Top 70 Best Prison Movies To Watch

"Cool Hand Luke" is a classic anti-establishment film, released during the turbulent late 1960s amid widespread Anti-Vietnam War protests. The movie captures the rebellious spirit of the era, resonating with audiences who questioned authority.

This acclaimed drama garnered numerous nominations and earned George Kennedy the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor. Praised for its memorable performances, it remains a standout in American cinema.

The story follows Luke Jackson, a World War II veteran whose rowdy, drunken night leads him to vandalize parking meters. Sentenced to hard labor, he finds himself working on a chain gang.

Luke's unwavering optimism and charm quickly endear him to both fellow inmates and prison guards. His good-natured defiance makes him an inspirational figure within the prison walls.

When tragedy strikes with his mother's death, the warden confines Luke to solitary, fearing he may attempt to escape. This act further fuels Luke’s resolve to break free, setting off several escape attempts.

Despite facing harsh punishments and relentless adversity, Luke’s unbreakable spirit shines through. The film achieved both critical and commercial success, earning special recognition for Paul Newman’s performance and the exceptional screenplay.

"Cool Hand Luke" received multiple Academy Award nominations, along with nods from the Directors Guild and Golden Globes, firmly establishing its legacy as a prison movie classic.

"The Shawshank Redemption," directed by Frank Darabont and based on Stephen King's novella "Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption," stands as a true classic in prison cinema.

Widely regarded as one of the most inspirational prison films, it follows Andy Dufresne, a bank executive wrongfully convicted for the murder of his wife and her lover. Sentenced to life at Shawshank Penitentiary, Andy forges friendships with fellow inmates like Red, Tommy, and James.

Through his skills with finances, Andy helps prison guards with their taxes in exchange for favors, including access to the library. When tragedy strikes and one of his friends is killed in solitary confinement, Andy crafts a daring escape, taking with him the money he secretly laundered for the guards.

The film was met with overwhelming critical acclaim and is currently IMDb’s highest-rated movie. It received seven Academy Award nominations, including Best Picture, Best Actor, and Best Screenplay, alongside many other accolades.

"The Great Escape" is a gripping World War II prisoner-of-war film, adapted from Paul Brickhill's 1950s novel. Set in the infamous German POW camp, Stalag Luft III, the story unfolds in Sagan, Poland, where Allied soldiers face tremendous odds.

The camp houses numerous British Commonwealth prisoners planning a daring mass escape. Despite their shared goal, they encounter numerous challenges as they attempt to coordinate efforts among men from various backgrounds and nationalities.

Each prisoner brings a special skill—reconnaissance, procurement, tunneling, planning, or intelligence—to the escape plan. While the film covers the collective effort, it primarily centers on the experiences of the American prisoners and their personal stories.

Directed by John Sturges, "The Great Escape" became the highest-grossing movie of 1963. Steve McQueen's performance was recognized with the Best Actor Award at the Moscow International Film Festival, reflecting the film's acclaim.

Although commercially and critically successful, some critics, including The New York Times, argued that the film's runtime exceeded what was necessary and felt it lacked deeper exploration into the soldiers’ characters and humanity.

"The Grand Budapest Hotel" is a vibrant crime comedy-drama set in the 1930s. Directed by Wes Anderson, the film showcases an impressive ensemble cast, bringing together seventeen prominent actors to deliver a delightful and engaging cinematic experience.

The story follows Gustave, an aging concierge who mentors a young valet named Zero, showing him the ropes of hotel life and forming a close bond as they navigate the eccentricities of guests and staff.

Gustave reminisces about his longest affair with Madame D, a wealthy guest who has recently passed away. Visiting her estate, Gustave learns she has bequeathed him a priceless painting, which soon embroils him in a web of suspicion and intrigue.

Accused of foul play and arrested, Gustave finds himself imprisoned. It falls to Zero and a resourceful young baker to orchestrate his escape and prove his innocence against mounting odds.

The film was widely praised for its clever use of historical context and dark humor. Ralph Fiennes delivers a remarkable performance as Gustave, while the supporting cast enhances the film's wit and charm with spirited performances.

"In The Name Of The Father" is a powerful biographical drama that follows Gerry Conlon, one of the Guildford Four, as he battles for justice after being wrongfully accused of a notorious bombing.

Based on Conlon's autobiography, "Proved Innocent: The Story of Gerry Conlon of the Guildford Four," the film traces Gerry’s turbulent journey, beginning with his move to London to steer clear of IRA-related troubles.

While in London, Gerry becomes involved in a lifestyle of partying and drug use, only to return to Belfast and be suddenly arrested by the British Security forces. Accused of the Guildford pub bombing, he steadfastly maintains his innocence even under police brutality.

The authorities, in an attempt to cover up their failures, also arrest his father. The tragedy deepens as Gerry’s father dies in prison, a loss which ignites Gerry’s determination to vindicate his family.

Joined by human rights lawyer Gareth Pierce, Gerry and the remaining accused relentlessly pursue the truth. Their perseverance culminates in their eventual exoneration.

The film earned numerous nominations, including Academy Awards, BAFTAs, and Golden Globes. Critics have hailed it for transforming a real miscarriage of justice into an intense, emotionally charged drama, with standout performances from the cast and crew.

"Chicken Run" is a 2000 British stop-motion animated comedy produced by Pathé and Aardman Animations in collaboration with DreamWorks Animation. Directed by Peter Lord and Nick Park, the film is based on an original story by the two filmmakers.

The story centers on Ginger, a clever and resourceful hen with dreams of escaping from Tweedy's Egg Farm, where she and her fellow chickens are trapped in a cycle of endless egg-laying. When the adventurous American rooster Rocky Rhodes makes a dramatic entrance, Ginger sees a newfound hope for their daring escape plan.

"Chicken Run" was both a critical and box office success, earning over $224 million globally. Praised for its inventive stop-motion animation, sharp humor, and heartfelt narrative, the film received two Academy Award nominations: Best Animated Feature and Best Original Song.

"Stalag 17" is a compelling World War II drama set in a German prisoner of war camp along the Danube. The story is inspired by true experiences from Stalag 17B in Austria, lending an authentic edge to its narrative.

The film centers on a barracks where Allied airmen from various nations are held captive. Tension quickly escalates as suspicions emerge about a possible informant leaking crucial information to the German guards.

With trust eroding and everyone under suspicion, the prisoners band together to uncover the traitor among them. The suspense builds through several twists until the true culprit is finally exposed, paving the way for a daring escape.

"Stalag 17" received three Academy Award nominations and earned William Holden the Oscar for Best Actor. The film also garnered recognition from the Directors Guild and Writers Guild Awards, with critic Bosley Crowther praising it as a "crackerjack of a movie entertainer."

"Starred Up" is a gripping British prison drama that delves into the psychological and emotional lives of its inmates. Written by Jonathan Asser and inspired by his time as a voluntary therapist at HM Prison Wandsworth, the film offers a raw and intimate look at life behind bars.

The story centers on Eric, a volatile young prisoner who is newly transferred to Wandsworth, where his estranged father Neville is also incarcerated. Their complex relationship is at the heart of the film, as they struggle to reconnect amid the prison's brutality.

Eric's intense anger issues lead to frequent violent clashes with both fellow inmates and prison staff. He is soon noticed by Oliver, a compassionate therapist, who introduces him to group therapy sessions in the hopes of helping Eric control his rage and adapt to prison life.

As Eric tries to reform and find a new path, his father pushes him toward a life of crime, hoping to train him as the next crime boss. This internal conflict strains their relationship, but also reveals their underlying care for each other.

Tensions escalate when Dennis, the prison’s reigning crime boss, attempts to recruit Eric. Eric's resistance draws Dennis’s ire, prompting Neville to step in and defend his son, resulting in a violent confrontation.

