Customer Reviews

Escape from Alcatraz [VHS]

5 star:		(52)
4 star:		(17)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(6)

 

 

Seldom do Amazon.com reviewers agree on ratings for films they watch, but for this one, the vote is in and it is unanimous. Escape from Alcatraz is a winner.

Director Don Siegel is pitch perfect from beginning to end. Many reviewers who have been to Alcatraz comment on the realism of this film. Siegel gives us an inside look at what it might have been like to be imprisoned on "the rock." From the black hole of solitary confinement to the painfully small individual cells of the prisoners, Alcatraz was a nasty place meant for only the nastiest criminals.

One of these prisoners is Frank Morris, expertly played by Clint Eastwood, who is transferred to Alcatraz, gets into a fight with an inmate who wants to make him his "punk," and spends time in the black hole. When he gets out of solitary, Morris begins to plan his escape. Several reviewers comment on the fact that Hollywood does not get these facts straight, but I didn't much care. I was pulled very quickly into Morris's plans and then the actual mechanics of the breakout, which were genuinely interesting and toward the end, had me sitting at the edge of my chair as I waited with suspense to see how the story would end.

The escape is obviously central to the entire plot, but the life of prisoners at Alcatraz is also dramatized expertly by Don Siegel. The warden, Patrick McGoohan, is aloof and professional, but he has a mean streak, which makes life harder than it needs to be on the rock. Frank Morris is smart enough not to get mad, but to get even, and this he does with three other inmates who assist him in the breakout. The warden and his guards are constanly on the alert for any suspicious behavior and we hold our breath from time to time as the escape plan is almost detected.

At last the time comes and we go step by step with Morris and two of his crew as they head for the icy waters surrounding Alcatraz. The fourth member of the crew hesitated and was left behind. This appears to follow the real-life events as mentioned by other reviewers.

Did Morris and his buddies successfully navigate the treacherous waters surrounding Alcatraz? I'll leave that question unanswered. Viewers can decide for themselves.

What is certain, at least to the reviewers of Amazon.com, is that Escape from Alcatraz is a well-made, highly suspenseful film from beginning to end, and it is one of Clint Eastwood's best roles -- that's saying something. Highly recommended!

In the 29 years of Alcatraz's existence, and despite the strict measures, 39 captives tried to escape from America's premier maximum-security prison during its existence... Thirty six of whom failed... This script is about the other three, of whom nothing is known... They may have drowned in San Francisco Bay, or they may have got away...

Morris (Clint Eastwood) was a loner, a rebel against society, the perfect hero that Siegel loves... Lee Marvin in 'The Killers', Steve McQueen in 'Hell is for Heroes', and Richard Widmark in 'Madigan' were all similar types in films which he had directed..

In 'Escape From Alcatraz,' Eastwood gives his best screen acting to date... It is a charismatic performance that is so idiosyncratic, persuasive, and powerful... Eastwood, gave Morris the rough, intelligent aspect that is immediately palpable...

The first few minutes of the film consist of Morris being brought by boat to Alcatraz, inspected by a doctor and thrown into a cell... Throughout this, Eastwood does not speak... But already the audience feels it... They know the character... He has been through this before... He tries to control his mind... He builds a barrier between himself and his surroundings... He holds back his fear but he's not so foolish as to appear brave... Behind his impassivity, his mind is calculating... He is studying everyone... Everyone knows, prison guards and fellow prisoners alike, that this is not a man to be intimidated with easily...

But Siegel wasn't making a film about penal cruelty or miscarriage of justice or anything like that... He was presenting a meditative study of the inflexibility of human spirit, with a star strong enough in himself to join one sequence to the next... Both Siegel and Eastwood are known for violence, but there's relatively little of it this time...

This is not to say that Siegel has no interest in character... Stereotype characters, such as Doc and Litmus, make the film more entertaining... A further example is the inevitable homosexual Wolf (Bruce M. Fisher), who points out that Morris is a potential victim but realizes he has met his match when he approaches him in the showers one morning and gets three unexpected blows in the groin and a bar of soap in the mouth for his harassment... Another familiar type of character is English (Paul Benjamin), the leader of the Black mafia, who sits in the yard far away from the white inmates... English proves to be a nice guy..

But the biggest stereotype of them all is the cold warden, although Patrick McGoohan tries as hard as he can to provide Morris with some individual personality... Apart from the flower-crushing and constant attention to his nails, he is permitted by the scriptwriter merely to recite phrases that might have come from the prison handbook: 'No one has ever escaped from Alcatraz alive. Alcatraz was built to keep all the rotten eggs in one basket. I was specially chosen to make sure the stink from that basket doesn't escape.'

But two elements in the film are absolutely real: one is the central character, which will be considered in a moment, and the other is 'The Rock' itself...

Siegel's overwhelming achievement is to send the audience to infamous prison for two hours... The claustrophobia, the implicit suppression of any joy, the barbarity of being caged in isolation cells, all these suffocating atrocities come across with such reality that one experiences a total sense of relief when the camera moves into the recreation yard for the clear bright light of every early morning... Siegel's technique in this respect is unique...

