Escape from Alcatraz

"No one has ever escaped from Alcatraz… and no one ever will!"

1979 1h 53m EN

🙌

7.5

BANGER

★7.5TMDB · 3,304

DramaThriller

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

San Francisco Bay, January 18, 1960. Frank Lee Morris is transferred to Alcatraz, a maximum security prison located on a rocky island. Although no one has ever managed to escape from there, Frank and other inmates begin to carefully prepare an escape plan.

“No one has ever escaped from Alcatraz… and no one ever will!”

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Cast

Clint Eastwood
Frank Morris
Patrick McGoohan
Warden
Roberts Blossom
Doc
Jack Thibeau
Clarence Anglin
Fred Ward
John Anglin
Paul Benjamin
English
Larry Hankin
Charley Butts
Bruce M. Fischer
Wolf

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Don Siegel
Writers: Richard Tuggle, Don Siegel
Languages: English
Countries: United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Made its money back 5.4× over at the box office.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

47 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Don Siegel, shot by Bruce Surtees. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Jerry Fielding. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Ferris Webster shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Clint Eastwood and Patrick McGoohan and Roberts Blossom carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "No one has ever escaped from Alcatraz… and no one ever will!".

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0079116 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Don Siegel directs. Bruce Surtees behind the camera. Jerry Fielding scores. Ferris Webster cuts. Made its budget back several times over at the box office. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Made its money back 5.4× over at the box office.
247 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.
3Directed by Don Siegel, shot by Bruce Surtees. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
4Original score by Jerry Fielding. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
5Editor Ferris Webster shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
6Clint Eastwood and Patrick McGoohan and Roberts Blossom carry the top of the cast.
7Marketing tagline: "No one has ever escaped from Alcatraz… and no one ever will!".
8IMDB entry: tt0079116 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
9Classified under 14 themes, including "prison", "island", "based on novel or book", "escape".

The technical file

Cinematography: Bruce Surtees
Original score: Jerry Fielding
Editing: Ferris Webster
Production design: Allen E. Smith
Makeup / hair: Joe McKinney
Sound: John T. Reitz
Runtime: 113 min · 1h 53m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Budget: $8,000,000
Box office: $43,004,381
Return: 538% of budget
Original language: EN
Certification (US): PG
IMDB: Escape from Alcatraz (1979)

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Don Siegel

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Community reviews

What people are saying

r96sk2022-01-21
★ 9/10
Gotta feel for this due to the later emergence of '<a href="https://letterboxd.com/film/the-shawshank-redemption/">The Shawshank Redemption</a>' and even '<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prison_Break">Prison Break</a>', but 'Escape From Alcatraz' still merits its own props as a great film. I love a good prison escape flick, shown by my love for those two aforementioned productions which do improve on the formula; TSR - one of my favourite films, fwiw - particularly must've took a lot of inspiration from this, I noted a fair few similarities. With the cast, you have an excellent performance from Clint Eastwood. Patrick McGoohan fits his role nicely, while Paul Benjamin and Larry Hankin are the best of the rest. I would've liked more development for the characters of Fred Ward and Jack Thibeau, who felt a little tacked on. Elsewhere, Danny Glover makes his acting debut in a tiny, tiny role. I found the pacing to be very good, sure the story I guess is obvious in terms of its direction but I still got tense and edgy whilst watching the escape take place. The ambience of the film is a positive too, with the exception of one moment early on where there's an overly on the nose lightning strike as one of the characters mentions Alcatraz - nothing major, it's a nit-pick and it's my only one so that's a big plus. Interesting to note this was the final collaboration between Eastwood and director Don Siegel, take out '<a href="https://letterboxd.com/film/coogans-bluff/">Coogan's Bluff</a>' and that was an extremely effective partnership - this 1979 release and '<a href="https://letterboxd.com/film/two-mules-for-sister-sara/">Two Mules for Sister Sara</a>' being my favourites.
JPV8522022-11-08
★ 8/10
Seen this one several times and still is a well done and straight forward, well shot, escape-thriller with fine performances all around. Nothing fancy and just enough character development to make you care. 4.0/5
CinemaSerf2023-06-05
★ 7/10
Clint Eastwood is at the top of his game in this thriller. He is bank robber Frank Morris, Incarcerated in one of America's most impregnable prisons, under the menacing gaze of warden Patrick McGoohan. He quickly concludes that he has little left to live for but escape. Together with twins Clarence and John Anglin (Fred Ward and Jack Thibeau) he puts together an intricate plan to escape their prison by using the utility tunnels to escape the complex then some makeshift inflatables to get across San Francisco bay. The facts of the story mean the ending is never in doubt - insofar as we actually know what the ending was/is! Now that rather detracts from any sense of jeopardy with the screenplay, but is one of the aspects that make Eastwood all the more compelling - his meticulous planning, ingenuity and sheer perspicacity is enthralling - ok, at times a little slow - to watch. He has to deal with the odd internal fracas, most notably from "Wolf" (Bruce Fisher) who would have some fun with him, if you get my drift... but none of that detracts him from his goal. Aside from this mission, Don Siegel offers us quite a detailed glimpse into life behind bars towards the end of this crumbling building's life; and we are exposed to the relentless tedium and despair of many which engenders some sympathy - however evil they may have been to be sent there in the first place. What Siegel doesn't really do, though, is use McGoohan to much effect. His usual less-is-more style of performance is certainly here, but all to infrequently to really build an sense of menace. Still, it's Eastwood's film and he is great...