Movie Plots Have Come Home to Roost

John Carpenter's Escape from L.A. and The Warriors are dystopian visions of urban chaos that, in hindsight, eerily mirror the real-life breakdown of law enforcement we are seeing in Los Angeles .

In both cases, traditional authority structures lose control as underground networks dictate real-time action.

In the Los Angeles riots and other protests, Twitter , Facebook, and encrypted messaging apps have become digital command centers.

Both films emphasize that urban breakdown isn’t sudden, it’s decades in the making.

Instead of warning against government oppression, these films showcase the failure of institutions to enforce basic order and basic law.

When cities lack central leadership that punishes lawbreaking, e.g., illegal immigration, when law enforcement turns a blind eye to growing lawlessness, civil disorder becomes inevitable.