Review of Escape from Alcatraz (1979) by Andrew B — 07 Dec 2015

"Escape From Alcatraz" is a riveting, suspenseful film based on a true story about a man named Frank Morris and his accomplices possible escape from Alcatraz. The film began, continued, and ended keeping you up in the air. There wasn't a moment where my mind wandered or I felt relaxed.

Alcatraz is said to be the most secure prison of it's time.  Nicknamed "The Rock." This made the attempt to escape even more impressive because conditions were less than favorable.

Though the task was seemingly impossible, a team of prisoners were motivated to try anyway. Frank spent most of his time in Alcatraz trying to find a way out. I loved feeling almost like I was apart of the plan. They filmed in a way that made the prisoners the protagonists, even though they were in a prison for a crime they committed, and the guards as antagonists. The intelligence of Frank and his buddies was particularly enthralling! There are multiple times when they attempt the seemingly impossible and somehow make it work leaving me marveling at the genius of it all.

The film did a good job of showing us the cruelty and truly disturbing things about prison, but without making us feel entirely too traumatized. At one point in the film, Frank got a knife pulled on him and got sent to "D-BLOCK" along with his predator, we saw how they were slowly changing from humans to animals in the guards eyes. "D-BLOCK" is a line of cells that have no light. In mates sit in a pitch black room on the cold floor and get hosed down by water occasionally, then left to soak in their misery literally. Very disturbing and heart wrenching, yes, but an excellent depiction of what the in-mates suffered through in Alcatraz.

There were countless moments where I realized my whole body was tense and that I needed to relax. At one-point Frank had snuck out of his cell and a guard came back and right as the guard was reaching out to touch the dummy, somehow Frank was back in bed.

The film was constantly playing eerie music which you would expect to be in a horror film.  Usually the creepy music is a sign that a tense or nerve-racking scene is coming. The use of noises in this particular movie kept you suspended the entire time whether he was innocently eating his food in the cafeteria or sneaking around while a plaster dummy laid in bed in his place.

I think that the director of this film did an excellent job of portraying this true story in a suspenseful way.  All in all, a must see.