Very amateur movie sadly. Acting was plastic by unknowns and came across like one of those 80's cardboard soap operas. Audio was a bit off too. For a Netflix movie I'd of expected a bit more professionalism.
46 Reviews
Not the best
eeriechills18 April 2022
Why didn't they tell the true story
ianmerryweather7 November 2018
I made the mistake of reading about the battle of Alcatraz before viewing this film.
When you read the true facts there is clearly a story there to make a really good film depicting the real events.
Why then "hollywood" as it often does departs from true events and changes the facts baffles me as ever.
If you view the film without knowing the true story you may find it more enjoyable and rate it a bit higher.
And as for the last 5 minutes of this film, it is absolute drivel, they should have edited it out !
When you read the true facts there is clearly a story there to make a really good film depicting the real events.
Why then "hollywood" as it often does departs from true events and changes the facts baffles me as ever.
If you view the film without knowing the true story you may find it more enjoyable and rate it a bit higher.
And as for the last 5 minutes of this film, it is absolute drivel, they should have edited it out !
Nothing happened
wannabe-crew15 November 2020
Lol! This is awful!
maryannfarley8 March 2021
Trust me. Any good reviews here were written by relatives. Did they make this with a phone? Lol! It's TERRIBLE! They couldn't even get there opening credits right. I was bored that quickly. Listen to me...RUN! Run away! I'm fifteen minutes in and I'm done. I value all remaining hours of my life too much.
A Truly Awful Movie
derektjthornton18 April 2022
Terrible piece of garbage
mm-756878 March 2021
What a pointless pile of dung this movie is. It is just full of derivative cliches taken from Patton and The Departed and other good movies. It is boring and has laughable acting. That army general is just a silly, buffoonish character. It is hard to imagine this garbage got made
Awful alcatraz movie.
oliver-9685624 April 2022
This alcatraz movie just suck. I say just wash escape from alcatraz by clint eastwood. It had better & interesting story. It had better music & actors and it more interesting to watch. But this alcatraz (2018) had none of that at all. The plot sucks. The actors sucks. And the music & special effects sucks. It is a poorly made movie. And you shouldn't wash it.
What?
fionam-4372516 July 2020
I saw this movie a while back and honestly had never been more confused in my entire life. The movie makes no sense, not even Kubrick could understand it. Would recommend to anyone who likes bad movies cause this is one of the worst. It's boring, poorly acted and thinks it's being clever and artsy. It's not the worst movie ever but it's just the worst. That sentence makes about as much sense as the movie it self. Waste of time. No it's got no 10 star review. No one likes this film
Give me a break - from this movie!
reidkenj6 November 2018
Warning: Spoilers
This is so shockingly bad! The acting is dreadful. The story is dreadful. This must have cost about 200 dollars to make. ALCATRAZ. I think there are possibly 10 prisoners total! 4 prison guards. The canteen is big enough for about 8 people. And do not get me started about when they called the military in!
Sometimes these movies are good for a laugh, but this was to bad for that. I couldn't make it to the end. good luck!
good drama
highlanderlambert5 December 2018
Although the cover gives the impression this is an action movie its actually more of a character drama and despite some obvious budget restrictions the film mostly succeeds. A very intense performance from the actor playing the main criminal jacks up the tension in the hostage sequences and there are some strong supporting turns from the Warden and lead actor playing the youngest prisoner. Just don't expect a dynamic action flick because this is a contained drama chronicling the growing tension between a group of dangerous characters.
Not the true story but good in it's own right
joeyeubank-941198 November 2018
Warning: Spoilers
Having read up on the real Battle of Alcatraz this movie only touches on part of it. Most movies don't care about the source material and whenever a true incident or book is adapted for the screen it gets changed beyond recognition. But when taken on its own merit this movie does have a lot to offer. Rather than non stop action the focus is on the growing tension between the prisoners and guards when they are trapped in a tiny cell block during the siege. The movies best scenes and acting come when the prisoners start turning on one another as the plan goes awry. The weakness of the movie is in some of the flashbacks of the prisoners getting to know each other they are a little less engaging but the hostage scenario between the prisoners and guards is well executed. Just don't expect it to be anything like the real story.
Simply Dreadful
btbarrett-5195017 April 2022
Poor
paulmeldrum-1324416 November 2018
Don't Look For Historical Accuracy Of Any Kind!
pgalbraith-438-69708711 August 2022
Warning: Spoilers
This movie is beyond bad. Other reviewers have the atrocious lack of quality very well covered.
