Escape From Alcatraz

Starring: Clint Eastwood, Patrick McGoohan, Roberts Blossom, Jack Thibeau, Fred Ward, Paul Benjamin, Larry Hankin, Bruce M. Fischer, Frank Ronzio, Danny Glover
Directed by: Don Siegel
Rating: PG
Genre: Drama
1979

Times Seen:
Tim: 1

Summary: Three men attempt a dangerous and brazen escape from Alcatraz- a prison from which escape is supposed to be impossible.

Review:

Tim: Escape from Alcatraz is an entertaining, thrilling look at a real-life prison break. I found the film to be technically masterful in its telling of an ingenious escape from an inescapable prison. The human side of the film feels slightly behind the technical side, but this still very much works from an entertainment standpoint.

This film is helped by the incredible, stunning escape attempt by three men. This is a case of real life defying belief. The effort that went into the escape, the painstaking process, the risk to their lives, it all adds up to remarkable drama. Having visited Alcatraz, it's hard to imagine how the events of this film took place.

The movie does a terrific job of showing how three men could possible escape from a prison that was built to be inescapable. From filing away the walls around tiny grates, to creating life-like paper-mache dummies to look like they were still in their cells, to the rafts made out of raincoats, this movie gets all the details right. It makes an escape that seems impossible feel plausible. It's also incredibly entertaining and thrilling to see the escape attempts come together and all the near-misses along the way. Director Don Siegel deserves credit for delivering a tight, compelling film. The movie tells a big story in under two hours- it feels like a more epic movie than you could possibly get in 1 hour, 52 minutes.

If there's a fault I have with the movie, it's that we're never given a really compelling reason to care about the characters. After all, they are criminals. Sure, the movie presents them in the best possible light, but they didn't have engaging backstories that really made us root for them. It's not like any of these men were innocent (the downside of this being a real-life story). We want the men to escape because the movie tells us we're supposed to. There isn't a lot in the actual characters themselves or their stories to create that sense. Now, the movie does play up the cruelty of the warden and the evilness of another prison who at first wants to rape, and then eventually, kill the main character. This makes our protagonists look good in comparison. Those were important things to at least try and get us on the side of the potential escapees, but it doesn't make us really care about the characters. I felt more disgust at the actions of others around them than in real emotional connection with any of them.

Clint Eastwood does a good job in the lead role. He's certainly tough and hardened, so believable as a criminal. He also conveys some of his character's legendary intelligence (I read he had the highest IQ in the whole prison system, or something to that effect). Eastwood is a likeable actor, which is essential here because the script doesn't give us enough insight into his character to identify with him that way. Eastwood's performance really helps. I liked seeing Fred Ward here in a small supporting role. Patrick McGoohan is decent as the unlikable Warden. The rest of the cast was fairly good.

The movie itself is pretty thrilling. There are some really compelling moments where the anxiousness we feel is ratcheted up fairly high. The movie does a good job of telling a nerve-racking escape story, fraught with close calls and lucky breaks. It was entertaining to watch this.

I really did enjoy Escape from Alcatraz. It's an enjoyable, exciting and well-made movie. We've been fortunate to get so many great escape movies from Hollywood. So, while this is really good, it doesn't measure up to a Papillon, The Great Escape, Stalag 17, or Midnight Express. Still, this is yet another solid entry in that sub-genre and it's a movie I had fun watching.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: 7.5


If You Enjoyed This Movie, We Recommend: Birdman of Alcatraz, Papillon, The Great Escape, Stalag 17