Escape from Alcatraz (film) Escape from Alcatraz (film) Escape from Alcatraz is a 1979 American prison thriller film directed by Don Siegel. It is an adaptation of the 1963 non-fiction book of the same name by J. Campbell Bruce and dramatizes the 1962 prisoner escape from the maximum security prison on Alcatraz Island. The film stars Clint Eastwood, Jack Thibeau and Fred Ward as prisoners Frank Morris, Clarence Anglin and John Anglin. Allen West was played by Larry Hankin; his character's name was changed to Charley Butts. Patrick McGoohan portrays the suspicious, vindictive warden and Danny Glover appears in his film debut. "Escape from
Alcatraz: The Whole Shocking Story end all prison stories". The "New York Times" was harsher saying "ordinarily foolproof material is presented at such length that dramatic tension drains away... Mr. Beck is adequate... Mr. Savalas is almost the only member of the large cast who looks even a little like the sort of case-hardened criminals that used to end up at Alcatraz. The others look like tourists who caught the wrong ferry at Fisherman's Wharf... the writing... and the direction... are dedicated more to simplicity and economy than to drama." Alcatraz: The Whole Shocking Story Alcatraz: The Whole Shocking Story is a 1980 American miniseries