Escape From L.A. (also known as John Carpenter's Escape From L.A.) is a 1996 action film directed by John Carpenter. The sequel to the action film Escape from New York, the film follows war hero Snake Plissken, played by Kurt Russell. It co-stars Steve Buscemi, Stacy Keach, Bruce Campbell, and Pam Grier.

On August 23, 2000, an earthquake reaching 9.6 magnitude hits the city of Los Angeles, causing it to separate from the mainland by flooding the San Fernando Valley (now called the "San Fernando Sea") and turning it into an island from Malibu to Anaheim. Just prior to this, an American presidential candidate (Cliff Robertson) who is also an outspoken Christian theocrat makes a doomsday prediction of the disaster during his campaign, saying L.A. is a "city of sin", and that, "Like the mighty hand of God, waters will rise up and separate this sinful, sinful city, from our country."

The candidate is elected as the new President, a new constitutional amendment appoints him for life, and the capital is relocated to his hometown of Lynchburg, Virginia. The President declares that anyone not conforming to the new "Moral America" laws he creates (banning such things as smoking, alcoholic beverages, red meat, firearms, profanity, non-Christian religions and non-marital sex) will lose their citizenship and be deported to Los Angeles Island (unless they repent and choose the electric chair). Like New York City in Escape from New York, Los Angeles is turned into a penal colony of sorts. A containment wall is built around the shore of the island, armed guards and watchtowers are posted, and those sent to the island are exiled permanently.

In 2013, Cuervo Jones (played by Georges Corraface), a Shining Path Peruvian Revolutionary, seduces the President's daughter, Utopia (played by A.J. Langer), via a holographic Internet system and brainwashes her into stealing her father's remote control to the "Sword of Damocles" super weapon?a series of high-tech satellites capable of destroying electronics anywhere on the planet using a focused electromagnetic pulse. The President had threatened to use the system to render enemies of America "unable to function", and eventually dominate the world. While traveling aboard Air Force Three, Utopia leaves the plane in an escape pod and lands on L.A. Island to join with Cuervo.

With the satellites under his control, Cuervo promises to take back America with the assistance of an allied invasion force of Latin American nations that are standing by to attack. Cuervo claims that if the President tries to stop him, he'll "pull the plug" on the country and black out the capital. Cuervo also knows the secret "world code", that can activate all the satellites and knock out power for the entire planet.
Meanwhile, Snake Plissken (Kurt Russell) is captured for another series of crimes and is blackmailed into going to the island as an exile. Upon his arrival for deportation, however, Snake meets the President and is offered the mission to retrieve the remote device. The President says he will give him a full pardon for all the crimes he has ever committed if he is successful. The President indicates he does not care if Utopia is returned or not, declaring her a traitor. Initially, Snake refuses to get involved, but to ensure his compliance, Snake is infected with the man-made Plutoxin 7 (different from what he got last time) virus which will kill him within ten hours. If he completes the mission, Snake will be given the antidote.

Snake is given a submachine gun, a personal holographic projector, a thermal-camouflage overcoat, and a countdown clock for how long he has to live. Los Angeles is now in ruins and a hotbed of crime. Snake sneaks into the city with a mini submarine which he loses when the platform it landed on crumbles, causing the sub to sink. Making his way across the island, Snake meets "Map to the Stars" Eddie (Steve Buscemi), a swindler who makes a living selling interactive tours of L.A.
Snake defeats Cuervo at his staging area of The Happy Kingdom By The Sea and takes the remote control. Eventually, Snake escapes the island with Utopia in a helicopter. Cuervo shoots it with a rocket launcher before Eddie manages to kill him, but this action causes Eddie to fall off the chopper. Snake and Utopia reach the President. Snake intentionally hands off the wrong remote to the President while Utopia is taken to the electric chair for execution despite her pleas for forgiveness. The Plutoxin 7 virus is revealed to be nothing more than a fast, hard-hitting case of the flu. Thinking he has control of the satellites, the President tries to use them to stop a Cuban invasion force threatening Florida. Activating the remote, the President hears only Eddie's "Map to the Stars" intro over I Love L.A. instead.
In anger, the President orders Snake's execution, but Snake had activated his hologram projector and the Snake that gets shot is an illusion. Snake activates the device, entering the world code, against pleas to stop (ironically, at this one time when others refer to him as Snake, the way he had wanted throughout most of the film, he demands to be called by name instead). At the deportation center, Utopia praises Snake for "turning off the world" and saving her. The illusory Snake disappears, since he has "turned off the Earth". In reality, he is a few hundred yards away where he finds a pack of cigarettes on the ground and lights one up. The cigarette box is labeled "American Spirit". Addressing the viewer, Snake finally says to himself: "Welcome to the human race."