He has also been over the territory of "Escape from Alcatraz" before, in his classic "Riot in Cell Block 11" (1954). Of all the directors Eastwood has worked with, the two most influential in shaping his screen persona have been Sergio Leone (of the Dollar Westerns) and Siegel (" Coogan's Bluff," " Dirty Harry"). But before the escape attempt itself, we're introduced to the daily routines of prison life and it's in these sequences that the director, Don Siegel, displays his special talent. A challenge like that is irresistible to this Eastwood character, a lean and muscular loner containing great angers. You can't get out, and if you do, you die anyway. What we basically have here, then, is a prison version of a Locked Room mystery. A fellow inmate ( Paul Benjamin) tells Eastwood what happens if you get that far: The tides make the mile swim seem like ten, the water's so cold your arms turn numb, and you can't make it to shore in the time-intervals between convict counts. But even at 40 years old, “Escape from Alcatraz” still holds up as a solid prison thriller sporting a really strong Clint Eastwood performance.Early on, we see why: The warden ( Patrick McGoohan) hovers over a model of Alcatraz and we see the sheer walls falling down to the rocks and the sea. ![]() After rewatching it I still struggle with one nagging issue – the ending is surprisingly anticlimactic. Even when it appears he’s shooting nothing more than the minutiae of everyday prison life, there are still plenty of details that build the atmosphere and push the narrative forward. ![]() Siegel’s storytelling is as precise and methodical as Frank’s escape plan. And as the movie’s title makes obvious, he instantly begins planning his escape. Frank is actually a genius and the only thing higher than Alcatraz’s security level is his IQ. But Eastwood brings more to his character than toughness and brawn. Siegel tapped into those same strengths with movies like “Dirty Harry” and “Two Mules for Sister Sara”. Tall, athletic, and with plenty of grit, he has the quiet strength that is perfect for Siegel’s approach to this story. And not a word of dialogue is spoken until Frank is inside the prison being processed.Ĭlint Eastwood is a great fit. The wily camera, ominous score and distinct use of sound brilliantly places us withing the setting. It’s a pitch-black night and rain pounds the island prison as the boat slowly approaches. He’s handed off to officers who take him below deck and chain him down as the boat heads toward Alcatraz. A man we come to know as Frank Morris (Clint Eastwood) is escorted by two trench-coated men to a docked boat waiting in the San Francisco bay. It’s when a filmmaker is so deftly in sync with his camera and the composition of every scene is so keenly utilized that he or she is able to speak volumes with hardly any dialogue. It’s the art of quiet visual storytelling. There is something so simple about “Escape from Alcatraz” yet so foreign to much of modern day cinema. So basically you pick what I watch and review. Whatever film finishes second comes back the next week against two new choices. The way it works is I put up three options on my Twitter feed (you can follow me Followers vote, I rewatch the movie, and then post the review the following Wednesday. For the past few months I’ve dedicated Wednesdays to doing Retro Reviews.
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