08-05-2025
Real to reel: The movies that made Alcatraz famous
With the Trump administration moving to reopen Alcatraz as a prison, it's time to revisit some of the movies that made the island an icon.
Why it matters: Alcatraz is an influential character. Just ask the president.
The big picture: While former inmates have said no film does it justice, these movies helped catapult Alcatraz to a new level of fame and fascination that still draws around 1.6 million visitors to the island every year.
⛓️ " Escape from Alcatraz" (1979): This Clint Eastwood-starring film dramatizes a real-life escape attempt that took place in 1962, when three inmates broke out by climbing ventilation ducts to the roof and boarding an improvised raft.
🪨 " The Rock" (1996): The action thriller, starring Sean Connery and Nicolas Cage, follows a chemist and ex-con as they plan a counterstrike against a rogue group of military men who have seized control of Alcatraz.
It stands out for showing the characters having to break in rather than break out.
Available for rent or via subscription on MGM+, Amazon Prime and Apple TV+.
🔫 " The Enforcer" (1976): In another Clint Eastwood turn — and part of the Dirty Harry series — he stars as a police officer who begrudgingly partners with a newly promoted female inspector to stop a group of terrorists in San Francisco.
🐦 " Birdman of Alcatraz" (1962): This movie recounts the real-life tale of Robert Stroud, who was sentenced to life in confinement for murdering a prison guard and combated his loneliness by caring for birds. He finds his work as an ornithologist threatened when he is suddenly moved to Alcatraz.
🚬 " Al Capone" (1959): Alcatraz's most famous prisoner is put on full display in this crime drama, which chronicles his transformation from a low-level thug to criminal mastermind.
🦸 " X-Men: The Last Stand" (2006): Alcatraz gets the superhero treatment in the most modern movie on the list. The island is the manufacturing hub for a supposed mutant "cure," which drives much of the conflict between the X-Men and the Brotherhood of Mutants.
