Common Sense Note
Parents need to know that Escape from Alcatraz is based on the true story of three inmates who may have been the only ones in the prison's history to successfully escape. There are a couple of fistfights and one gory scene in which a man chops his own fingers off. There's some male nudity from behind, though one man in the shower is very briefly seen from the front from afar. Strong language, including "s--t," is infrequent; the "N" word is used four times. The tone is very quiet and tense. The film is likely to appeal mainly to teens who are curious about the island, the prison, and this incident.
Sexual
Content
An inmate threatens and intimidates another with sexual overtones. Nude males seen two or three times from behind with medium-to-close shots, including buttocks. One communal shower scene with incidental frontal nudity very briefly, from a distance, and off to the side.
Violence
A man chops his own fingers off; the bloody hatchet, severed fingers, and large drops of blood are shown, along with another picking up the fingers and putting them in a box. Past incident told about slicing one's own tendon to get out of solitary confinement. Two fistfights show punching, kicking, and threatening with a knife; one ends in gunfire from guards overhead. A man in solitary is shown being sprayed with a fire hose from a few feet away.
Language
The "N" word four times. Infrequent swearing: "s--t," "a--hole," "ass."
Social
Behavior
Cruel authoritarianism eventually backfires, with tragic consequences. Sometimes you have to take risks, even when the stakes are as high as your life, when the rewards are worth it.
Consumerism
Not applicable
Drugs / Tobacco /
Alcohol
Sniffing glue mentioned once.
