Overrated

If the ambition is to provide two hours of instantly forgettable, popcorn-munching escapism, it succeeds.

The film's masterful storytelling did its job. The message was clear. No need to overdo.

One of the best movies of the year! Incredible from the beginning to the end.

This movie as well as some of the well meaning comments about it have to make one wonder.Most prison movies focus on the prisoners and more often than not make them the heroes. Of course guards are shown as being brutal. If more people knew who was being kept in prisons, they would send thank you notes weekly to correctional officers for keeping the bad guys and gals locked up and society safer.Of course we have to forget the fact that the people in prison are there for raping kids, killing old folks, committing fraud and taking the life savings of someone, thieves who take a family's hard earned possessions, and on and on.No, we forget that and have actors in this movie talking about escape as being part of a noble goal to shut down an inhumane prison.I thought the acting was rather poor, the direction phony, and the piggybacking on to a real event with a totally unproven conclusion false.

I've seen this recently and you gotta love any movie that has both Joe Pantoliano and Jeffrey Tambor, however briefly. I'm not sure how accurate it all is, but it is fairly entertaining. The first time I came across it was really late at night and though I only planned on watching a few minutes, I soon found myself still awake at 4:00 in the morning. This just shows that made for TV movies often outshine their theater counterparts. Especially in the 80s with The Day After, and all the mini-series that often now are shown as long movies.Not sure how they could release this in widescreen format, despite the letterbox snobs who wish for it. It was a made for TV movie. And therefore most likely never filmed in widescreen aspect. So what would they do on a letterbox? Black out the sides of the TV as well?

I have to agree that this is truly "the best Alcatraz movie ever made." The film follows the prison life of young Clarence Carnes played perfectly by Michael Beck(The Warriors, Triumphs of a Man Called Horse)who gives an outstanding performance. I was lucky enough to catch this movie on Encore's True Stories Channel. Clarence Carnes was the youngest man sent to Alcatraz and carried with him a record of trying to escape every jail he's ever been in. His character manages to show different emotions allowing the audience to truly feel for him. He never loses hope of escaping and proves that he's smart enough to pull it off if he wanted to. As years go by, he gains more and more respect and recognition. Art Carney(The Honeymooners) contributes greatly to the supporting cast offering memorable dialogue with Beck. If you have never seen this movie or want to see it again, be on the look out for some familiar faces, Joe Pantoliano, G.W. Bailey, and many others. The story is captivating and truly moving.I was two years old when this movie first came out and I saw if for the second time a few months ago. The tale of hope and the power of knowledge is timeless. If you want to see an Alcatraz movie worthy of the highest rating, this is it, "Alcatraz - The Whole Shocking Story."

This is my favorite Alcatraz movie of all time and I've seen them all! Too bad it is only made for TV and you can't buy it in stores. This is the real deal. Nice and long and involved. This movie tells the whole story of Alcatraz. Luckily I have a copy on VHS.