"Starred Up" received multiple nominations, including at the British Independent Film Awards, London Film Festival, and Irish Film and TV Awards. It earned widespread critical acclaim for its intense realism, powerful storytelling, and standout performances by Jack O'Connell, Ben Mendelsohn, and Rupert Friend.

"Black Friday" is a gripping Hindi crime thriller that recounts the true events surrounding the 1993 Bombay blasts and their aftermath.

Adapted from Hussain Zaidi's book "Black Friday: The True Story of the Bombay Bomb Blasts," the film is directed by Anurag Kashyap. The story opens as a low-level criminal tips off the police about possible bombings in Mumbai.

Initially, the authorities doubt the credibility of the warning, but after the devastating blasts, the police launch a relentless investigation.

The narrative follows officers as they hunt down members of different Mumbai crime families and their networks, piecing together a complex puzzle.

As the investigation unfolds, many associates realize they have no protection left and eventually turn police witnesses, which becomes pivotal in the case reaching court.

The Mumbai police also succeed in arresting Yakub Memon, brother of Tiger Memon, a key figure behind the attacks.

Due to ongoing court proceedings, a stay was placed on the film’s release in India until the judgment was reached, resulting in its eventual release in 2007. "Black Friday" premiered at the Locarno International Film Festival, where it earned the prestigious Golden Leopard and several other awards.

"Dead Man Walking" (1995) is a powerful crime drama inspired by true events. The story centers on Sister Helen Prejean, played by Susan Sarandon, who becomes the spiritual advisor to Matthew Poncelet, a death row inmate portrayed by Sean Penn in Louisiana.

As Poncelet’s execution date nears, he reaches out to Sister Helen for help with a last-ditch appeal, steadfastly asserting his innocence. Through her compassion, Sister Helen bridges the emotional distance between herself, Poncelet, and the grieving families of his victims.

Although her attempts to have Poncelet’s sentence reduced are unsuccessful, Sister Helen remains at his side, offering steadfast emotional and spiritual support leading up to his execution.

Ultimately, Poncelet confesses his crimes and seeks forgiveness, bringing a profound sense of closure. The film garnered widespread critical acclaim and received numerous awards and nominations for its exceptional performances and direction.

"Escape from Alcatraz" is inspired by the novel by J. Campbell Bruce and recounts the daring 1962 prison break from the infamous Alcatraz penitentiary. The film has been praised for its cool cinematic style by critics.

The story begins with the arrival of Frank Morris, a highly intelligent criminal known for his history of prison escapes. Sent to Alcatraz—a prison believed to be escape-proof—Morris quickly encounters the harsh rule of the ruthless warden.

Despite the tough environment, Morris forms bonds with fellow inmates. When his friends, who are seasoned bank robbers, join him in Alcatraz, they begin to plan a daring escape together.

Their successful escape leads to consequences for the prison staff, forcing the warden into retirement for his failure. The film was met with strong reviews from both audiences and critics.

Clint Eastwood's outstanding portrayal of Frank Morris received particular acclaim, cementing the film as a standout in the prison-break genre.

"Face/Off" is a high-octane American action thriller directed by John Woo. Written by Mike Werb and Michael Colleary and influenced by the classic film "White Heat," this movie delivers an adrenaline-fueled story full of suspense and twists.

The plot follows Sean Archer, a relentless FBI agent dedicated to apprehending Castor Troy, a dangerous sociopathic terrorist. Their bitter rivalry takes a tragic turn when Troy accidentally kills Archer's son, intensifying Archer's quest for revenge.

To stop Troy and locate a hidden bomb, Archer undergoes a daring medical procedure, swapping his face and identity with the terrorist. The operation initially succeeds, but chaos ensues when Troy awakens from a coma, assumes Archer's face, and murders Archer’s team, leaving the real Archer trapped in Troy’s identity.

With their identities reversed, Troy uses Archer’s FBI badge to unleash havoc, leaving Archer desperate to reclaim his life and prevent further destruction. "Face/Off" marked the first time John Woo had complete creative control in a Hollywood film—and the result was remarkable.

Produced on an $80 million budget, Woo crafted an explosive commercial hit that was praised by critics and audiences alike for its imaginative premise and exhilarating action sequences.

"Hunger" is a powerful historical prison drama that depicts the real-life events of the 1981 Irish Hunger Strike, led by members of the Provisional Irish Republican Army (IRA).

The film is directed by Steve McQueen, who co-wrote the screenplay with Enda Walsh, delivering a visceral and immersive experience.

The story introduces IRA prisoners Gerry Campbell and Davey Gillan as they participate in the notorious 'no wash policy' protest, refusing both to wear prison uniforms and to bathe.

Throughout their ordeal, prison officer Raymond Lohan subjects them to relentless brutality, highlighting the harsh conditions within the prison walls.

Soon after, Bobby Sands and his fellow IRA inmates join the hunger strike, steadfast in their determination despite pressure from Father Dominic Moran, who urges them to reconsider.

Unwavering, Sands and his comrades persist with their protest, seeing it as their duty and an unavoidable moral stand.

The strike ultimately results in the death of Sands and nine other inmates after 66 harrowing days without food.

Although the British government did not issue an official proclamation, some of the strikers' demands were met in practice, offering a partial victory.

"Hunger" received widespread critical acclaim, winning the Camera d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival, the Grand Prix at the Belgian Syndicate of Cinema Critics, the Sydney Film Prize, and numerous other prestigious awards.

"A Clockwork Orange" is a film adaptation of Anthony Burgess's 1962 novel, masterfully brought to the screen by director and producer Stanley Kubrick.

This acclaimed dystopian crime drama is set in a near-future Britain and delves deeply into themes of juvenile delinquency, psychological disorders, and pervasive violence.

The story centers on Alex, a disturbingly violent young man with a penchant for crime. After his arrest, he is introduced to an experimental government program designed to suppress violent urges and criminal behavior in prisoners.

Despite the risks, Alex volunteers for the program, hoping for early release. However, once the treatment is complete and Alex is freed, he faces harsh consequences and an unanticipated struggle to survive in society.

The film explores the psychological toll of forced rehabilitation, culminating in Alex’s physical and emotional breakdown. When his conditioning is finally reversed, he is left grappling with the impact of his ordeal.

Acclaimed for its brilliance, "A Clockwork Orange" won the New York Film Critics Award and garnered numerous nominations, including at the Academy Awards, Golden Globes, and BAFTA. Its provocative nature and vivid storytelling have made it both celebrated and controversial.

"Birdman of Alcatraz" presents the remarkable biographical story of Robert Stroud, based on the book by Thomas E. Gaddis. The film, though fictionalized in parts, delves into Stroud's complex life and transformation within the prison system.

Nominated for several Academy Awards in key categories, the movie explores the journey of Stroud—a highly intelligent young man notorious for his rebellious streak and disregard for authority.

After being imprisoned for murder, Stroud frequently clashed with both guards and fellow inmates. Eventually, he redirected his focus toward caring for and rehabilitating birds, developing cures for various avian diseases during his time behind bars.

At Leavenworth Penitentiary, Stroud's expertise earned him acclaim as an ornithologist. However, his transfer to Alcatraz stripped him of access to birds, prompting him to study the penal system and author a book on the subject.

The film received critical recognition, including Oscar nominations for Best Actor, Best Supporting Actor, Best Supporting Actress, and Best Cinematography, among other accolades.

"Oldboy" is a gripping South Korean neo-noir thriller directed by Park Chan-wook, inspired by a Japanese manga. This film stands as the second entry in Park's acclaimed Vengeance Trilogy and has earned widespread critical acclaim.

