Whenever I sit to watch a film from the 70s or early 80s, there’s always a preconceived notion that I’ll have to work harder at giving attention to it, but Escape from Alcatraz is a beautiful reminder that not every seriously written old film demands that from you.
The film set in 1960 America, shows the Alcatraz island jail, San Francisco which brags proudly that no prisoner has ever managed to escape. It’s based on a true story where three prisoners manage to escape the premises under the supervision of one of them, Frank Morris.
Now, there are no specific mentions of why all the prisoners in question wound up in jail, something that further keeps the narration to as much is required and clearly represents Director Don Siegel’s vision of how tightly he wanted the story to go forward.
The premise tells the viewers what is going to happen, so what is really left here is making the process seem extremely interesting and thankfully, the film succeeds in doing so.
Whenever one thinks of films based on escape from jail, Shawshank Redemption pops up as it rightfully should, but giving this one a try is even more important considering it came out 16 years before, and is based on a true story.
Mind you, there’s absolutely no comparison here, just a strong recommendation of a good film.
Interestingly, Clint Eastwood plays Frank Morris in this film, who presently is far more popular as director than as an actor. But seeing him act in this one along with the ensemble is exhilarating.
Along with showcasing the escape plan, the film also provides an insight into life in prison. Although it isn’t as deep, but that is also not the point here.
Now all in all, one look at the film will definitely draw out a good story and direction but from an aesthetic or cinematic point of view, there’s not much in store here.
Give it a watch if you’ve been longing a good, fast paced, intelligently written film.
The F Word 