Six Against The Rock (Telefilm)

 

Picture: C     Sound: C+     Extras: D     Telefilm: C+

 

 

In 1987, the TV movie was in trouble and it with the freedom of cable TV kicking in, it never truly recovered.  One of the more interesting signs of its decline can be seen in Six Against The Rock, from a veteran director (Paul Wendkos) and a cast of names considered known and gritty actors of the time for the most part.  This included David Carradine, Dennis Farina (uncharacteristically low-key), Richard Dysart, Charles Haid, Howard Hesseman, David Morse, Jan-Michael Vincent and even Johnny Weissmuller Jr. in a tale about a siege of Alcatraz Prison by six inmates who want out.

 

Though more serious than Michael Bay’s The Rock, it is not as good as that or Don Siegel’s Escape From Alcatraz (1978) with Clint Eastwood, still the best, smartest, gutsiest and darkest dramatic film on the subject to date.  With that said, the telefilm is uneven and never takes off as much as it could, including an intent to go out of the way to not deal with certain political issues only hinted at.  Being a TV movie of the time, they could only go so far anyhow, so this was an obvious attempt to be a ratings grabber.  Too bad it did not go further, but so is the crime of the decline of telefilms on U.S. TV.

 

The 1.33 X 1 full frame image was shot by cinematography veteran Philip Lathrop, which helps make it much more watchable than the teleplay would have, but this transfer is too fuzzy and grainy.  The Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono is a little better, with fuller sound.  There are no extras, but since the Criterion Collection DVD of Michael Bay’s The Rock has so many extras on the history of the island and prison outside of any film, what would have been the use?

 

 

-   Nicholas Sheffo