The story follows Oh Dae-Su, a businessman who, after a night of drunkenness, misses his daughter’s fourth birthday. Suddenly, he is abducted and awakens in a mysterious, hotel-like prison cell, completely isolated.

Cut off from the world, Dae-Su receives food through a trapdoor and has only a television for company. Through the TV, he learns the devastating news: his wife has been murdered, and his daughter left alone.

Despite many fruitless escape attempts, 15 years pass before Dae-Su is inexplicably released, waking up on a rooftop. Driven by vengeance, he embarks on a relentless quest to uncover who imprisoned him and why.

His search eventually leads him to a powerful businessman—a former classmate whose life was ruined because Dae-Su revealed a scandal involving the man's sister years earlier.

"Oldboy" received numerous accolades for its direction, storytelling, and performances. It was awarded the Grand Prix at the 2004 Cannes Film Festival, with Quentin Tarantino presiding as jury president.

Critics lauded the film not only for its compelling story, but also for its profound exploration of human emotion and the quest for redemption.

"Good Time" is a gripping crime thriller directed by Josh and Benny Safdie, featuring a remarkable performance from Robert Pattinson.

The screenplay, written by Josh Safdie and Ronald Bronstein, earned the film a spot in competition at the 2017 Cannes Film Festival.

The story follows brothers Connie and Nick, who turn to crime. Nick, who has an intellectual disability, struggles to understand the consequences of his actions.

After a bank robbery goes awry, the brothers attempt to escape, but Nick is apprehended and receives psychiatric treatment in custody. Connie disagrees with this course of action.

Nick is involved in a violent incident in jail and is hospitalized, prompting Connie to plan another crime in a desperate bid to secure bail money.

The suspenseful chain of events that ensues keeps viewers glued to the screen.

"Good Time" was nominated for the Palme d’Or at Cannes. Critics widely praised the Safdie brothers' direction, the compelling narrative, and Pattinson's exceptional acting.

The film garnered generally favorable reviews from audiences and critics alike.

"The Old Man and the Gun" tells the remarkable true story of Forrest Tucker, a lifelong criminal and legendary bank robber renowned for his daring prison escapes. The film draws inspiration from a New Yorker article by David Grann, delving into Tucker's fascinating exploits.

After boldly escaping San Quentin State Prison, Tucker resumes his crime spree, targeting yet another bank. Amid his evasion of law enforcement, he encounters Jewel, a kind-hearted woman whose car has broken down.

Displaying his characteristic charm, Tucker lends a hand and forms a close bond with Jewel. Their relationship deepens as they spend time together, all while Detective John Hunt closes in on Tucker's trail.

Ultimately, Tucker is apprehended, but Jewel inspires him to serve out his sentence and pledges to wait for his release. Premiering at the Telluride Film Festival, the film garnered widespread acclaim, particularly for Robert Redford's captivating performance, which earned him a Golden Globe nomination.

Set against the backdrop of war-torn Vietnam, Rescue Dawn tells the harrowing true story of German-American pilot Dieter Dengler, whose life changed forever when his plane was shot down during a mission.

Directed by Werner Herzog, the film draws inspiration from his acclaimed 1997 documentary, Little Dieter Needs To Fly. After being captured by villagers sympathetic to the Pathet Lao, Dengler is handed over to a remote prisoner-of-war camp, where he meets other American POWs.

The men endure brutal conditions, suffering from a lack of food and basic hygiene. Amidst this struggle, Dengler formulates a daring escape plan. Although not all prisoners agree, a group ultimately bands together to take the risk.

Their escape leads them through perilous jungles toward the Mekong River and the hope of reaching Thailand. Tragically, their makeshift raft is destroyed in the treacherous currents, and Dengler is the sole survivor, narrowly escaping attacks from villagers along the way.

Upon his rescue, Dengler receives a hero’s welcome aboard his naval ship. Despite its modest box office performance, Rescue Dawn garnered critical acclaim, with reviewers commending Herzog’s compelling storytelling and Christian Bale’s remarkable performance as Dengler.

Brawl in Cell Block 99 is a gritty neo-noir prison thriller, both written and directed by Craig Zahler.

The film features Vince Vaughn in one of his most intense roles, playing Bradley Thomas, a former boxer turned drug mule who is about to become a father for the first time.

After a drug deal goes awry, Bradley chooses to dump the drugs and surrender to police, narrowly escaping the deadly fate of his two associates.

While in prison, Bradley learns that his enemies threaten to kill and mutilate his unborn child unless he assassinates a specific inmate in Cell Block 99.

Forced into a relentless pursuit, Bradley becomes both the predator and prey, eventually falling into the hands of the drug lord and enduring brutal torture.

The film garnered positive reception from audiences and critics. The Chicago Sun-Times awarded it 3.5 stars, praising Vince Vaughn's raw and powerful performance as one of the best of his career.

Logan Lucky is a heist cum prison break movie that marks the comeback of Steven Soderbergh.

The movie was a box office hit and a critically well-received comedy. The film starts with Jimmy Logan being laid off from his job at the construction site of a motor speedway that is preparing for the upcoming NASCAR season.

Jimmy joins his brother, Clyde, in his bar only to end up in a fight with a NASCAR team owner.

This gives the Logan brothers an idea for a heist at the Speedway. For this heist, they recruit Joe Bang and his two dimwitted brothers Sam and Fish along with Mellie Logan, their sister.

Through a series of near-misses, they manage to complete the heist and get away with it.

Logan Lucky got all-around praise with the general consensus on the site saying that the high-octane fun film is smartly assembled without putting on airs.

It is a great comeback for Soderbergh to end his retirement.

Malcolm X is a biographical movie about the African American civil rights activist Malcolm X.

The story is largely based on Alex Haley’s The Autobiography of Malcolm X. It was written by Alex Haley and Malcolm X himself.

The film chronicles the life of Malcolm Little, whose father was also a black rights activist.

He was killed by the Black Legion members. This pushed Malcolm into the life of a small-time gangster, and he was also incarcerated.

In prison, he learns about the Nation of Islam writings by Elijah Muhammed. Malcolm soon travels to Mecca and converts to Islam.

He comes back to America and continues his activism for black rights. In 1965 as he goes out to speak about the need for African American unity at Audubon Ballroom in Harlem, members of the Nation of Islam shoot him down.

The film was praised by critics for Denzel Washington's powerful portrayal and Spike Lee’s amazing capability to bring to life the biopic of a monumental civil rights leader.

It was given an A rating by CinemaScore. Denzel Washington got an Academy Awards nomination for this role, apart from many other accolades.

The Defiant Ones is a Stanley Kramer movie based on a story from Nedrick Young.

This movie has been remade and parodied numerous times, including a TV movie in 1986.

The film starts with a prison transport, somewhere in the southern states of America. It is a time of racial tensions, and the prison warden purposely shackles a white prisoner, Noah Cullen, and a black prisoner John Jackson together.

When their truck overturns, this pair of prisoners escape. They soon learn to work together to avoid being caught and to steal some food for themselves.

Somewhere along the way, they develop a friendship as well. When it is time for them to go different ways, Jackson discovers that Cullen is running toward certain death.

So, Jackson risks his life to save his new friend, and they both are caught again.

The film was highly regarded at the time of its release. It won the Academy Award for Best Screenplay and cinematography along with nominations for Best Actor for Sydney Poitier and Tony Curtis.

It also won the Silver Bear for Poitier at the Berlin International Film Festival.

"The Hurricane" is a 1999 biographical sports drama film based on the life of Rubin "The Hurricane" Carter, a former boxer wrongly convicted for a triple murder.

Directed by Norman Jewison and starring Denzel Washington as Carter, the film portrays his arrest, life in prison, and eventual release due to the efforts of a young Brooklyn teenager named Lesra Martin and his Canadian foster family.

