I planned on watching Escape From Alcatraz last night, but I realized I did not own it in my video collection so I settled on The Eiger Sanction. In the meantime I went to Amazon.com and looked up Escape From Alcatraz and for $2.99 I was able to download it to my Tivo for a thirty day rental. No visit to the video store, nothing to return and no late fees. Now you know why Blockbuster is closing stores.
I have never seen Escape From Alcatraz but I knew it was a well regarded film. The film is a fictional account of the only "successful" escape from Alcatraz prison. I say successful because three inmates did make it off the island, but their ultimate fate, did they drown or get away, has remained unknown.
The film stars Clint Eastwood as Frank Morris, the leader of the prison break. The film starts with his incarceration in Alcatraz and follows his life in prison and the planning that leads up to the escape.
The film is directed by Don Siegel who also directed Eastwood in Dirty Harry, Coogan's Bluff and The Beguiled, among others.
Since the audience already knows that the prisoners escape, the success of the film depends on how well the details of the plot unfold. Siegel excels at sustaining a level of tension throughout the film that keeps the viewer thoroughly engaged. Eastwood turns in another excellent performance and the art design and set decoration team deserve a lot for credit. It really feels like the film was made in Alcatraz and depicts day to day prison life.
At The Movie House rating ***1/2 stars.
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