Escape from Alcatraz is a 1979 American prison action thriller film directed and produced by Don Siegel, that depicts the June 1962 prisoner escape from the federal penitentiary on Alcatraz Island. The screenplay, written by Richard Tuggle, is based on the 1963 nonfiction book of the same name by J. Campbell Bruce, and stars Clint Eastwood as escape ringleader Frank Lee Morris, alongside Patrick McGoohan, Fred Ward, Jack Thibeau, and Larry Hankin, with Danny Glover appearing in his film debut.
Shot on location at Alcatraz, the film marks the fifth and final collaboration between Siegel and Eastwood, following Coogan's Bluff (1968), Two Mules for Sister Sara (1970), The Beguiled (1971), and Dirty Harry (1971). Released by Paramount Pictures on June 22, 1979, Escape from Alcatraz received critical acclaim from audiences and critics and was a financial success, becoming one of the highest-grossing films of 1979. He went to the Writers Guild and received a list of literary agents who would accept unsolicited manuscripts. He submitted a copy to each, and also to anybody else in the business that he could cajole into reading it.
Everyone rejected it, saying it had poor dialogue and characters and lacked a love interest, and that the public was not interested in prison stories. Tuggle decided to bypass producers and executives and deal directly with filmmakers. On advice from Bruce, Tuggle called the agent for director Don Siegel and lied, saying he had met Siegel at a party and the director had expressed interest in reading his script. The agent forwarded the script to Siegel, who read it, liked it, and passed it on to Clint Eastwood.
Tuggle considered, "Alcatraz is a character, a big character...you root for these guys to conquer it. It’s like climbing Mount Everest." Tuggle created the character of English, and inspired by some scenes by various prison films, including The Great Escape. He initially had Morris describe his childhood in full to Butts, but shortened the dialogue. Some scenes from the script were omitted, including a scene that took place over Christmas, where Morris is in his cell alone, has a gumball, and as he opens the wrapper, it falls on the floor and rolls out under the cell bar. He reaches under and by inches fails to reach it.
Tuggle struggled to come up with an ending due to the uncertain fate of the actual three escapees. He ultimately learned that flowers grow on Alcatraz, whereupon he created the character of Doc into a painter who paints flowers as a symbol of freedom and who gives one to Morris. Ferris Webster, the film editor, and Don Siegel did a first cut of the movie and made a temporary decision to end the film on the guard's discovery of Morris' dummy head. According to Tuggle, Eastwood was upset and said he wanted the ending that was in the screenplay, of the warden finding a chrysanthemum on Angel Island, though whether the placement of the chrysanthemum suggests the prisoners' survival or death is left unclear.
Eastwood was drawn to the role as ringleader Frank Morris and agreed to star, provided Siegel would direct under the Malpaso banner. Siegel insisted that it be a Don Siegel film and outmaneuvered Eastwood by purchasing the rights to the film for $100,000.
Historical accuracy
The opening text of Morris' arrival at Alcatraz is given as January 18, 1960. In real life, Morris was sent to Alcatraz on January 14. The conversation between Morris and the warden, notably when Morris is asked on whether he has any family, is an amalgamation of a conversation Morris was given by a classification parole officer and the associate warden. Litmus telling Morris about the shaft on top on the roof in the prison yard and teasing him "ask the bull for the key" is based on a reported conversation Morris had with a fellow prisoner in the brush shop. Blackwell appointed prison administrator Arthur Dollison to the role of Acting Warden in his absence.
The incident in which Doc chops off his fingers with a hatchet was based on an actual incident in 1937; inmate Rufe Persful, maddened by strict rules that imposed silence on the prisoners, cut off four fingers with a hatchet to try to get transferred off Alcatraz.
Accounts in real life differ as to who masterminded the escape. Allen West, the fourth inmate who tried to participate in the real escape, but was left behind when he failed to remove his ventilator grille on the night of the escape, is fictionalized as "Charley Butts". Butts, who is a newcomer, is portrayed as little more than a barely competent follower, and not very bright, as shown when Litmus introduces himself as Al Capone. In real life, West had been in Alcatraz since 1957 and was known for having an aggressive reputation for violence and repeated escapes. West claimed that the escape was his idea. The film reinforces the idea that Morris was the mastermind.
The symbol of the chrysanthemum is a fictional invention of the film, as is the final scene where the warden finds a chrysanthemum on Angel Island after the escape, that may or may not indicate the prisoners' survival.
Reception
Critical response
Escape from Alcatraz was well received by critics and is considered by many as one of the best films of 1979. Frank Rich of Time described the film as "cool, cinematic grace", while Stanley Kauffmann of The New Republic called it "crystalline cinema". Vincent Canby of The New York Times called it "a first-rate action movie", noting that "Mr. Eastwood fulfills the demands of the role and of the film as probably no other actor could. Is it acting? I don't know, but he's the towering figure in its landscape." Variety called it "one of the finest prison films ever made."
Roger Ebert gave the film 3.5 stars out of 4, writing, "For almost all of its length, 'Escape from Alcatraz' is a taut and toughly wrought portrait of life in a prison. It is also a masterful piece of storytelling, in which the characters say little and the camera explains the action", but commented that the ending is not superb. Gene Siskel of the Chicago Tribune awarded 3 stars out of 4, calling it "very entertaining and well made. The principal problem is a too-quick ending that catches us by surprise." Kevin Thomas of the Los Angeles Times wrote, "A delight for cineastes, 'Escape From Alcatraz' could serve as a textbook example in breathtakingly economical, swift and stylish screen storytelling."
Review aggregation website Rotten Tomatoes retrospectively reported that 97% of 31 critics gave the film a positive review, with an average rating of 7.1/10. The site's critics consensus reads, "Escape from Alcatraz makes brilliant use of the tense claustrophobia of its infamous setting -- as well as its leading man's legendarily flinty resolve." On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 76 out of 100 based on nine critics, indicating "generally favorable" reviews.
Box office
The film grossed $5.3 million in the U.S. during its opening weekend from June 24, 1979, shown on 815 screens. In total, the film grossed an estimated $43 million in the U.S. and Canada,
Quentin Tarantino called it "both fascinating and exhilarating... cinematically speaking, it's Siegel's most expressive film. "
The film received renewed cultural interest in 2025 after the film aired on PBS hours before President Donald Trump announced his intention to reopen Alcatraz, leading many to believe that his decision was inspired by the film.
See also
- Alcatraz: The Whole Shocking Story (1980 television film)
- Six Against the Rock (1987)
- Alcatraz Island in popular culture
- Survival film, about the film genre, with a list of related films
- The Shawshank Redemption (1994)