The story unfolds through parallel narratives, focusing on Carter's fight against the conviction and Martin's discovery of his case.

The film received positive reviews, with Washington winning a Golden Globe for his performance and receiving an Academy Award nomination.

It highlights themes of racial injustice, love, and redemption. "The Hurricane" grossed $74 million worldwide and remains a compelling portrayal of Carter's struggle for justice.

The Raid 2: Berandal is an action film set in the Indonesian prison system. This Gareth Evans film is the sequel to The Raid, which establishes Rama as the newly recruited cop who is an honest policeman who wants to clean up the system.

In Berandal, Rama is back as the honest cop who wants to uncover the nexus between the policing system and crime bosses in Indonesia.

He has survived the raid in the Jakarta apartment that resulted in establishing that the nexus exists.

Now, Rama goes undercover into the prison as a thug to get evidence on the corrupt officers who serve the major crime families in Jakarta.

He is again successful in bringing down the crime ring. Raid 2 is packed with a stunning martial arts display of Pencak Silat.

The film was praised for its high-energy plot but criticized for its excessive violence.

The Los Angeles Times reported that the film screening was exciting, and there was a lot of enthusiasm for it on social media.

American History X is a crime drama that depicts the life of two brothers who are neo-nazi skinheads and white supremacists.

The film is written by David McKenna and directed by Tony Kaye. Derek and Danny Vinyard are white supremacists and hate the African American community.

Their father was a firefighter who was killed by Black drug dealers. This spurs their hatred for that community.

They repeatedly and provocatively choose to express their Ne-Nazi outlook. In one incident Derek brutally beats up and kills three black youths who try to break into his truck.

He is sent to prison for three years for voluntary manslaughter. His prison term reforms Derek and changes his white-supremacy ideals.

He comes out and learns that his brother is walking on the same path as him and so tries to stop him and reform him.

The film was not a commercial success, but it was highly praised by critics. Edward Noton, who plays Derek Vinyard, was nominated for an Academy Award for his role.

The film opened to favorable reviews, and one critic said that the film demonstrates how hate is passed on from one generation to the next.

R is a Danish film about the life of a young inmate in the Horsens State Prison.

The film was directed by Tobias Lindholm, and it premiered at the International Film Festival Rotterdam.

The film revolves around the prison life of a young inmate, Rune Pedersen. He is incarcerated for violent assault and sent to the Horsens State Prison.

He is a young and brash person, full of arrogance. He finds it difficult to acclimatize to the discipline and obedience needed in prisons.

Soon he realizes that apart from the laws and rules, there is another unofficial code that needs to be abided by in prisons.

Rune finds friendship in another Muslim inmate by the name of Rachid. He soon gets drawn into a ring that distributes drugs among various departments.

The film was nominated for several awards and won accolades at the Bodil Awards, Bombay International Film Festival, Danish Film Awards, Goteborg Film Festival, and more.

The Green Mile is a fantasy film by Frank Darabont, based on a novel of the same name by Stephen King.

The film was critically acclaimed for the superb performances of Tom Hanks, Michael Duncan Clarke, and other supporting cast.

The film is set in the 1930s during The Great Depression. We see the experiences of a warden of the Cold Mountain penitentiary that houses death row prisoners.

To this place comes John Coffey, who is charged with the rape and murder of a little girl.

As long as he stays awaiting his punishment, many miracles occur around him. Coffey is a gentle giant who claims he is innocent and was wrongly charged.

He is able to resurrect Mr. Jingles, a rat, and cure the severe bladder infection of another person.

Despite believing his innocence, the warden cannot help but fulfill his last wish to watch a movie.

So, they watch TopHat. The film was praised by critics as an absorbing and emotionally powerful experience.

Another critic said through the easy-going beginning till the heart-wrenching finale, the movie keeps us high above the cynical ground.

A Perfect World crime drama set in the 1970s. The film is directed by Clint Eastwood, and it is considered by many to be his best film ever.

The story was written by John Lee Hancock, and it was well appreciated by critics and audiences.

The film starts with Butch and Perry escaping from a prison in Texas in 1973.

While on the run, they take a young, eight-year-old boy hostage. When Perry abuses the kid, Butch kills him and continues to escape with the kid.

Chasing them is Red, a Texas Ranger, Sally, a criminologist, and Bradley, an FBI sharpshooter.

Unknown to Butch, Red feels responsible for Butch and wants to catch him alive as he was the first officer to arrest Butch.

In the meantime, Butch and the kid form a bond and he starts to get protective and fatherly toward the kid.

The film did well commercially, and it earned over $130 million. The critics also praised the movie for the superb acting by Kevin Costner and the excellent direction by Clint Eastwood.

The New York Times praised the direction of Eastwood for making a deeply felt, yet deceptively simple movie.

Midnight Express is based on the true story of Billy Hayes who escaped from a Turkish prison.

Although there were a few changes made to the story, it was mostly faithful to the non-fictional book written by Billy Hayes with the same name.

Billy Hayes was holidaying in Turkey, and while returning, he picks up Hashish. He is apprehended at the airport and tried in court for drug smuggling.

A sympathetic judge only sentences him for drug possession and gives him a four-year sentence.

In the jail, he meets many foreigners who tell him about the appalling way they are treated and tell him to be wary of everyone.

He soon learns that the group is making an attempt to escape but does not want to participate.

Later Hayes gets to know that the prosecution had his case reopened, and his sentence was extended.

This prompts him to launch escape attempts. The film won critical acclaim and commercial success.

It was nominated for Best Picture and Best Director at the Academy Awards. It won the statue for Best Adapted Screenplay and Best Original Score.

O Brother Where Art Thou? Is a comedy-crime movie that is said to be loosely based on Homer’s Odyssey as written, directed, and produced by  Joel and Ethan Coen.

The film has a very successful soundtrack which was a runaway hit in 2000. Ulysses McGill is in jail and plans to escape with two others that he is chained with.

He bribes them with a story of a hidden treasure. During the 1930s Depression era, the three prisoners set out to cross the American south, in search of treasure.

Along the way, they encounter a black singer who sold his soul to the devil.

They single a country-folk song along with him that becomes an instant radio hit. They later meet a group of washerwomen who intoxicate them with whiskey and have one of them arrested.

They also run into the KKK and rescue the black singer. The film was met with average reviews.

It was not the typical Coen brothers movie. Yet, it was nominated for its screenplay and cinematography at the Academy Awards and BAFTAs.

The movie also won five Grammys for its musical score.

Runaway Train is a prison escape film that was nominated for the Academy Awards. The film was directed by  Andrei Konchalovsky, a Russian director.

The script was written based on an original screenplay by Akira Kurosawa. He intended the film to be his first color film in the USA, but the lack of financial backing made him drop the project.

Manny is in the maximum-security prison in Alaska where he already made two failed attempts to escape.

A sadistic prison warden, Ranken, is bent on keeping him in solitary confinement but is forced to release him to the general population after a court order.

Using this chance, Manny takes the help of another inmate and escapes. He reaches the railroad yard after an arduous journey and boards the train, only to realize that the railroad engineer had a heart attack and the train is out of control.

The film was nominated for two Academy Awards for best actor for Jon Voight and Eric Roberts for their roles as the two escapees.

Since the script was by Kurosawa, his longtime associates, Hideo Oguni and Ryuzo Kikushima assisted the director with the screenplay.

The Hateful Eight is a post-Civil war movie that was written and directed by Quentin Tarantino.

It was Tarantino’s last film with The Weinstein Company before the sexual assault allegations surfaced in 2017.

The film is about a group of travelers forced to take shelter in Minnie's Haberdashery lodge to escape the blizzard.

