Escape from Alcatraz

No one has ever escaped from Alcatraz… and no one ever will!

1979 • 113 min • Drama · Thriller

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Synopsis

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.

Our family guide

Best from age 12

Movie Knight Score

3236 reviews

100 Reviewers · 3 · 53%
75 Audience · 3233 · 47%

Frank Morris, an inmate known for his escape attempts, is sent to the infamous Alcatraz prison. Despite the facility's reputation as escape-proof, he meticulously plans and executes an audacious escape with a few fellow prisoners.

Violence & peril: 3/10
Language: 2/10
Drinking, drugs & smoking: 2/10
Romance & sensuality: 0/10
Scary moments: 4/10

Heads up

Challenging prison environment
Some tense moments during the escape

What it models well

Perseverance and ingenuity
Hope in difficult situations
Teamwork and planning

Talk about it after

The justice system and incarceration
The concept of freedom
The real history of Alcatraz

Written by the Movie Knight editorial team for Escape from Alcatraz. Our own words, our own scoring — always double-check against your family's standards.

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Top billed cast

Director: Don Siegel • Crew: Richard Tuggle

Trailers & clips

Reviewer notes

Recommended
Clint Eastwood is at the top of his game in this thriller. He is bank robber Frank Morris, Incarcerated in one of America's most impregnable prisons, under the menacing gaze of warden Patrick McGoohan. He quickly concludes that he has little left to live for but escape.…
CinemaSerf, TMDB Community

RecommendedTrusted family reviewers
Seen this one several times and still is a well done and straight forward, well shot, escape-thriller with fine performances all around. Nothing fancy and just enough character development to make you care. **4.0/5**
JPV852, TMDB Community

RecommendedTrusted family reviewers
Gotta feel for this due to the later emergence of '<a href="https://letterboxd.com/film/the-shawshank-redemption/">The Shawshank Redemption</a>' and even '<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prison_Break">Prison Break</a>', but 'Escape From Alcatraz' still merits its own props as a great film.…
r96sk, TMDB Community