Kurt Russell Knows Why Escape From New York Cut This Headless Cat Scene

John Carpenter's 1981 sci-fi action flick "Escape From New York" is a hugely influential dystopian cult classic that inspired everything from the "Metal Gear Solid" video games to William Gibson's seminal cyberpunk novel "Neuromancer." It's a fantastic showcase for everyone involved and went on to spawn a less-successful but cult-appreciated sequel, but making "Escape From New York" was a unique challenge for co-writer and director John Carpenter, who had a very specific vision in mind. That meant that unfortunately, some sequences ended up on the cutting room floor. One of the most famous examples is an opening sequence with a bank heist that showed Kurt Russell's Snake Plissken trying to help his fallen comrade and getting arrested in the process, but Carpenter felt that it humanized the almost inhumanly stoic Snake too much. 

Some of the footage has been found and fans have gotten a peek at Snake's lost partner and the extended, impressive bank robbery, but there was another bit that has been lost to time, and maybe it's for the better? 

In an interview with Starburst Magazine, Russell revealed that the opening sequence had to be cut for time and to help establish Snake's character in a more surprising way, but it sounds like there was definitely some shocking content in that original opening, too. Interviewer Whitney Scott Bain asked Russell about the scene in detail, revealing that he had seen the lost footage that takes place right after the credit card robbery, including "the scene where you see the Indians roasting the headless cat on a spit in the World Trade Center," which ends with Snake fighting them and then escaping. Russell explained why all of the footage was cut, telling Bain: 

"The studio thought it was too long and cut them, but in a way it worked to our advantage. No one had ever done an opening sequence where this guy gets off a bus in handcuffs with this bad boy, f-you attitude. It set the mood for the film right away."

It's worth noting the "headless cat" scene in question probably happened later in the film rather than right in the beginning — specifically after Snake is sent to the cut-off New York and lands on top of the World Trade Center. All that said, Russell is absolutely right, because "Escape From New York" sets Snake up as this quiet mystery man with a mostly unknown past and a morally ambiguous outlook. Is Snake a hero? Hell no. But he's the only guy that can save the president, and that's part of what makes the movie so freaking cool.

While pets on roasting spits can definitely set the tone in their own way (just look at Ben Wheatley's "High-Rise"!), there is something to be said for dropping Snake into the story with only a tiny bit of exposition to explain who he is. His entire persona is shown to us through the actions of those around him — his armed guards and the way everyone looks at him is an indicator that this guy is seriously dangerous, though he never acts like it. He's cool as a cucumber, but everyone around him seems ready to jump and shoot if he so much as scratches his nose. Snake's introduction goes a long way toward selling the movie and its ridiculous, heightened world. 

Other movies could certainly learn from "Escape From New York," honestly, as flicks these days seem to need to explain everything in detail. Here's hoping the potential remake doesn't try to tell us all about the botched bank job, why his name is Snake, or why he wears an eyepatch. The mystery is half of the fun!