Siegel's film style seems almost a cinematic interpretation of Eastwood screen persona: lean, clean, and harsh... Here is one example: When the incorrigible psychopath is out to finish Eastwood, his one chance is in the exercise yard... When he enters the yard, he is in need for a weapon... He has none! He slowly advances into the yard toward his victim... The camera goes down to the man's right hand as he walks... After a moment, another man puts a knife in that hand... The camera stays on the hand as he keeps moving... After another moment, another hand reaches in and grabs the con's arm.... The whole brief sequence is loaded with surprise and suspense... It is in two words: pure cinema...

Siegel's movie follows the known facts of the escape constantly, permitting itself only one act of poetic license at the very end... Throughout the film, Siegel uses a yellow chrysanthemum as a symbol of 'heart', to indicate that although the brutal system may have removed everything from the inmates save the questionable privilege of remaining alive, in some men at least their spirit survives...

'Doc', an elderly inmate who has spent twenty years there but who is permitted to paint and cultivate chrysanthemums, introduces the concept...

Clint Eastwood and director Don Siegel were sympatico in terms of taut, economic filmmaking. "Escape From Alcatraz" (1979) remains a standout in their careers. It's a gritty, atmospheric prison drama that demands repeated viewings. Eastwood delivers one of his finest performances as convict Frank Morris - perfectly matched by Patrick McGoohan as the sadistic warden. Highly recommended.

This is pretty much a pretty agreed upon film by fans and critics alike. Director Don Siegel delivered one of the finest prison films, and told it like it is. Not a content film?. Please. Fan-worthy only?. Nope. This is the real deal. It's based upon a strue story of three inmates, and the greatest escape put together on the island prison known as Alcatraz. The one and only Clint Eastwood stars as real life convict Frank Morris, a life long criminal who was shipped to Alcatraz on a rainy night on January 20, 1960. Morris' crimes began at a very young age, but by the time he became a young adult, he was involved with narcotics possession and robbery. Because of his widely know intelligence, and his penchant for amazing escapes elsewhere, he is sent to the rock. There, he butts heads with the steely cool warden, played marvelously by Patrick McGoohan, who you will remember from the old TV show, "The Prisoner". Morris' plan of escape sets into motion when he meets fellow convicts, the Anglin brothers, John and Clarence. One of whom played by a then unknown Fred Ward. Through working in the prison and creating such helpful escape concoctions they made like rafts, and rubber boats, the plan was in motion. The biggest creation they made were life like dummies of their heads, to sit in their beds to fool their guards. The Anglin brothers even named their own dummy heads. They named them Oink and Oscar. If you don't know the story, or the whole thing, saying anything more like how they got out and what the result of their ingenious escape was, would be saying too much. I'll let you watch and find out yourselves. The movie has the right feel of a prison. Actually filming on location at the famed prison certainly didn't hurt either. That's one of the best things here that adds to the movie's truthful story and it's authenticity. Eastwood is one of cinema's best film idols, and this is definitley one of his best roles among many. He doesn't portray Frank Morris as a character on a page in a Hollywood film script, but fully imbues the role with realism and humanity. McGoohan is equally good as the warden, and the scenes and chemistry between the two are as engaging and interesting as anything else. The movie may be slow and uneventful for some, but anyone with an attention span and appreciation for a fine film faithfully re-telling a true story, you will see just how addictive this film really is. The tours they have at Alcatraz include seeing just where and how the three got out of their cells. Of course, their cells are marked and shown, and there are pictures of the dummy heads. Sadly, the real things are not on display for anyone to see. There is a sign saying which cell Eastwood used in the making of the film too. There hasn't been anything like it since.

This is one of these great movies that keeps you cheering for the villans as they attempt to outwit the establishment; This time it's the notorious Alcatraz Federal Prison and it's cold and heartless warden, played excellently by Patrick McGoohan (he also played the equally cold and ruthless King Longshanks in Braveheart). By prison movie standards, this one is very realistic and keeps you in suspense right to the end. It's my second-favorite prison movie, just behind The Shawshank Redemption.

Clint Eastwood plays Frank Morris, a life-long con who has been sent to Alcatraz in part because of his successful past escape attempts. The warden advises Morris that Alcatraz was built to keep all the "rotten eggs in one basket." Seconds later, Morris finds his first 'tool' to assist in his escape; the wardens nail clippers! Later, Morris meets his soon-to-be accomplices, brothers he met in another institution. It's not long before Morris finds his path to freedom, with the unlikely aid of a cockroach. Together, taking risky and cunning chances to sneak items into their cells to assist in their escape, the three men and one more-reluctant con find a way to make their break. The build-up to the escape is absolutely brilliant. Every scene leaves you on the edge of your seat. You can imagine what it was really like trying to pull off this escape.

