In a gripping voice-over narration, we are transported to a dystopian 1997 where the remnants of World War III loom large. Both the United States and the Soviet Union have faced devastating losses and are seeking a fragile peace. The island of Manhattan has been transformed into a high-security prison since 1988, due to an alarming 400% spike in crime across the nation, a consequence of a Soviet gas attack that led to New York being hit the hardest. Enclosed by a towering 50-foot (15 m) wall, the inmates, sentenced to life behind bars, have formed chaotic gangs that rule over the desolate, trash-ridden cityscape.
The film opens with a bleak view of Manhattan's skyline, where two men attempting to escape in a makeshift raft meet their demise when a hovering helicopter gunship obliterates their vessel. The helicopter returns to its base on Liberty Island, the control center of the US police force monitoring the prison island.
As Air Force One, the President's aircraft, is en route to a crucial summit involving the United States, the Soviet Union, and China, it becomes the target of a hijacking led by a revolutionary woman masquerading as a flight attendant, played by Nancy Stephens. After killing the pilots, she crashes the plane into a Manhattan skyscraper during a suicidal mission, while the unnamed President, portrayed by Donald Pleasence, survives locked in an escape pod.
Meanwhile, Commissioner Bob Hauk (Lee Van Cleef) arrives at the command center on Liberty Island, where he and his security chief, Remy (Tom Atkins), observe the plane's crash. Soon, a representative of the inmates, Romero (Frank Doubleday), threatens Hauk, claiming to have the President and demanding their exit from the island within thirty seconds or face dire consequences. To emphasize his point, Romero brandishes one of the President’s severed fingers, forcing Hauk into a difficult position. With little choice, Hauk retreats and waits for authorization to initiate a rescue mission.
In his office, Hauk approaches a notorious prisoner—the infamous one-eyed special-forces-soldier-turned-armed-robber S.D. "Snake" Plissken (Kurt Russell). Hauk offers Snake a deal: if he successfully rescues the President and retrieves a cassette containing crucial nuclear fusion data, he will receive a full pardon. However, Hauk secretly has Snake injected with microscopic explosives that will detonate in 24 hours to ensure he doesn’t abandon the mission, giving Snake further incentive to complete the task.
Reluctantly, Snake agrees while promising Hauk dire consequences upon his return. He stealthily lands on the World Trade Center in a Gulfire glider, reminiscent of operations during his time in Leningrad, USSR. After locating the crash site and the escape pod, he finds it empty, indicating that the President has been taken elsewhere. Using the President's life-monitor bracelet as a guide, Snake seeks help from Cabbie (Ernest Borgnine), a friendly inmate, to navigate the treacherous landscape.
As Snake ventures through dark streets populated by the Crazies, he briefly encounters a seductive young woman (Season Hubley) with a yearning for freedom but is forced to abandon her in the chaos that ensues. After an intense chase, Cabbie arrives in his cab, saving Snake from the aggressive gang.
To track down the President, Cabbie directs Snake to the New York Public Library, where they find Brain (Harry Dean Stanton), a former accomplice, now a cunning inmate. Brain reveals that the President is being held by the self-styled Duke of New York (Isaac Hayes), the formidable leader of the Gypsies, who intends to use him as a human shield for their escape across the heavily guarded 69th Street Bridge.
After a series of narrow escapes and relentless pursuit, Snake ultimately discovers the President in an abandoned railroad car but is captured due to Brain's betrayal. The following day, Snake faces a merciless giant in a fight while Brain and his girlfriend Maggie (Adrienne Barbeau) devise a plan to free the President. With tensions rising, a fierce escape ensues, leading to fatal encounters and surprising sacrifices as key characters face off against the Duke.
In a breathtaking climax, Snake and the President narrowly evade capture, culminating in a tense chase across a mine-filled bridge. With Cabbie and Brain meeting tragic fates, Snake, the President, and Maggie race against time for freedom as the Duke relentlessly pursues them. In a spectacular finale, Snake outsmarts the Duke, leading to a final confrontation that sees the President reclaim his power as he eliminates his torturer.
Once back at Liberty Island, amidst a televised address, the President gives a perfunctory thanks to Snake, who is filled with disgust at the President's cavalier attitude regarding the lives lost in his rescue. As he is pardoned, Snake declines an offer to work for the government, choosing instead to remain detached from the nation he once served. In a dramatic twist, the cassette tape intended for the summit is revealed to be a mixtape of "Bandstand Boogie," delightfully transforming Snake's escape into an ironic commentary on his journey, as he walks away into the night, smiling while he tears apart the nuclear fusion tape crucial for humanity's survival.
