“Escape From Alcatraz” is a rather enjoyable prison film starring Clint Eastwood (“Gran Torino”, “Sudden Impact”). This is a brutal picture about prison life with enough of Eastwood’s rough and tough charm to make it well worth a watch. The film also marked the fifth and final collaboration between Eastwood and director Don Siegel with their previous work including “Dirty Harry”.

Based on a true story, “Escape From Alcatraz” follows prisoner Frank Morris (Eastwood). Along with three other inmates, Morris tries to find a way to escape the infamous Alcatraz prison. He thinks he may have found a means of getting out but he will have to be mindful of the strict warden (Patrick McGoohan “Scanners”) that intends to maintain the prison’s record of no successful escapes.

Clint Eastwood is of course the perfect man for a movie like this; he has the perfect combination of toughness and wit to completely convince you that this is the sort-of man that would capable of getting out of Alcatraz. Patrick McGoohan is okay as the warden character. The other prisoners are all pretty good even though there are not really any that particularly stand out as anything special. Also, notice that the cast includes a young Fred Ward (“Tremors”) as one of the inmates.

“Escape From Alcatraz” is a suspenseful thriller with a great performance from Clint Eastwood. The film does have some disturbing moments including a scene where a distressed prisoner harms himself so just be aware that this is not a family film. Possibly my favourite line in the movie is where a guard says to Eastwood ‘Welcome to Alcatraz’ and then the lightning strikes. If you like prison movies or you are a fan of Clint Eastwood then “Escape From Alcatraz” is something you really need to see. I actually think most people will get some level of enjoyment from watching it.