There's no denying the man has presence and a distinct kind of 'macho cool', not needing particularly sparkling dialogue to get us on his side or turn him into a hero. Here that presumption is tested to the limit, because there IS absolutely no "sparkling dialogue" whatsoever.
In fact, what little dialogue actually present is practically all 'exposition'. This seems to stand in the stead of any sort of visual flair from Siegel, so if you want more than the bare bones of the plot I'm afraid you'll be sadly disappointed. 'Words' here are only used as something to yank the plot gracelessly from A to B. The rare times this method is ignored are for Eastwood to crack a few lame jokes - rescued only by any respect the audience has fostered for the man (not the character) delivering them.
There ARE no 'characters' here; just 'pawns' who move in a set way designed to achieve a precise effect. Good for those who like 'routine' I suppose, but I wanted to break out of the prison the film put me in just as much as the cons wanted to escape Alcatraz!
Ultimately the tale is just as mechanical and done by rote as undoubtedly was the scheme that led to it. 'Gloss' or 'nuance' is nowhere to be found; what we're delivered is what the title promises us and NOTHING more. Exactly what it says on the tin - and sadly you'd probably have more fun reading about the contents of one of those rather than watching this.
In fact, what little dialogue actually present is practically all 'exposition'. This seems to stand in the stead of any sort of visual flair from Siegel, so if you want more than the bare bones of the plot I'm afraid you'll be sadly disappointed. 'Words' here are only used as something to yank the plot gracelessly from A to B. The rare times this method is ignored are for Eastwood to crack a few lame jokes - rescued only by any respect the audience has fostered for the man (not the character) delivering them.
There ARE no 'characters' here; just 'pawns' who move in a set way designed to achieve a precise effect. Good for those who like 'routine' I suppose, but I wanted to break out of the prison the film put me in just as much as the cons wanted to escape Alcatraz!
Ultimately the tale is just as mechanical and done by rote as undoubtedly was the scheme that led to it. 'Gloss' or 'nuance' is nowhere to be found; what we're delivered is what the title promises us and NOTHING more. Exactly what it says on the tin - and sadly you'd probably have more fun reading about the contents of one of those rather than watching this.