Escape From Alcatraz (1979)Plot In A Paragraph: The true story of Frank Morris (Eastwood) a cunning bank robber who was sent to Alcatraz Island, the most feared prison in the world. Although nobody had ever escaped from Alcatraz, Frank masterminded this elaborately detailed and, as far as anyone knows, ultimately successful, escape. In 29 years, this seemingly impenetrable federal penitentiary, which housed Al Capone and "Birdman" Robert Stroud, was only broken once by three inmates never heard of again.Rounding out the decade that saw him jump back in the saddle again, make Harry Callahan a household name, hang out with an Orangutan, steal Nazi gold and run The Gauntlet, Eastwood ended the decade back with Don Siegel in their final movie together. It's a shame a silly ego fuelled rift ruined a great working relationship. They made up of course, but they never worked together again.One of my favourite non franchise Clint Eastwood movies Escape From Alcatraz is brilliant. It's well directed, has a tight, tense script and is well acted!! It's just simply masterful storytelling. If there is one criticism of the movie, it's that it's ending is a little anti climactic. But there's so much that's so good in the film, in the performances, the characters, the minutely observed details of prison life, the timing of events leading up to the escape that it's hard to pick faults with such a well done movie.Escape From Alcatraz grossed $43 million at the domestic box office to end the year as the 15th highest grossing movie of 1979.

It's 1960 San Francisco. Bank robber Frank Morris (Clint Eastwood) has tried too many escapes and is brought to Alcatraz where no one has ever escaped from. He befriends Litmus with his mouse and becomes Wolf's enemy. English (Paul Benjamin) runs the library. It turns out that English is the top among the blacks. Charley Butts moves into the next cell. Brothers Clarence Anglin and John Anglin (Fred Ward) join Frank in Alcatraz after a failed escape.It's a nice prison movie with all the horrors that entails and an escape scheme. It's a bit slow and lacks a truly scary opponent. The warden is nothing special. Patrick McGoohan doesn't have enough threatening presence. Wolf is too soft and goes away for much of the movie. I wish more is done with the antagonists of the movie. Nevertheless, it's a good escape movie. Clint is at the top of his game.

If you're looking for a character driven drama or thriller in Don Siegel's 'Escape from Alactraz', you'll have to look elsewhere. Of course, fans of Siegel already know that the director of 'Invasion of the Body Snatchers' (1956) is more interested in lean, economical, and tightly constructed stories with slight brush strokes of character motivations and feelings. This is why Clint Eastwood, with his steely, cold eyes and subtle facial expressions worked so marvelously in Siegel's films - and he is excellent here as well. The story is about the possible escape of three men from the notorious prison Alcatraz near San Francisco. We learn very little about the prisoners who escape, except through their actions, temperament, and reactions to situations as they unfold. Each man wants to escape for their own reasons and while there is a sense of comradery and friendship, Siegel refuses to sentimentalize their relationships as most Hollywood movies of this genre would've. Overall, 'Escape from Alcatraz'is Siegel at his best: taut, mean, and tense.

Much like some of the best horror/thriller films rely on what you don't see, "Escape from Alcatraz" engages with suspense that almost never exists, and does so to great effect.Eastwood turns in his standard Eastwood performance as Frank Morris, an unassuming and intelligent prisoner whose most heinous criminal acts seem to be breaking out of prisons, for which he is sent to the "inescapable" Alcatraz. Needless to say, he plots to escape (of course, Eastwood would do this no matter what character he's playing), with the help of a few prisoners he befriends, two of whom he knows from a stint in a Georgia prison and followed his coattails to the Rock.By "standard Eastwood" I mean that he plays the character like an expert violinist, but at any moment you know he could make you wet your pants just by asking if you feel lucky; one of few actors (Pesci, Spacey) that can masterfully exist simultaneously as actor and character. Real life Frank Morris likely did not have the intimidating presence of Eastwood, but no guns are drawn or staredowns initiated, so we stick to story but are able to romanticize it ourselves.All the standard prison film tropes (rape, racism, the elderly prisoner) are handled beautifully to establish the prison mood while furthering the story and not hindering the pacing of the movie. All but a few prison movies would be improved by copying and pasting this film's use of the tropes into their own overarching stories. If this film were made today, even with an equally outstanding cast, I fear it would likely fall victim to being forced over the top with superfluous "Gotcha!" scenes, choreographed group fights, sharks, bad weather, maybe a shark/weather hybrid, and so forth. This is not a film that will have you on the edge of your seat or excite you at any time, and that's a good thing. The story is executed realistically, forcing you to generate far more suspense in your mind than is given on screen, which is very minimal and peaks during a routine cell check, with the warden opening the case of Frank's accordion while sitting inches away from the hole in the cell wall.The subtlety may be a bit over the top itself (even for real life), as the actual escape left me generating numerous near-capture scenarios in my head, making the finale somewhat anticlimactic. Though the setting, characters and story were portrayed so well that it didn't matter much, and the film's (and real life's) final question leaves the right type of open end that gives ample suspense.This film doesn't blow you away but it is gripping and highly enjoyable. I have a pessimistic/critical nature and make a habit of looking for things I don't like in books, movies, etc. I know I've watched a very good movie when the best I can come up with is "I wish there were one more scene with the warden" or "Why wouldn't Morris introduce himself unless asked his name?" And neither of those really matter. Unless you count "Cuckoo's Nest," this is my favorite prison movie.