Escape From Alcatraz (1979)

Based On the Life of: Frank Morris

Starring: Clint Eastwood

Movie Budget: $8 million  

Star Salary: $500,000

Escape From Alcatraz details the infamous prisoner escape from Alcatraz Island, a maximum-security prison that is—or was—considered impenetrable. Frank Morris, played by Clint Eastwood, was an inmate at the island who was sentenced to life in Alcatraz. Morris wasn’t a violent or depraved criminal, but he was sent to the Island because he had a history of prison breaks.

They assumed that there was no way Morris could break out of Alcatraz, and the film shows you why that assumption was wrong. The thriller was based on the similarly-titled non-fiction book by J. Campbell Bruce.