It's a testament to the compelling nature of the story that this film can run an hour and 52 minutes and not feel nearly that long. This is interesting and involving every step of the way, with producer & director Don Siegel treating the material in the most matter of fact way possible. There's no melodrama here, and no filler. The performances are all low key, natural, and convincing.

Clint Eastwood, in his fifth and final pairing with Siegel, is well cast as bank robber Frank Morris, who's sent to the notorious Alcatraz island prison after having busted out of other prisons. He takes his time adjusting to his new surroundings, and makes acquaintances such as Doc (Roberts Blossom) and English (Paul Benjamin),meeting up with old friends the Anglin brothers (Jack Thibeau, Fred Ward) and defending himself from trouble making bruiser Wolf (Bruce M. Fischer). He soon realizes that he can dig his way through the brittle wall of his cell and decides that he'll take his chances and try to escape.

Based on the true story of the 1962 breakout from the supposedly foolproof prison, this is simply good solid storytelling from Siegel. To make it feel more real, the use of a music score is sparing, and Jerry Fieldings' score is pretty subtle anyway. This is one film that truly holds your attention, with one riveting sequence after another. And the cast plays it very well. Patrick McGoohan is perfectly icy as the warden who does his best to break the spirit of his inmates, and who clearly relishes exercising his power. Blossom is so good as easygoing convict Doc that you miss him when he's written out of the picture. Benjamin has a quietly powerful presence impressive enough to match Clints'. Thibeau and Ward are engaging as is comedic actor Larry Hankin in one of his rare straight parts as hard luck inmate Charley Butts.

Quite atmospheric throughout, with a wonderfully suspenseful climactic breakout, the film ends on a memorably ambiguous note. Did in fact Frank and the Anglins make it, or perish in their escape attempt? The truth of the matter is that they were never heard from again, and it's up to us to come up with the conclusion.

A superb effort overall.

10 out of 10.

An excellent second half of this film elevates it overall as the Alcatraz inmates plan and then execute their escape, narrowly missing several disastrous occurrences. The suspense during those scenes is outstanding.

Clint Eastwood is good as the fairly low-key character "Frank Morris" and most of the inmates are likable guys (which was highly unlikely in real life).

For tourists of San Francisco (of which I was one about five years ago),I would recommend taking the Alcatraz tour. It's fascinating and makes this movie even more interesting once you've seen the place. I notice the people here at IMDb make the same recommendation on the title page of this film.

Much of the rest of the cast are not well-known actors but they do a fine job in here. This is one of director Don Siegel's final films. He worked with Eastwood on "Coogan's Bluff" and then "Dirty Harry."

Transfer-wise, the DVD was not that impressive, a bit too grainy for the usual standards. However, the story is always interesting and the movie is definitely recommended.

"Escape From Alcatraz" is a fictionalization of an actual escape. However, in reality, no one is positive (other than perhaps a few) whether or not the three men actually successfully escaped. They either drowned or made it--no one has definitively determined which. It's sort of a what might have happened sort of film--and even here, they keep it a tad vague.

The film begins with a new prisoner (Clint Eastwood) being processed into the prison. For those who care, you get to see Eastwood and his 49 year-old butt. He plays a most unusual guy--a prisoner who is simply a prisoner. You know he committed SOME crime--but what it is you never learn. All he knows is that the life at Alcatraz is wearing him down and he longs to escape this supposedly escape-proof prison. The first half of the film shows his life in prison, the entire second half of the movie the meticulous plan to escape. Now two other men escaped with him, but you only see it from Eastwood's character's point of view.

"Escape From Alcatraz" has its pluses and minuses. The biggest plus is not trying to overly dramatize the action--it just is what it is--like real prison. The other plus is showing the detailed work on the escape--it was most interesting to watch. On the negative side, there isn't a lot of character development here. You want, on one hand, to root for him BUT since you don't know what he did to get in prison or anything about him, he might be a child molester or murderer! Overall, well worth seeing even with its weak character development.