The people who gather at the lodge include Major Marquis Warren, a civil war veteran; a stagecoach driver, OB; A bounty hunter, John Ruth; a fugitive, Daisy Domergue; Chris Mannix, the new sheriff; a hangman, Oswaldo Mobray; cowboy Joe Gage; and Confederate general Sanford Smithers.

By the end of the film, none of them is left alive. The film suffered many setbacks since the start.

Even before filming, the script was leaked online, which almost made Tarantino scrap the film.

Women’s groups objected to the cruel treatment given to the character of Daisy Domergue. The film was boycotted by various police departments because Tarantino supported Black Lives Matter.

The Stanford Prison Experiment is a docu-drama based on the Stanford Prison Experiment conducted by Stanford University under the guidance of the psychologist, Dr. Philip Zimbardo.

This experiment was used as the basis for a couple of more films like the German movie, Das Experiment, and the American film with the same name.

The psychology professor at Stanford, Philip Zimbardo conducts an experiment to confirm his theory that behavior is not a result of personality traits, but rather situational roles and hierarchies.

He involved himself and his students in this study as participants in a prison environment.

The study was supposed to go on for 14 days in the basement of their department.

But, by the sixth day, everyone was so immersed in their character, and things became so volatile that the experiment was soon abandoned.

The film was well-received by the critics. It got a limited release in the US, after premiering at the Sundance Film Festival.

The relatively young cast of the film was praised for their convincing portrayal.

Bronson is a British biographical film about their most violent and notorious criminal, Charles Brinson.

It was directed by Nicholas Winding Refn, and the script was written by Refn and Brock Norman Brock.

Charles Bronson, born Michael Gordon Peterson, was born in a middle-class family with a regular upbringing.

The film starts in a dark room with only Peterson sitting in a chair within a cell and narrating his life story.

His narrative is surprisingly humorous with dark jokes about his mindset during those events. All through the movie, we get to see him struggle to adjust to society, control his violent tendencies and find acceptance.

He is sent to a psychiatric facility to get him some help, but Peterson claimed to become sluggish due to the medicines and hence hated them.

The film opened to positive reviews from all quarters. Critics described the movie as undeniably gripping.

It forces people to rethink the relationship between art, lies, and exploitation. Surprisingly, Bronson was not happy with the choice of Tom Hardy playing him, but Hardy promised to fix it.

Animal Factory is a Steve Buscemi film based on a novel by Eddie Bunker. This neo-noir film takes a look at prison life in the San Quentin prison.

A new inmate, Decker, comes to the prison, and he is immediately taken into the care of Copen, a senior inmate.

When Decker is almost raped by a Puerto Rican gang, Copen saves him. This cements their bond.

Copen even tries to help Decker get a reduced sentence based on the reformed legislature.

But, at the last minute, another inmate corners Decker and tries to rape him. While trying to stop him, Decker and Copen stab him.

This wrecks their chances, but Copen still manages to get them off the hook. The film received high praise at the Sundance Film Festival.

Critics from the Los Angeles Times said that the film was very unsensational which makes it more plausible.

The vision of prison life seems more realistic when we watch the film.

Shutter Island is a psychological thriller that is set up in a mental asylum in Shutter Island.

The film is directed by Martin Scorsese based on a 2003 novel of the same name.

The film was chosen as one of the top movies of the year 2010. The film starts with two US Marshals, Teddy Daniels, and Edward Aule, coming to Shutter Island mental asylum to investigate the disappearance of a patient named Rachel.

As the investigation proceeds, it becomes clear that all is not well with the Asheford Hospital for the criminally insane.

As the film progresses, the audience discovers that Daniels is not a US Marshal, but in fact, he is one of the criminally insane patients being treated in the psychiatric ward.

He had murdered his wife and created an imaginary story about a patient called Solandis, and this investigation was a part of the treatment.

The film was well-received with generally favorable reviews. A critic said that this may not be the best work of Scorsese, but it was a great example of this genre of movie.

Another critic called the movie the collective guilt of a tortured and psychological soul.

The Count of Monte Cristo is an adaptation of Alexander Dumas’ novel of the same name.

This adventure movie was directed by Kevin Reynolds and was well-received by critics and audiences.

A young Edmond Dantes is betrayed by his close friend Fernand Mondego, who along with the first mate of his ship falsely implicates him of treason, and sends him to Chateau d’If.

In jail, Dantes meets Abbe Faria and learns the necessary skills to exact revenge on those who betrayed him.

They plan to escape together, but Abbe dies and gives him the map of the hidden treasure of Spada.

With the help of a pirate ship, he returns to Marseilles and gets his vengeance.

He finally marries his lover Mercedes to have a happy life. The film was praised by critics for being an old-fashioned yet enjoyable swashbuckler.

The scriptwriter felt that if Mondego and Dantes were close buddies, only then the betrayal would have a greater impact.

So he changed the story to add their friendship.

Get The Gringo is a Mel Gibson movie that he wrote and produced. The film is about the exploits of the only American criminal in a Mexican prison.

The film is also referred to by the title: How I Spent my Summer Vacation.

The story starts with a car chase between US cops and criminals. They successfully escape into Mexico, but they are caught by the corrupt Mexican cops, and their loot is taken away with the criminal sent to El Peublito prison.

Since he is the only American there, he is called the Gringo, and he forms a friendship with a kid and his mother.

Apparently, the kid is the only match for a liver transplant for the crime boss, Javi.

To help the kid, the Gringo plans an elaborate scam to get rid of Javi and his own enemies while getting the kid and his mother.

The film did decent business at the box office. The Guardian praised Mel Gibson saying that he has finally got back to doing what he does best, him being the best funny and psychotic misfit.

American Me is a movie about the Mexican-American mob boss Montoya Sanchez. The story of Sanchez is loosely based on the notorious mob, Chicano’s, leader Rodolfo Cadena.

The film is directed by Edward James Olmos, and he also stars in the movie.

The film starts with the 1943 Zoot Suit riots, where American servicemen fought with the Latino community.

During this time, a Mexican-American couple Sanchez and Esperanza are brutalized by them. Moving forward, we see Montoya Sanchez, their eldest son, forming a gang and turning to crime.

He is caught and imprisoned, but that does not stop him. Sanchez forms a powerful and huge mob of criminals and drug peddlers in his Folsom State prisons.

Even after his release, he still continued his criminal ways. When his girlfriend tries to change him, his right-hand man stabs him and takes over the legacy.

A critic from Chicago Sun-Times praised the film saying it was a very realistic portrayal of crime, prison, and drug nexus.

The New York Times also praised the direction saying that it was dark, slow, and solemn.

Papillon is a historical prison drama based on the French convict Henri Charriere. The screenplay is written by Dalton Trumbo and Lorenzo Semple Jr, based on the autobiography of Charriere.

Henri Charriere is a safecracker who takes on a job, but all goes wrong when he is framed for a murder he did not commit.

He is sentenced to life imprisonment in the penal system of French Guiana. While serving his sentence, he attempts to escape multiple times.

He made friends with Louis Dega and Maturette, and together, they faced many difficulties and landed on Devil's Island.

This last attempt to escape is successful, and Charriere is finally free. He is an old man now.

The film made many changes from the original autobiography, but the broad chain of events has remained accurate.

The film was nominated for an Oscar for best musical score. Steve McQueen was nominated for Best Actor at the Golden Screen Awards in Germany.

Les Misérables is based on the French novel of the same name, written by Victor Hugo.

The adapted screenplay is written by William Nicholson, Alain Boublil, Claude-Michel Schönberg, and Herbert Kretzmer.

The film story is about Valjean, a French thief who is out of prison on parole.

Although he was initially jailed for robbing bread for his nephew, he was not a bad person.