As an Alcatraz history buff I knew this movie was going to be laughably wrong when I saw the first outside view of the prison and they showed the burned out ruins of the Warden's House, which was destroyed during the Indian Occupation of 1969. (The Transamerica Pyramid and Sutro Tower in the San Francisco skyline were not there in 1946 either.) No convicts would have had facial hair. The six rioters only had 2 guns, a 30.06 Springfield rifle and a .45 caliber Colt Pistol. Not several pistols, nor am AK-47. Bernard Coy did not hide the key that led to the prison yard. It was hidden in the toilet of cell 402. A Block was not used by and large for housing inmates. The actor playing Warden Johnston should have been 40 years older, for Johnston was 72 in 1946. Coy, Kretzer and Hubbard did not kill one another and Carnes didn't shoot anyone. I watched this whole inaccurate from beginning to end, thinking there may be some interesting drama in this inaccurate waste of time. But it wasn't even good for that. (One more thing, Alcatraz NEVER had tile walls or floors in the cell house)
As an Alcatraz history buff I knew this movie was going to be laughably wrong when I saw the first outside view of the prison and they showed the burned out ruins of the Warden's House, which was destroyed during the Indian Occupation of 1969. (The Transamerica Pyramid and Sutro Tower in the San Francisco skyline were not there in 1946 either.) No convicts would have had facial hair. The six rioters only had 2 guns, a 30.06 Springfield rifle and a .45 caliber Colt Pistol. Not several pistols, nor am AK-47. Bernard Coy did not hide the key that led to the prison yard. It was hidden in the toilet of cell 402. A Block was not used by and large for housing inmates. The actor playing Warden Johnston should have been 40 years older, for Johnston was 72 in 1946. Coy, Kretzer and Hubbard did not kill one another and Carnes didn't shoot anyone. I watched this whole inaccurate from beginning to end, thinking there may be some interesting drama in this inaccurate waste of time. But it wasn't even good for that. (One more thing, Alcatraz NEVER had tile walls or floors in the cell house)
How can I not leave a review
alexbarbaro22 April 2022
What on earth is this absolutely waste of time film!
Low budget Awful acting Awful dialogue Horrendous background sound- those bloody seagulls 🙄🙄.
Do not waste your time on this!!
And the grenade at the end, why were there candles that looks like a table top display, such a waste of time- sad really because this is such a historical part of US time.
Poor poor poor.
Low budget Awful acting Awful dialogue Horrendous background sound- those bloody seagulls 🙄🙄.
Do not waste your time on this!!
And the grenade at the end, why were there candles that looks like a table top display, such a waste of time- sad really because this is such a historical part of US time.
Poor poor poor.
It's look like "The Room" but in 2018
jelucyr18 April 2022
Warning: Spoilers
What's happen with this movie? Nothing looks real, they want to make something special from the real stories with all impossible.
They go out from there cells, but how? They have guns, but how? They want to escape, but what the plan? The hold man like the kid, but why? All other question without anny answer and no interest.
They go out from there cells, but how? They have guns, but how? They want to escape, but what the plan? The hold man like the kid, but why? All other question without anny answer and no interest.
Watch the opening credits. Please, please, please watch them. And then you are done.
ignaciofereche-2896917 July 2022
It is truly amazing that someone filmed this in 2018. It is a bold movement to sign this movie, even for highschool project standards.
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Some bad actors and I don't mean the convicts
fredfriedland10 January 2019
Bad, bad movie.
naturalginesis16 January 2019
Suprisingly touching
beckrobbins8 November 2018
I watched this with my boyfriend expecting it to be one of those macho action films so was pleasantly surprised that there were heartfelt relationships between the characters mainly the lead character Clarence and his sister and prison buddy Bernie. Sure there are the usual prison movie clichés like the creepy rapist and the escape story but I managed to overlook those because of the good characters and decent acting. Enjoyed it more than I expected to.
Economically told character study.
parry_na30 May 2019
From the prolific stable of Andrew Jones and North Bank Entertainment comes this rare step away from the horror genre. 'Alcatraz' is a fairly large story told economically. Whilst occasionally flawed, it works rather well.
While we spend much time in the company of the escapees, we don't really get to know them because they are pretty much one-note. Not a criticism, but Clarence, for example, is the decent stoical type and remains so, whilst Joe (Patrick O'Donnell) begins as the scowling 'big man' who scowls until the very end. So, while there's no deep psychology going on here, the characters are interesting enough to carry the film.
Instead of dwelling on the physical demands and derring-do of an actual prison escape, Jones' script deals instead with the relations between the characters (mainly male, with Jones regular Harriet Rees playing Alice, Clarence's sister), mainly played by talented English actors sporting American accents. Alcatraz interiors were filmed in Brighton, Bristol and San Francisco, whilst there is lots of establishing location filming at the exteriors of Alcatraz prison. My score for this is 7 out of 10.
While we spend much time in the company of the escapees, we don't really get to know them because they are pretty much one-note. Not a criticism, but Clarence, for example, is the decent stoical type and remains so, whilst Joe (Patrick O'Donnell) begins as the scowling 'big man' who scowls until the very end. So, while there's no deep psychology going on here, the characters are interesting enough to carry the film.
Instead of dwelling on the physical demands and derring-do of an actual prison escape, Jones' script deals instead with the relations between the characters (mainly male, with Jones regular Harriet Rees playing Alice, Clarence's sister), mainly played by talented English actors sporting American accents. Alcatraz interiors were filmed in Brighton, Bristol and San Francisco, whilst there is lots of establishing location filming at the exteriors of Alcatraz prison. My score for this is 7 out of 10.
Not as bad as I thought it would be!
ajwinslow-130 January 2019
First, an entire maximum security prison without a single black inmate??? All the characters were way too clean and clean cut. They look like tax cheats at a country club prison! And what's up with the one inmates ponytail? Don't think that would fly in 1947 Alcatraz. Not historically accurate, bad acting and bad script.
Total Dissapointment!
vivthespiv17 February 2019
Don't waste your time watching this! Ive never ever before seen such an inaccurate film as this! Its supposed to be set in 1946 but apart from the wrong clothes & haircuts the sets were dreadful too! Plastic chairs & laminate tables,a General & soldiers wearing modern camouflage uniforms with Velcro patches! Not a cigarette in sight & polyester shirts & chino trousers & brogues! I was so disappointed & wasted £7 on this! Save your money & your time too,this is rubbish from start to finish!
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