Escape From Alcatraz (1979) Dir: Don Siegel
- Ridley Coote
- Sep 19
- 2 min read
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Don Siegel's 1979 prison-break thriller is a dramatisation of the only supposedly successful escape attempt from the infamous Alcatraz prison, in the Bay of San Francisco; one of the most notorious prisons in the world. I've been meaning to watch this film for a while now - I've always had an interest in true crime related content - and it was only ever a matter of time before I gave this one a watch.
I thought that the film did brilliantly early-on to concisely and effectively show how exploitative, dehumanising, and inhumane the American prison system was and still is. It might have a fairly slow start, as far as action goes, but the way the opening unfolded still pulled me in, nonetheless. It set up the second half of the film superbly - the breaking down and stripping away of the prisoner, and the prisoners growing resistance and willingness to risk it all in order to be free.
Even though the audience know what's going to happen, one can't help but hold their breathe during the inevitable escape attempt. The tension built up during that entire sequence is marvellous, and the deliciously ambiguous nature of the ending was oh-so-tantalising. The momentum and suspense built steadily throughout the film, culminating in a tremendously intense climax, which was very effective, despite its lack of explicit action.
Clint Eastwood ruled the roost in this film, providing a deeply compelling protagonist figure whose charisma, steely eyes, and unending determination guided the audience through the story in a very effective manner. The supporting performances were nowhere near as memorable as that of Eastwood's, but I did think that Patrick McGoohan provided a decent antagonist for the film, albeit in a fairly understated way. Meanwhile, the likes of Roberts Blossom, Jack Thibeau, Larry Hankin, Paul Benjamin, and Fred Ward, deserved to be mentioned, despite not necessarily delivering the most significant performances I've ever seen.
Overall, I thought that this was a very compelling, if slightly predictable, prison break thriller, which boasted a typically high quality performance from its star; Clint Eastwood. The film built brilliantly, despite a relative lack of action, and kept a really strong degree of momentum that had me invested from start to finish. I'd say this is well worth the watch for fans of both Eastwood and prison break films in general - it's very good for what it is.
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