Since he cannot find work with his parole status, he takes shelter with the Bishop of Digne.

Aljean does that While stealing silver from the Bishop, he is caught, and the Bishop covers for him saying he can take the silver and lead an honest life.

Valjean does that, as he builds a factory and employs poor people, and helps them.

But, his old prison guard Javert has not forgotten about Valjean, who had skipped parole to build his wealth.

Javert chased Valjean till the end despite his reformed status. The story of Les Misérables was adapted into movies several times, yet this 2012 version by Tom Hooper was very successful.

It won three Golden Globe Awards, three AAcademy Awards, and four BAFTAs apart from several other nominations and awards.

Shot Caller is a crime thriller that was written and directed by Ric Roman Waugh.

It traces the path of the protagonist, played by Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, from an upstanding citizen to a crime boss in the state prison.

Jacob Harlon is a stockbroker with a loving wife and son. One day, after a party with friends, he drives under the influence of alcohol and causes an accident that kills his friend.

He was jailed for 18 months. Right from the start, he witnesses the horrors of life in prison and learns that to survive, he needs to harden himself and choose sides.

During his first term, he kills another inmate during a riot, and his sentence is increased to nine years.

This leads him to become a henchman for a drug dealer and slowly grow in ranks till becomes the right-hand man of a crime boss.

Now is fully entrenched in the crime world, and any attempts to meet his family will only endanger them.

The film portrays a realistic image of prison life with the same language and mannerisms.

The performance of the lead actors was also appreciated. But, the film was met with mixed to average reviews.

The Rock is an action thriller that revolves around infiltrating Alcatraz where a group of tourists is kept hostage.

The film is directed by Michael Bay, and the story is written by David Weisberg and Douglas Cook.

A group of US Marines is disillusioned by the support that they receive from the government and decide to use force to get it.

They take a group of tourists hostage in the infamous jail of Alcatraz. These Marines ask the US government to pay $100 million to the families of the Marines who died on various missions.

They threaten to release Nerve Gas into the city if their demands are not met.

To diffuse the situation, a team of Navy SEALs, a British SAS officer, and an FBI special agent are sent in.

They successfully release the tourist and scramble to stop the nerve gas. The film was a major commercial success.

The critics praised the stylish direction and production value. They, however, agreed that the film is not a brainy plot and should be viewed only for the thrills.

Escape from Pretoria is a true story of three political prisoners who escaped from their prison in Pretoria to continue their anti-apartheid protests.

The film is an Australian production by director Francis Annan. The plot is based on the 2003 novel Inside Out: Escape from Pretoria Prison by Tim Jenkins.

Tim Jenkins and Stephen Lee are arrested for anti-apartheid protests and jailed for 12 years and eight years respectively.

In the jail, they meet fellow political prisoners Goldberg and Fontaine. While Goldberg discourages them from escaping, he still teaches them the system in the prison.

Fontaine, Lee, and Jenkins immediately start to plan their escape and implement it in a gripping and tense movie.

They manage to get out of Pretoria and reach England through Mozambique. The film got mixed reviews with critics stating that the film doesn’t do justice to the fact-based story.

The lack of depth is offset by the gripping action in the plot.

Escape to Victory is a film about the allied prisoners of war who were held by the Germans during world war II.

It is about an escape plan that revolves around a football match between the German soldiers and the Allied POWs.

The film was much awaited as it starred some of the top footballers from England, Poland, Belgium, and more.

We can see soccer players like Pele, Bobby Moore, Osvaldo Ardiles, Kazimierz Deyna, Paul Van Himst, Mike Summerbee, Hallvar Thoresen, Werner Roth, and more.

You can also find Ipswich town players in the film. The English football captain is one of the POWs, and he agrees to play an exhibition match against the Germans.

While the Allied POWs want to use this as a chance to attempt an escape using the help of French resistance.

The Germans want to use the match as part of their propaganda. The film is inspired by a Hungarian film, Two half-times in Hell, which in turn is inspired by a mythical Death Match that was played in Ukraine.

Supposedly FC Dynamo Kyiv played a series of matches with Germany and won all of them.

As retaliation, the Gestapo executed all the players after they won. However, there is no historical evidence of this.

Stir Crazy is a crime-comedy film directed by Sidney Poitier based on the story of Bruce Jay Friedman.

The film brought back together Gene Wilder and Richard Pryor. The film was a commercial success.

Two friends Skip, and Harry, coincidentally lose their job simultaneously for no fault of theirs.

Being the optimistic one, Skip suggests that they take a trip to California to become actors while doing odd jobs along the way.

In Arizona, for the opening of a bank, the pair dress up in costume and perform.

Later, two bank robbers steal their costumes and rob the bank. Immediately, Skip and  Harry are arrested and jailed for 125 years.

While in jail, they befriend two Mexican guys and plan a prison escape with them.

Some critics opined that the film started strong, but lost steam after the arrest and concentrated more on the development of the plot.

LA Times also felt that despite Poitier’s direction, no amount of good-natured humor could save the thin plot.

The Escapist is a British-Irish production with Rupert Wyatt as the director. The story was co-written by Wyatt and Daniel Hardy.

The film is set in a prison where a group of inmates are planning an escape.

Frank Perry is a prison inmate with a life term, and he has accepted that he is not getting out anytime soon.

However, when his beloved daughter is hospitalized, he plans to escape and visit her. He takes the help of fellow inmates, Lenny Drake, Viv Batista, and Brodie, his right-hand man.

In the meantime, a new inmate arrives, and he becomes Perry’s cellmate.

He gives up his berth on the escape plan to save the new guy. The plot for the film was inspired by a short story, An Occurrence at the Owl Creek Bridge by Ambrose Bierce, a 19th-century writer.

The film was well-received and praised for being a smart and tense prison break movie.

O. J.: Made in America is a documentary film made by ESPN Films and directed by Ezra Edelman.

It is based on the most-watched court case of O. J. Simpson, an ex-footballer. The film is a five-part mini-series that premiered at the Sundance Film Festival.

O. J. Simpson was an African American rising star in the football world. He played for the University of Southern California.

In 2007, he was arrested for the robbery and murder of Nicole Brown and Ron Goldman.

This event sparked public outrage and racial tensions in Los Angeles. Through interviews, news footage, archival audio, and video coverage, this documentary show the rising career of the footballer, the proceedings of the case, the botched police investigation, the trial, and the subsequent release of Simpson.

The film won an Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature. The critics also praised it for being thorough and well-balanced in presenting all the points of view.

The Hollywood Reporter claimed that the documentary was provocative, intelligent, and a thorough feature that keeps pace with a tragedy at every corner.

Life is a comedy-drama that highlights brotherhood, life, friendship, hope in difficult times, and more.

The film was directed by Ted Demme and written by Robert Ramsey and Matthew Stone.

The film received an Oscar nomination for Best Makeup. The film starts with a funeral of two convicts where a fellow prison mate is speaking.

He tells the story of Ray and Claude, who were wrongly convicted of murder by a crooked sheriff.

In prison, they try every attempt to escape and always get caught. Through all their time locked up, they make many good and weird friends.

They face many fights, failures, heartbreaks, and hopeful times to become best friends till the end.

The iconic comedy duo Martin Lawrence and Eddie Murphy play Ray and Claude. Critics praised their performance and comedy timing.

Unbroken is based on the experiences of Louis Zamperini, an American prisoner of war, held in a Japanese prison till he was liberated by the Americans.

The film was directed by Angelina Jolie on a script written by the Coen brothers and Richard LaGravenese, and William Nicholson.

The USAF pilot Zamperini’s plane is damaged, and only he and Phil survive. They are captured, after 47 days at sea, by the Japanese Imperial Army.

