Today’s quick review: Escape from Alcatraz. In 1960, Frank Morris (Clint Eastwood) arrives at Alcatraz, a maximum security federal prison located on an island in San Francisco Bay. There, the prisoners are kept in separate cells, the guards count them regularly, and the Warden (Patrick McGoohan) allows them few privileges. In spite of the tight security, sturdy prison, and freezing bay, Morris hatches a daring plan to escape.
Escape from Alcatraz is a prison drama based on a true story. Clint Eastwood stars as Frank Morris, a canny inmate determined to escape from one of the toughest prisons in the United States. Escape from Alcatraz is a well-constructed drama with some of the flavor of a heist film. Morris must navigate the challenges of prison life while stealing the supplies he needs. The mechanics of the heist and Eastwood’s stony resolve make for a solid foundation.
Still, Escape from Alcatraz is missing one quality that other prison dramas tend to have: pathos. Frank Morris makes for a fine protagonist but not a very sympathetic one. He is an unrepentant criminal set apart only by his wits and his composure. Even his poor treatment from the Warden is not enough to put him in the right. As such, Escape from Alcatraz makes for a mechanically interesting story, but one that doesn’t carry much emotional weight.
Escape from Alcatraz makes a fine choice for anyone in the mood for a hesit-like movie with a more serious tone. The movie holds few real surprises, and it has only a light dusting of the usual themes of perseverance and human dignity, but Eastwood’s performance and a fascinating story are enough to carry it. Anyone interested in the anatomy of a real-life prison escape should give it a try.
For a more triumphant prison drama, try The Shawshank Redemption, The Green Mile, or either version of Papillon. For another story of a man mastering a prison, try The Last Castle.
7.6 out of 10 on IMDB. I give it a 7.0 for a focused and well-executed plot.