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
Escape from Alcatraz (film) mentions his predecessors Johnston (1934–48) and (incorrectly) Blackwell (1961–63). "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"