Escape from Alcatraz (1979)
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Escape from Alcatraz Movie Review
Escape from Alcatraz is a 1979 prison thriller film directed by Don Siegel and starring Clint Eastwood. It is one of the best crafted genre films from this period.
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“There’s always the possibility that some asshole
will be offended. Isn’t there?“
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Frank, a convict who is sent to Alcatraz, the most feared prison in the world, decides to escape from captivity despite the challenges that come his way. Based on a true story of escaped convicts, the movie is surprisingly true to that story with the ending even being as ambiguous as the events that really transpired. These convicts were never found, so their fates remain uncertain, and it was only fitting that the film would depict it as such.
Speaking of that ending, it was a double-edged sword to depict it realistically. It was admirable in that regard, but it undeniably felt anti-climactic and not as cinematic as I would have hoped. Watching the film, you expect it would go with a band due to all that superb build-up, but when that explosion never arrives, you are left feeling a bit disappointed.
But that is the only issue that I’ve had with this otherwise excellent prison movie that greatly influenced King and the eventual ‘Shawshank’ movie. Everything here operated on magnificent terms with the cinematography being remarkable, the score being fittingly atmospheric and the sound is consistently evocative. The directing from Don Siegel is top-notch and the movie flies by despite its slow pace.
It is leisurely paced, but that worked to its advantage as it led to a more meticulously crafted thriller sequences with the prison break itself and especially the build-up being highly intense and unforgettable due to that staggering attention to detail in tactics and tools depicted. The highlights here were those suspenseful sequences of digging. Those were palpably thrilling.
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Clint Eastwood is superb in the main role. He is very charismatic and he was perfectly cast. His accomplices also were memorable and solidly developed with the black inmate being the most interesting of the bunch. Escape from Alcatraz never is interested in what crimes these men committed or with any more meaningful themes, but that actually worked to its benefit as it led to a perfectly calculated and executed genre flick that sets out to do one thing and it does it brilliantly.
Though somewhat anti-climactic in its ending, Escape from Alcatraz is consistently engaging in spite of its deliberate pacing. That is because its build-up is palpably intense and meticulously crafted. Clint Eastwood was excellent in the main role and Don Siegel’s directing was superb. This is a film that isn’t concerned with any more meaningful themes or ideas, but that worked to its benefit as it sets out to do one thing and it does it brilliantly, resulting in one of the most suspenseful and most influential prison movies.
My Rating – 4.5
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