At his POW camp, Zamperini is constantly beaten and punished by a particularly vengeful officer, Watanabe.

Despite getting promoted and sent to another camp, Watanabe finds that Zamperini is again one of his charges.

After suffering his ill-treatment till the end of the war, Zamperini goes to capture him after the Americans occupied Japan, only to find that he escaped.

The film is a tribute to the strength and endurance of Zamperini who was a long-distance runner before joining the war.

Here is an interesting trivia, in the 1998 Winter Olympics that were held in Japan, Zamperini was one of the torchbearers.

He was interested to meet Watanabe but was refused because Watanabe felt that he only did his duty to the Japanese Imperial Army.

Con Air is an action thriller, directed by Simon West, and the script was written by Scott Rosenberg.

It was a star-packed cast that included Nicolas Cage, Steve Buscemi, John Cusack, Ving Rhames, John Malkovich, and more.

The film is set during the prison transport of a particularly malicious group of inmates.

They are being moved to a supermax prison, and they plan to stop over, en route to pick up a Mafia member.

The prisoners on their part plan to use this trip to escape. To stop their attempt, US Marshall Vince Larkin has to depend on a few better prisoners, like ex-Army Ranger Poe, who is on the flight.

This makes for an action-packed film. The film earned over $220 million at the box office.

Critics stated that the film is definitely not a believable film that will win any awards for performance or screenplay.

It will, nevertheless, entertain you.

King of Devil’s Island is a dramatized recreation of the true events of the Bastoy Prison in Norway.

The film was directed by Marius Holst and was released in French and Norwegian languages.

The film starts with the entry of a new inmate, C19, into the Bastoy prison.

He soon finds friendship with fellow inmate C1 and learns to adapt to the prison rules under the rule of Hakon.

One day, C19 and C1 witness the molestation of another inmate who is very shy and timid.

When they report the crime, instead of removing the molester, they target the messengers and put them in solitary confinement in the frigid cold.

Despite their efforts, prison safety does not improve. So, the inmates decide to revolt and punish the wrongdoers themselves.

The film was shown at the international film festivals in Rotterdam and Sweden. It was also included in the  Lübeck Nordic Film Days 2011.

The Next Three Days is a movie about escaping prison. It is based on the French film, Pour Elle, by Fred Cavayé and Guillaume Lemans.

The film did decent business at the box office with solid performances from Russell Crowe and Elizabeth Banks.

The film starts with the wrongful imprisonment of Lara Brennen for the murder of her boss.

Despite multiple appeals, the volume of evidence against her makes it impossible to prove her innocence.

As her husband, John loses all hope of her release, he starts to plan a prison break.

John, carefully, studies the routines of the jail that houses his wife, makes fake passports, sells all their possessions, gets cash ready, and plans a getaway.

As the getaway window for the prison break is very narrow, John, Lara, and their son have to make it work at any cost.

The film was met with mixed reviews. The performance of Crowe and Banks as John and Lara Brennen was praised as being top-notch.

However, the plot of the prison break appears to be implausible. Many of the critics gave them an average rating of B+ or 3 out of 5 stars.

Celda 211 is a prison thriller movie that was made in Spain. It was directed by Daniel Monzon and received high critical acclaim.

It was nominated for multiple GOYA awards, eight of them. Juan, a newly appointed prison guard, leaves his pregnant wife at home and joins work early.

While taking a tour of the prison, he is accidentally knocked unconscious. The guards immediately take him into an empty cell to help him recover.

When a prison fight breaks out, they leave Juan in the cell and run away.

When he wakes up and finds himself in this volatile situation, Juan tries to talk his way out by convincing the prisoners that he is also one of them.

He tries to diffuse the situation, from the inside. However, when the media gets wind of it and the prisoners start to target the Basque separatists inside, the authorities and government cut Juan loose, and there is no help coming his way.

The movie is a tense and gripping drama of loyalty and betrayal. It won 44 awards and has 27 more nominations.

The film is dedicated to a firefighter, Luis Angel Puente, who participated in eth filming, but died two weeks later while rescuing young boys from the river.

Hart’s War is an action thriller based on a novel of the same name, written by John Katzenbach.

It is a film that takes place during the Battle of the Bulge in World War II.

The film was a box-office bomb and was not able to recover costs. During the war, Lieutenant Thomas Hart is captured by the Germans and tortured for the battle strategy of the US Army.

He is left naked in his stone prison where he almost freezes to death. Later he is transferred to the Prisoners of War camp.

Here he meets other US soldiers, mainly Col. McNamara, who question him on the interrogation, and the secrets that he divulged.

He does not believe that Hart did not leak any information. During their stay in the POW camp, Hart witnessed firsthand ruthless planning and attitude of McNamara.

Critics felt that the movie had too many subplots, and they took the focus away from the main story and the good acting.

Alien 3 was the third installment in the Alien franchise. It was directed by David Fincher and based on the story written by David Giler, Walter Hill, and Larry Ferguson.

The film script went through multiple changes, and David Fincher was brought in at the last minute.

Ellen Ripley is back. She, Newt, and the other survivors from the ship Sulaco set off in an escape pod after the ship is destroyed.

The computer system detects the alien lifeform that has latched onto the escape pod as well.

While in cryo-stasis, the computer guides the ship towards a dangerous prison facility that houses genetically mutated anti-social men.

When they crash land in the prison, no one believes Ellen Ripley's story about the Alien queen.

What follows is complete mayhem. The film was the least successful of the Alien Franchise.

The critics praised the efforts made to take on the Alien franchise, and the amazing special effects.

However, the script was not strong.

Undisputed is more popular as a fight movie and a sports movie. However, the film is set in a penitentiary, and the main fights take place among the prisoners.

The director, Walter Hill, also wrote and produced the film. The film starts with George Chambers, a heavy-weight boxing champion, being sent to jail for rape and assault.

Here to have an easier time, the wardens and syndicates conduct no-holds-barred boxing matches that can turn deadly.

And Chambers is now their prized fighter. Hutchens is the undisputed champ of these matches, and the mob boss, Ripsteins, has a grouse against him.

He pits Chambers against Hutchens hoping to eliminate his enemy and make a fast buck out of it.

The film was not a commercial hit, this prompted the film to be released as a home video.

It slowly gathered a cult following and gained popularity.

Gridiron Gang is a sports drama that is loosely based on the true story of the Kilpatrick Mustangs during the 1990 season.

Phil Joanou is the director of this drama set in the Kilpatrick Juvenile Detention center.

Sean Porter works at the Kilpatrick Juvenile Detention center and is deeply disturbed by the volume of youth who are in for gang-related crimes, drug-related crimes, etc.

The fact that they are not being reformed in the center forces him to take up the step of forming the Football team of Kilpatrick Mustangs.

Using the Mustangs, he coaches the inmates and gives them direction, aims, and goals in life.

As the football matches are a success, so is the future of most of the 24-member teams.

Out of them, only five are back in jail after their release. The film did ok business at the box office.

Critics felt that Dwayne Johnson as coach Sean Porter was a role made for him.

The story of the film was critiqued as being a bit cliche and oft-repeated.

Escape Plan is an action thriller that brings together the biggest action stars of this era.

Arnold Schwarzenegger and Sylvester Stallone. It is set in a high-security prison complex, and the plot is rife with double crosses and betrayal.

Breslin plays a crime boss to enter a prison complex and creates an escape route to determine if the prison is inescapable.

He soon determines that he has been betrayed and needs to find an escape plan or he is stuck here for life.

Breslin finds a new ally in Rottmayer, and together with Javed, they create an escape plan and defeat the crooked police and the traitor in their team.

The film was successful with the audience, yet the critics felt that it had nothing new to offer as compared to the popcorn thrillers of the 80s.

