San Francisco Bay, January 18, 1960. Frank Lee Morris is transferred to Alcatraz, a maximum security prison located on a rocky island. Although no one has ever managed to escape from there, Frank and other inmates begin to carefully prepare an escape plan.

Credits: TheMovieDb.

Film Cast:

• Frank Morris: Clint Eastwood
• Warden: Patrick McGoohan
• Doc: Roberts Blossom
• Clarence Anglin: Jack Thibeau
• John Anglin: Fred Ward
• English: Paul Benjamin
• Charley Butts: Larry Hankin
• Wolf: Bruce M. Fischer
• Litmus: Frank Ronzio
• Johnson: Fred Stuthman
• Wagner: David Cryer
• Associate Warden: Hank Brandt
• Cellblock Captain: Ray K. Goman
• Fight Guard: Blair Burrows
• Zimmerman: Madison Arnold
• Weston: Garry Goodrow
• Stone: Ron Vernan
• Cranston: Ed Vasgersian
• Exam Guard #1: Matthew Locricchio
• Medical Technical Assistant: Bob Balhatchet
• Exam Guard #2: Stephen Bradley
• Lucy: Regina Baff
• Police Sgt.: Joe Miksak
• English’s Daughter: Candace Bowen
• Beck: Don Michaelian
• Guard: Dan Leegant
• Guard: John Garabedian
• Bobs: Jason Ronard
• Helicopter Pilot: Ross Reynolds
• Visitors’ Guard: Al Dunlap
• Guard: Denis Berkfeldt
• Guard: Jim Haynie
• Guard: Tony Dario
• Guard: Fritz Manes
• Guard: Dana Derfus
• Guard: Don Cummins
• Guard: Gordon Handforth
• Guard: John Scanlon
• Guard: Don Watters
• Guard: Joe Knowland
• Guard: James Collier
• Guard: R. J. Ganzert
• Guard: Robert Hirschfeld
• Guard: Lloyd Nelson
• Guard: George Orrison
• Guard: Gary Warren
• Guard: Joseph Whipp
• Guard: Terry Wills
• Inmate: Dale Alvarez
• Inmate: Sheldon Feldner
• Inmate: Danny Glover
• Inmate: Carl Lumbly
• Inmate: Patrick Valentino
• Inmate: Gilbert Thomas Jr.
• Inmate: Eugene Jackson

Film Crew:

• Assistant Editor: Joel Cox
• Sound Effects Editor: Bub Asman
• Director of Photography: Bruce Surtees
• Editor: Ferris Webster
• Casting: Marion Dougherty
• Original Music Composer: Jerry Fielding
• Music Editor: June Edgerton
• Casting: Wallis Nicita
• Producer: Don Siegel
• Executive Producer: Robert Daley
• Associate Producer: Fritz Manes
• Screenplay: Richard Tuggle
• Book: J. Campbell Bruce
• Production Design: Allen E. Smith
• Set Decoration: Edward J. McDonald
• Key Grip: Charles Saldana
• Script Supervisor: Lloyd Nelson
• Transportation Co-Captain: H. William Miller
• Costume Supervisor: Glenn Wright
• Assistant Editor: Tim Board
• Makeup Artist: Joe McKinney
• Sound Re-Recording Mixer: John T. Reitz
• Sound Effects Editor: Alan Robert Murray
• Sound Mixer: Bert Hallberg
• Camera Operator: Rick Neff
• Special Effects: Chuck Gaspar
• Camera Operator: Bob Bergdahl
• Construction Coordinator: Gene Lauritzen
• Unit Production Manager: Jack Terry
• Assistant Director: Luigi Alfano
• Gaffer: Chuck Holmes
• Transportation Coordinator: John Reade
• Transportation Co-Captain: Ray Mullen
• Still Photographer: Ron Grover
• Unit Publicist: Gary Kalkin
• Songs: Gilbert Thomas Jr.
• Property Master: Larry Bird

Movie Reviews:

• r96sk: Gotta feel for this due to the later emergence of ‘The Shawshank Redemption‘ and even ‘Prison Break‘, but ‘Escape From Alcatraz’ still merits its own props as a great film.

  I love a good prison escape flick, shown by my love for those two aforementioned productions which do improve on the formula; TSR – one of my favourite films, fwiw – particularly must’ve took a lot of inspiration from this, I noted a fair few similarities.

  With the cast, you have an excellent performance from Clint Eastwood. Patrick McGoohan fits his role nicely, while Paul Benjamin and Larry Hankin are the best of the rest. I would’ve liked more development for the characters of Fred Ward and Jack Thibeau, who felt a little tacked on. Elsewhere, Danny Glover makes his acting debut in a tiny, tiny role.

  I found the pacing to be very good, sure the story I guess is obvious in terms of its direction but I still got tense and edgy whilst watching the escape take place. The ambience of the film is a positive too, with the exception of one moment early on where there’s an overly on the nose lightning strike as one of the characters mentions Alcatraz – nothing major, it’s a nit-pick and it’s my only one so that’s a big plus.

  Interesting to note this was the final collaboration between Eastwood and director Don Siegel, take out ‘Coogan’s Bluff‘ and that was an extremely effective partnership – this 1979 release and ‘Two Mules for Sister Sara‘ being my favourites.