Escape from Alcatraz (1979)

Don Siegel had worked with Clint Eastwood before, most notably Dirty Harry eight years previously in 1971. There’s no doubting the iconic prowess of that film, but what Siegel has achieved with Escape from Alcatraz is quite remarkable, based on the true life exploits of Frank Morris (Eastwood) an inmate of Alcatraz in 1962. Going into the film without having full knowledge of the story apart from the fact that it involves an infamous escape attempt, means that the final half hour of the film is astoundingly tense. Siegel resists having an overbearing soundtrack that tells you what’s happening, instead relying on a minimalist note or two every few minutes that coincides with a brilliantly shot sequence that has you chewing your fingernails down to the bone. The preparation of the escape attempt is also absorbing; the film is terrifically paced as we’re introduced to the various characters that are key to the narrative. Escape from Alcatraz doesn’t have the emotional heft of Frank Darabont’s The Shawshank Redemption (1994) but neither is it aiming for that, and the film it reminded me of the most is Rupert Wyatt’s underrated The Escapist (2008) starring Brian Cox. If you haven’t seen it, Escape from Alcatraz is a blast, and a very well made one. 8.1/10