The beauty of this movie is that it is based on a true story. It is the most famous of all prison escapes and one of the few where the fate of the escapees is unknown to this day. It would be awesome, assuming they lived, that one or more of the escapees would come forward to tell their story today. I would support a pardon for all three of them just for pulling it off. As for their fate, I recently watched a documentary that attempted to replicate their escape and determine if they could have survived swimming in that frigid Bay-area water. Even an experienced swimmer could not make it. It was determined that unless a boat was waiting for them, they would have died of hypothermia and been swept out to sea by the strong currents.

There was a fourth escapee of Alcatraz that we dont know the fate of: the little mouse that belonged to the old man. Remember, Morris put him in his shirt pocket and said, "You're coming along, too." I hope they made it!

Apparently most of the reviewers have only seen the movie. If you're familiar with the books on the subject: "Escape from Alcatraz" by John Campbell Bruce, and "Breaking the Rock" by Jolene Babyak, who actually lived there, you'll find that the real story is way more intriguing than the film could ever be. So much of the film tries to unnecessarily sensationalize events or characters, like the the black inmate English, and his relationship to Morris never existed, nor could it have in 1960-62 prison life. One of the reasons these guys wound up in Alcatraz was because of their extreme racial animosity. The efforts of the (four) prisoners to get out was more intense, involved, time consuming, and dangerous than the film makes out.

Do yourself a favor and hit a library near you for the "real meat".

This is not a documentary, but I would say it is fairly accurate portrayal of events surrounding the life of Frank Morris at Alcatraz, at least a far as anyone could know.

Yes, it's a bit slow, but remember these men were locked up in their individual cells 16 to 23 hours a day (depending upon whether they had a prison job or not) -- not a lot happens in a average day.

The film concludes emphasizing that Frank and the Anglin brothers were never caught, and their bodies never found, and notes the warden's quick declaration that they drowned. The movie, in my interpretation, implies that the escape must have been successful.

However, it is far more likely that they drowned. The plan was for the men to swim to Marin County via Angel Island, break into a clothing store in Tiburon to change out of their prison clothes, and steal a car to get out of the area. No such crimes were committed in the days or weeks following the escape. Furthermore, the Morris and Anglin families were never contacted by the escapees, something that would seem likely in the weeks, months, or years since.

Another interesting fact is that a man (Seymour Webb) committed suicide, in front of numerous witnesses, off the Golden Gate Bridge on the very night of the escape and during the same window of time -- his body was never found either, despite very quick attempts by the Coast Guard to rescue him. (The tidal currents can be very strong in San Francisco Bay.)

There has been at least one Alcatraz escapee (Floyd Hamilton) who was declared drowned but found alive two days after his escape when he returned to the prison (starving and cold) after hiding in a cave along the shore.

Attention Directors and Producers: There's plenty more true historical Alcatraz material for a new version of this movie or on other Alcatraz subjects!

Alcatraz fans should see: http://alcatrazhistory.com/

Clint Eastwood one of America's favorite actors and one of mine as well stars in Escape from Alcatraz. This movie is one of my favorite movies. Clint portrays Frank Morris the masterminder of Alcatraz who made a brillant escape plan to escape from the infamous prison. This film is based on a true story of the three men who escaped in june on 1962. Well to Frank Morris, and the Anglins i hope u made it.

A Very Good movie about the only man to have escaped from the world's most famous prison. Clint Eastwood once again puts in another great performance (as does Patrick McGhoon). It's great watching the build up to the prison breakout. My only slight niggle is that the film ought to have been a little bit longer. But overall, it certainly stands up to repeated viewing and comes well recommended. If you are considering purchasing this on DVD be warned, it comes with no extras. Shame on you Paramount.

Summary:
Frank Morris (Clint Eastwood) is transferred to Alcatraz after having escaped from another, in what is made out to be, a long series of prisons. He makes friends with some of the other inmates (Doc-Roberts Blossom; English-Paul Benjamin; Charley Butts-Larry Hankin; Litmus-Frank Ronzio) and has some friends from a previous prison join him (Clarence Anglin-Jack Thibeau; John Anglin-Fred Ward). He also has to deal with an inmate that is out to get him (Wolf-Bruce M. Fischer) and a warden that is pretty rough on the inmates (Patrick McGoohan). Together they plot their escape from Alcatraz and three of the four (Frank and the Anglin brothers get away, Charlie doesn't) in on the plan actually get away.

My Comments:
The movie is pretty similar to The Shawshank Redemption in a lot of ways. But I wouldn't necessarily consider one better than the other. The only problems I had with this movie is that we never really find out much about Frank other than he is a career criminal. There is one line about his childhood, but he doesn't say much other than that it was 'short'. It would have been interesting to know more about some of the other people involved. However, this really doesn't affect the movie and should have been taken care of as special features on the DVD (it doesn't really have any). Other than that and the movie being slow in a few spots, the movie was really great.

Overall, the movie is remarkably well done and very convincing. It is based on a true story and is a very enjoyable. If you liked The Shawshank Redemption, you should like this.