Films about prisoners, their fates, the unfairness of their arrest and the lessons learned from the mistakes of real criminals can seriously change the outlook on life. If you enjoy a thought-provoking movie that raises important social issues, we recommend checking out this selection of the best prison movies!
1. Escape from Pretoria (2020)
Tim Jenkin (Daniel Radcliffe) and Stephen Lee (Daniel Webber) are imprisoned for distributing leaflets calling for a fight for freedom and an uprising against the South African regime. Together with other political prisoners, Tim and Stephen create an escape plan. But will they be able to accomplish it?
2. Law abiding citizen (2009)
Robbers break into the house of Clyde Shelton (Gerard Butler) and kill his family. The criminals are soon arrested, but Clyde realizes that a corrupt and negligent court will not punish them properly. Then the hero himself decides to achieve justice, as a result of which he finds himself behind bars. But even here, Clyde dictates his own rules.
3. The Shawshank Redemption (1994)
Andy Dufrein (Tim Robbins) is accused of murdering his own wife. The man is not sure of his guilt, as he was too drunk and does not remember the events of the fateful evening. Nevertheless, Andy ends up in prison, where he has to go through many trials in order to survive and find out the truth about the death of his wife.
4. The Green Mile (1999)
Paul Edgecomb (Tom Hanks) works in the prison section where prisoners on death row are kept. His colleague Percy Wetmore (Doug Hutchison) is a vicious, cruel and cowardly man with connections who bully people. One day, three new prisoners enter the block, who will change the life of the entire department.
5. Escape plan (2013)
Ray Breslin (Sylvester Stallone) uses his own example to prove the vulnerability of security systems in prisons. The specialist always finds a way to deceive the defense and escape from captivity. One day a man receives another task to test the system. However, once in prison, Ray soon discovers that he was framed.
6. Experiment (2010)
26 people from different strata of the population participate in a socio-psychological experiment, for which a monetary reward is provided. The subjects are divided into two camps - prisoners and guards. There are clear conditions of the game, in case of violation of which the test is terminated. However, when one of the guards begins to blatantly disregard the rules, it turns out that stopping the experience is not easy.
7.Camera 2011 (2009)
The new prison guard, Juan Oliver (Alberto Ammann), loses consciousness as a result of an accident during a tour of the block with the most ferocious criminals. At the same time, the inmates stage a coup and force the rest of the guards to flee. Juan wakes up surrounded by murderers and rapists, and he has no choice but to pretend to be one of them.
8. "Fun" holidays (2012)
Thief Gringo (Mel Gibson) ends up behind bars for stealing $ 4 million. The Mexican prison has its own unusual rules, and the new inmate has yet to figure out how to benefit from them.
9. Hunger (2008)
This is a very candid drama about the Irish hunger strike in the 1980s. The prisoners demand that they be given the status of political prisoners. Attempts do not bring much results until one of the perpetrators decides to go on a hunger strike in protest.
10. From bell to bell (2013)
An uncontrolled teenager Eric Love (Jack O'Connell), at the age of 19, finds himself in an adult prison for the first time, as he previously served sentences only in juvenile colonies. The young man's incontinence brings serious problems on him, and only a local psychotherapist saves his situation by inviting the guy to group sessions.
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11. Bonebreaker (2001)
Former soccer player Danny Mian (Vinnie Jones) goes to jail.Here he decides to create his own sports team of prisoners and play against the guards. But then new circumstances arise, because of which Danny may have to lose the match.
12. Escape from Alcatraz (1979)
Frank Morris (Clint Eastwood) has already escaped from prison several times. But this time he is imprisoned on a special island. Yet the repeat offender tries to escape and finds a way to do it. However, when there is very little left to freedom, Frank suddenly begins to be overcome by doubts.
13. Bronson (2008)
Charles Bronson (Tom Hardy) is a real person who has lived in prison for about 40 years. The plot of the film is the biography of this famous criminal, who was not saved from crime either by an intelligent family, or by the fact that the prisoner had a large number of deep creative talents.
14. Midnight Express (1978)
American William Hayes (Brad Davis) is caught smuggling drugs and soon ends up in jail. Thanks to cooperation with the investigation and a good lawyer, Billy gets a sentence of just over 4 years. He steadfastly endures the bullying of the guards, wanting to be released as soon as possible. However, shortly before the expiration of the term, William learns that his imprisonment has been extended to 30 years.
15. All or Nothing (2005)
Former American football quarterback Paul Crewe (Adam Sandler) is arrested. The director of the correctional institution, where Paul is transferred, invites the player to coach the local security team, which is clearly far from the national league.
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16. The Last Castle (2001)
Combat General Eugene Irwin (Robert Redford) evades the order of the leadership, for which he is exiled to a special colony for military prisoners. Here, the general, known for his exploits, quickly gains prestige among inmates and the head of the correctional institution. But Eugene does not like the harsh and unfair conditions here, and he decides to organize a coup.
17. Jammer / Locked Up (1989)
Frank Leone (Sylvester Stallone) is humbly punished in Northwood for his misdeeds. His goal is to be released to the bride as soon as possible in order to start a normal life from scratch. But the head of the colony has other plans for the prisoner.
18. In the name of the father (1993)
The innocent father and son received 15 years of imprisonment on false charges. The unfairly accused family is going through a streak of difficulties, and only lawyer Gareth Pierce (Emma Thompson) can save the men from a terrible fate.
19. Prophet (2009)
19-year-old Malik (Takhar Rahim) is arrested. The guy has nowhere to wait for help or support, and he is forced to defend himself. The young man begins to carry out tasks of the local group and at the same time study the laws of prison life.
20. Outlaw (2008)
Defending himself, Wide Porter (Stephen Dorff) inadvertently kills a thief who breaks into his house and receives a three-year sentence. By mistake, Wyde is sent to a maximum security colony, where the guards force the prisoners to fight each other every day. Porter does not want to create new problems for himself, but, refusing to fight, gets 6 additional years behind bars.
