Escape from Alcatraz (1979)

	Also Known As: -
	Year of first release: 1979
	Director: Don Siegel (Invasion of the Body Snatchers, Dirty Harry)
	Actors: Clint Eastwood (The Beguiled, For a Fistful of Dollars, Gran Torino), Patrick McGoohan (Scanners, Braveheart), Roberts Blossom
	Country: USA
	Genre: Thriller, Drama
	Conditions of visioning: 03.09.2017, VOD, 42" TV
Synopsis: Alcatraz is the most secure prison of its time. It is impossible to escape from it, until three men led by Frank Morris (Eastwood) start to plan it, under the nose of the Warden (McGoohan).
Review: Three days only after I visited myself the famous former prison now tourist attraction in San Fransisco, I wanted to watch again this classic with Clint Eastwood that I have seen many times in my youth but not anymore for a long time. There is much more to the prison visit than a movie set: the former fort, wildlife, the view on the SF bay, the Indian occupation, but I have to admit that the movie played a big role in my decision to visit the island. Once there I could remember scenes from the escape and its planning (and learn about many other escape attempts I never heard about), but watching the movie soon after really improved the experience. Not much happens in the movie, Clint plays like Clint (apparently cold but with a heart) which made me think the character was adapted to fit him. I also learned that the relationship with the Warden was enhanced in the movie. And some coincidence and good timing were also modified to increase the tension in the movie. Ignoring those adaptations of the real story for the screen, I enjoyed a lot the slow pace, the cold acting by Eastwood, the discussions about prison life that I could relate to what I have seen there including an exhibition of paintings by inmates. And even though I knew the ending, the ambition of the escape plan and the increasing tension kept me on edge for the whole duration of the movie. Watching it as a kid when discovering Clint Eastwood with my father, or now after visiting the set, Escape from Alcatraz is still a simple movie that makes me appreciate the Art of telling a story on a Cinema screen.
Rating: 8 /10