had been tapped to play the role of legendary bad-ass Snake Plissken. (Then we heard that the project might be more of a prequel than a remake, but who really knows at this point?) Either way the thing is definitely moving forward, much to the apparent chagrin of the original Snake Plissken.

"I will say that when I was told who was going to play Snake Plissken, my initial reaction was 'Oh, man!' [Russell winces]. I do think that character was quintessentially one thing. And that is, American," is what Kurt Rusell recently told Entertainment Weekly. Ouch. See, I never really got much of the "patriotism" vibe from the Plissken character ... and I've seen Escape from New York about a dozen times. (Plus, doesn't he end the movie sort of dooming America to a new stone age?) The actor also insists that he "created" Snake Plissken, despite the fact that the screenwriting credits on Escape from New York belong to John Carpenter and Nick Castle. Not knocking the guy's cult classic performance, but ... created? C'mon, Kurt, chill out a little.

But it gets a bit zanier. Russell, an actor I've always admired and still do, also got a little snippy while discussing the possibility of a cameo appearance: "(Expletive) that! I am Snake Plissken! It's like Sean Connery always watching someone else do their version of Bond." Really, Kurt? One kitschy masterpiece and a really lame sequel are the same as, say, Dr. No, From Russia with Love, Thunderball and Goldfinger? I mean, if you felt such a connection to the character, then why didn't you and Carpenter come up with a few new ideas every few years? (Oh, how I've tried to enjoy Escape from L.A. I really have.) I don't care if he's being a bit short-sighted on this one. Kurt Russell is still the man. I bet he could beat up Chuck Norris.

I am now certain that John Carpenter made a Pact With the Devil. With this evil bargain Carpenter gained an awesome career making classic after classic in the 70s and 80s. Satan, on the other hand, gained remake rights to all of these classics, which he is now selling off to the studios. With a just announced redo of Escape From New York added to the list, all five of Carpenter's features from 1976 (Assault on Precinct 13) to 1982 (The Thing) have been or are being remade. Of course, The Thing doesn't exactly count since Carpenter's was already a remake, but if I hear about an update of Christine or Dark Star, I'm going to start getting worried about my most beloved Carpenter classic, Big Trouble in Little China.

The new Escape From New York is being written by Ken Nolan (Black Hawk Down) but no director is attached yet. Gerard Butler, a hot property now that 300 is a hit, is in negotiations for the role of patch-eyed Snake Plissken, who was played by Kurt Russell in the original as well as the sequel, Escape From L.A. (I guess he definitely won't be doing Escape From Earth now.) The film, for those of you who aren't familiar, is set in Manhattan in the future (1997 in the original) after the whole borough has been turned into a maximum security prison. When the President of the United States crash lands on the island, his rescue is put in the hands of Snake, a prisoner who is offered freedom if his mission is successful.

I'm well aware that it's a thoroughly nerdly hobby, but I'm a sucker for a good commentary track. Not those dry and painful ones or the self-adoring love-fests in which everyone was "awesome" and "like, so talented." Nope, I dig the laid-back tracks from the directors who are cool enough to relax, but informed and passionate enough to share some illuminating insights -- but mainly I just like the fun ones. As you scan through my admittedly fluffy list, it's important to remember that, while I do listen to a lot of "grown-up" commentaries, I generally tend to remember the more "entertaining" ones. (Then again, a good film noir with a historian talk-track ... fun stuff! And I'm not kidding!) But since most of my DVD collection consists of action, comedy, sci-fi and (lots of) horror, my selections will run towards that direction. My apologies to the Criterion junkies, but you already know those commentaries are high-end stuff.

1. John Carpenter and Kurt Russell on Escape from New York, The Thing and Big Trouble in Little China -- Yakking away like the two old pals they obviously are, Carpenter and Russell chit-chat non-stop through all three of the geek-beloved genre collaborations. Whether they're chuckling about embarrassing moments, enjoying the old movie memories or asking one another about their kids, this pair makes for an exceedingly entertaining audio experience. And yes, they pay attention to the movies, too. (Also recommended: Russell, Bob Gale and Robert Zemckis on Used Cars or Carpenter on Halloween and The Fog.)

2. Terry Gilliam on Brazil -- One of the best audio commentaries I've ever heard. Brutally honest and endlessly fascinating, Mr. Gilliam goes on about the troubled production, the screenplay, the studio interference, the critical reaction, the uproar, and on and on. The fact that Gilliam's a naturally fantastic storyteller certainly doesn't hurt. And get this: The audio commentary isn't even the best supplement included in this stellar three-disc set. (OK, so I had to get one Criterion disc in here. Also recommended: Gilliam and Terry Jones on Monty Python and the Holy Grail or Gilliam on 12 Monkeys and Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas.)

There was an interesting piece in yesterday's Times about Grindhouse. The writer, Whitney Joiner, got some good access to the post-production facilities and had a chance to talk to the filmmakers about what they were aiming for with this project. Joiner also confirms what we've heard before, that in addition to adding scratches and dust to the print to dirty things up, Tarantino and Rodriguez have each "purposefully cut out" a segment from their films, to "play with the audience." They want to remind us of what it's like to watch a film in a one-dollar theater, where anything goes.

"When it pops up 'Missing Reel,' the entire theater is going to scream," Tarantino said. "They might very well be screaming my name: 'Quentin, you bastard! We hate you!'" The piece also gives a brief outline of the Josh Brolin/Marley Shelton needle-pricking segment, as well as the Kurt Russell muscle car-that-can't-be-crashed segment, which is a riff on the fact that automobile stuntmen can build cars that are more or less un-crashable. "You could drive it 100 miles an hour into a brick wall just for the experience," Tarantino says.