Real to reel: The movies that made Alcatraz famous
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Clint Eastwood in a scene from "Escape from Alcatraz." Photo: Sunset Boulevard/Corbis via Getty Images
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 intrigue: Arguably the most well-known Alcatraz movie, it aired on PBS Saturday night — hours before President Trump announced his proposal to reopen the prison.
- Streaming for free on Pluto TV. Available for rent or via subscription on YouTube, Amazon Prime and Apple TV+.
🪨 "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.
- Be smart: Though the majority of the film takes place in the city, Alcatraz stars in some pretty climactic scenes toward the end.
- Available for rent on YouTube, Amazon Prime and Apple TV+.
🐦 "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.
- Reality check: Some former inmates who knew Stroud criticized the biographical film's portrayal of him as a "sweetheart."
- Streaming for free on Pluto TV and Tubi.
🚬 "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.
- Fun fact: It's the only movie on this list to have been in theaters when Alcatraz was still operating as a prison.
- Available for rent on Amazon Prime and Apple TV+.
🦸 "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.
- The showdown at the end takes place on the island.
- Available for rent or via subscription on Disney+, Amazon Prime and Apple TV+.
Go deeper: Here's what it'd actually take for Trump to revive Alcatraz.