Von Ryan’s Express is a film about the escape attempt of the Allied prisoners of war from their Nazi prison camp during world war two.

The film is based on a novel of the same name, written by David Westheimer, although the film made many noticeable changes to the story.

Colonel Joseph Ryan is a US air force officer and the most senior officer at the prisoner of war camp in Italy, which also houses the British forces from the 9th Fusiliers.

Once Italy surrendered to the Nazis, the Italian guards escaped and abandoned the camp. The Allied forces soon take refuge in the Italian countryside before the Germans come.

They plan to escape from Italy to go to Swiss territory, which is the neutral zone.

The film is about their daring escape attempt. The film stars Frank Sinatra as the US air force Colonel.

This movie has been the most successful film of his career. The director, Mark Robson received high critical acclaim for this movie.

In fact, there were rumors of another Oscar nomination for Sinatra for this performance in this movie.

Henry's Crime is a romantic comedy directed by Malcolm Venville. The film is about a man wrongly incarcerated for robbing a bank.

The film was not a commercial hit, and the critics too were not enthusiastic about the film.

Henry Tome is a mild-mannered, aimless man who is going through the motions of his life.

He works as a toll collector, and his wife is not happy with their financial life.

One day, his friends rob a bank, and since he gives them a ride there, Henry becomes the accomplice to the robbery.

He does not rat out his friends and takes the blame to go to jail.

There he meets Max, a consummate con man who is well-adjusted to life in prison.

He convinces Henry that since he has done the time, he might as well commit the crime.

All actors come together to give us a screwball comedy. Although Reeves can manage all kinds of action movies, comedy is not his forte, but the rest of the cast plays their part very well to make a good entertainer.

Death Race is an action thriller based on a short story by Ib Melchior called The Racer.

The story was already adapted into a film in 1975, yet Paul W. S. Anderson described this version of Death Race as a prequel to the earlier movie.

Anderson was the writer and director of the movie. The film is set in a dystopian world where the prison system has been privatized, and these private prisons resort to nefarious means to make money.

One such scheme is these death races. The prison warden falsely implicates Jensen Ames for killing his wife and brings him to her prison.

She then baits him with early release and convinces him to become the racer, Frankenstein.

As soon as Ames enters the race, he identifies all the different ways in which they have been rigged to lose and plans his own escape route.

Death Race has been described as a mindless, violent movie with a lightning pace and oodles of action.

The audience seems to have appreciated the film as they helped the movie recover costs.

Undisputed II: Last Man Standing is a sequel to Undisputed and picks up on the career of George 'Iceman’ Chambers after his release from prison.

In this instalment, Michael Jai White plays Chambers, and the main rival is Yuri Boyka, a Russian prisoner.

After Chamber’s release from prison, he gets back to his boxing career, and he is still the undisputed champion.

As part of his tour, he visits Russia and gets implicated in a drug scandal.

He again ends up in prison and discovers a similar fight scene, and Boyka is the champion to beat.

The prison bosses make loads of money out of his fights. Although Chambers initially disagrees to take part in this fight scene, he is severely humiliated and coerced into fighting.

The first fight was rigged when Boyka’s team spiked his water with sedatives. After Boyka realizes it, he agrees to a rematch, and this time, Chambers learns mixed martial arts to match his opponent's level and beats him.

The film was released direct to video, but critics loved the movie. They praised the mixed martial arts display and gave it four out of five stars.

Scott Adkins, who played Boyka in the film impressed viewers so much that he got his own spinoff movie.

Some Mother’s Son is based on the true story of Bobby Sands and his fight against the treatment of IRA prisoners.

The film was made by the Irish filmmaker Terry George based on the 1981 Hunger Strike.

Bobby Sands has been imprisoned for his role in the bombing of the Balmoral Furniture Company.

While in prison, he started the protest against the treatment meted out to the IRA prisoners.

He opined that they should be considered prisoners of war rather than criminals. While Sands spearheaded the hunger strike inside the prison, his mother highlighted his fight from the outside and garnered massive media attention for the cause.

Although Bobby Sands and nine others died from this hunger strike, they were responsible for a surge in the activity and recruitment of the IRA.

The impact of his death was felt across the world. In Iran, Winston Churchill Boulevard was renamed Bobby Sands Street.

This prompted the UK embassy to change its entrance to another street.

Law Abiding Citizen is a vigilante action film that was written by Kurt Wimmer. The film was directed by F Gary Gray.

It was nominated for the Saturn Award for Best Action/Adventure/Thriller movie. It also got nominated for NAACP Image Awards for Jamie Foxx and F Gary Gray.

The film starts with the home burglary of Clyde Shelton, where his wife and daughter are raped and killed.

At the trial, the prosecuting attorney, Nick Rice, makes a bargain deal with the murderer, Darby, and lets him off with a minimum sentence.

This greatly shocks and angers Shelton. He works on an elaborate vengeance plan to kill everyone who has wronged him and the system, including the prosecutors, DA, Mayor, and more.

He starts by tampering with the death sentence of the accomplice and tortures Darby to confess.

He takes the whole city on a wild chase before he can be stopped. The film did good business at the box office, but the critics panned it.

It got generally bad reviews. One critic wrote that the film was unnecessarily violent and unflinchingly absurd with forgettable performances.

Felon is a prison drama written and directed by Ric Roman Waugh. The film is about the events that took place in the 1990s at the California State prison in Corcoran.

Wade Porter is a blue collared worker who lives with his girlfriend and son. One night, their house is burglarized, and in his attempt to stop the thief, he accidentally kills him.

This caused him to get an involuntary manslaughter charge and was sent to prison. In the prison, he witnesses a murder by a white supremacist and gets implicated in it as an accomplice.

A crooked prison warden starts to target him for not ratting out the murderer. He conducts illegal prison fights for his own enjoyment and kills the loser.

The film was met with mixed reviews as some critics complained about the hackneyed prison life depiction.

While they also praised the performance of Val Kilmer and Stephen Dorff. The director was also praised for the solid plot.

The Experiment is a remake of a German film called Das Experiment, made by Oliver Hirschbiegel in 2001.

The film was based on an experiment to view the reactions in a prison-like environment.

Dr. Archaleta conducts interviews and evaluations for twenty-six men for a psychological experiment. He starts the experiment after assigning twenty men as prisoners and six men and guards to an isolated building to recreate a prison.

As per the agreement, violence is prohibited, and inmates can leave whenever they choose. Everyone is given $1000 per day for a two weeks experiment.

How these twenty-six men behave in situations of too much power and oppression makes the film interesting.

It was inspired by the real-life Stanford Prison Experiment. Although the purpose of the experiment is not clearly explained in the movie, the real experiment was a study into the effects of power, rules, group identity, and dehumanization in a simulated prison environment.

The Lizard is an Iranian crime comedy. It is a satire about the state of Iranian society, directed by Kamal Tabrizi and written by Peyman Ghasem Khani.

The film is an Iranian film, but we can find the version with English Subtitles online.

A small-time thief, by the name of Reza Mesghaly, is arrested by the cops for armed robbery.

He is well known in criminal circles as Reza the Lizard because of the ease with which he can climb walls.

He is sentenced to serve in prison under a very strict warden. As time passes, Reza becomes frustrated with life and contemplates suicide.

In his attempt to commit suicide, he is injured and sent to a hospital. He meets a mullah (Cleric) during his stay.

Once both become friends, Reza gets the idea to disguise himself as a mullah and escape.

Although it is an impromptu plan, he gets stuck in this role for a long time.

The film was a commercial hit in Iran. It broke box-office records although, it played only for two weeks in theatres.

The film was well-received by the international community, and it was nominated at the Fajr Film Festival, Montreal World Film Festival, Filmfest Hamburg, and more.