Escape from Alcatraz is an all around entertaining suspense-thriller, pretty simple and straight forward though enough character development to get the viewer to care about these men.
Escape from Alcatraz
(1979)
Genre(s): Suspense/Thriller, Drama
Kino Lorber | PG – 112 min. – $39.95 | November 8, 2022
Date Published: 11/08/2022 | Author: The Movieman
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Kino Lorber provided me with a free copy of the Blu-ray I reviewed in this Blog Post.
The opinions I share are my own.
Note: The screen captures were taken from the included Blu-ray disc.
THE MOVIE — 4/5 |
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Plot Synopsis: Frank Morris (CLINT EASTWOOD), a hardened con with a history of prison breaks, is sent to serve the rest of his life sentence at Alcatraz — America’s most infamously brutal and inescapable maximum security prison. Morris quickly realizes the prison’s dehumanizing effects and clashes with its cruel warden (PATRICK MCGOOHAN). Fed up with life at Alcatraz, Morris and two convict brothers (FRED WARD, JACK THIBEAU) meticulously plan the unthinkable: an escape from the island. Quick Hit Review: Escape from Alcatraz has been a personal favorite of mine for years seeing it numerous times on DVD, Blu-ray and whenever it would air on cable. Seeing it again after a several years, it still holds up with great suspense, drama and effective and efficient character development beyond Clint Eastwood’s Frank Morris to also include Doc (played with great emotion by Roberts Blossom) and English (the underrated and undervalued Paul Benjamin). You’d be hard pressed not to root for these men, who were no doubt scoundrels, to escape and although in all likelihood they didn’t make it to Angel Island, I can only hope they found some kind of happy ending. |
SPECIAL FEATURES – 2½/5 |
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This release comes with a matted slip cover. Features include an Audio Commentary by Film Historians Steve Mitchell and Nathaniel Thompson; The Ghosts of Alcatraz (12:20), an interview with Screenwriter Richard Tuggle; Tales from the Cellblock (14:16), an interview with Actor Larry Hankin; and last the Theatrical Trailer (2:01). |
4K VIDEO – 4¼/5, BLU-RAY VIDEO – 4/5 |
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Escape from Alcatraz comes to 4K Ultra HD and Blu-ray courtesy of Kino Lorber. Presented in its original 1.78 widescreen aspect ratio, this is a 4K scan of the Original Camera Negative provided by Paramount and this 2160p high-definition transfer looks fairly good, and probably a decent upgrade over the Blu-ray. In any case, detail was rather sharp throughout and colors well balanced with black levels looking nicely balanced. The Blu-ray disc meanwhile also looks good, though I give the slight edge to the 4K transfer. |
AUDIO – 4/5 |
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The movie includes DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 and 2.0 tracks, the former being the default option. Dialogue comes across the front channel with good clarity and there is fine depth such as the small sounds within the prison. There were no signs of pops, hisses or any aural flaws. |
OVERALL — 4/5 |
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Overall, Escape from Alcatraz is an all around entertaining suspense-thriller, pretty simple and straight forward though enough character development to get the viewer to care about these men. This 4K Ultra HD release from Kino Lorber has respectable transfers, certainly a decent upgrade over the older Blu-ray. |