Best Prison Movies and Shows
by muybueno16 | created - 17 Dec 2018 | updated - 13 hours ago | Public- Instant Watch Options
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1. Correlli (1995)
Not Rated | 50 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
Kevin Jones arrives at Blackstream prison beaten and suffering from brain damage-a state he wasn't in at sentencing. Something happened to him during his transfer, and though the prison psychologist tries to help him remember...he can't.
Stars: Deborra-Lee Furness, Hugh Jackman, Sue Jones, Tenley Gillmore
Votes: 160
2. Oz (1997–2003)
TV-MA | 55 min | Crime, Drama, Thriller
A series chronicling the daily activities of an unusual prison facility and its criminal inhabitants.
Stars: Ernie Hudson, J.K. Simmons, Lee Tergesen, Dean Winters
Votes: 89,265
3. Prison Break (2005–2017)
TV-14 | 44 min | Action, Crime, Drama
Due to a political conspiracy, an innocent man is sent to death row and his only hope is his brother, who makes it his mission to deliberately get himself sent to the same prison in order to break the both of them out, from the inside.
Stars: Dominic Purcell, Wentworth Miller, Amaury Nolasco, Robert Knepper
Votes: 478,486
4. Animal Factory (2000)
R | 94 min | Crime, Drama
A young man goes to prison and a tough, older convict takes him under his wing as a mentor.
Director: Steve Buscemi | Stars: Willem Dafoe, Edward Furlong, Danny Trejo, Mark Boone Junior
Votes: 12,893 | Gross: $0.04M
5. Escape Plan (2013)
R | 115 min | Action, Sci-Fi, Thriller
When a structural-security authority finds himself set up and incarcerated in the world's most secret and secure prison, he has to use his skills to escape with help from the inside.
Director: Mikael Håfström | Stars: Sylvester Stallone, Arnold Schwarzenegger, 50 Cent, Vincent D'Onofrio
Votes: 228,103 | Gross: $25.13M
6. Animal (2005 Video)
R | 93 min | Drama, Action
A notorious gangster nicknamed "Animal" must reconcile his past in order to make a future for his criminally-minded son.
Director: David J. Burke | Stars: Ving Rhames, Terrence Howard, Chazz Palminteri, Jim Brown
Votes: 1,912
7. Animal 2 (2008)
R | 93 min | Action, Crime, Drama
Years after being shot by his eldest son Darius and taking the fall for his crimes, former gangster James "Animal" Allen serves a life sentence at Folsom Prison. When a riot breaks out ... See full summary »
Director: Ryan Combs | Stars: Ving Rhames, Vicellous Shannon, Richard Waugh, Yannick Bisson
Votes: 923
8. Caged Animal (2010)
R | 84 min | Action, Drama
Cain's often challenged in prison by wannabes. Cain's later offered a chance to talk with kids from the hood, incl. his own son, so they don't end up in prison.
Director: Ryan Combs | Stars: Ving Rhames, Nipsey Hussle, Gillie Da Kid, Robert Patrick
Votes: 1,533
9. The Shawshank Redemption (1994)
R | 142 min | Drama
Two imprisoned men bond over a number of years, finding solace and eventual redemption through acts of common decency.
Director: Frank Darabont | Stars: Tim Robbins, Morgan Freeman, Bob Gunton, William Sadler
Votes: 2,359,360 | Gross: $28.34M
10. Riot in Cell Block 11 (1954)
Not Rated | 80 min | Crime, Drama, Film-Noir
Fed up with the inhumane prison living conditions, a general prison riot breaks out, leading to hostage-taking, a stand-off with the guards and eventual negotiations with the prison administration officials.
Director: Don Siegel | Stars: Neville Brand, Emile Meyer, Frank Faylen, Leo Gordon
Votes: 1,787
11. The Green Mile (1999)
R | 189 min | Crime, Drama, Fantasy
The lives of guards on Death Row are affected by one of their charges: a black man accused of child murder and rape, yet who has a mysterious gift.
Director: Frank Darabont | Stars: Tom Hanks, Michael Clarke Duncan, David Morse, Bonnie Hunt
Votes: 1,156,898 | Gross: $136.80M
12. The Mannsfield 12 (2007)
105 min | Drama
Andrew Perryman is a young man who has been sent to Mannsfield State Penitentiary on an eighteen month sentence. His high-powered father secretly pays the prison warden to put young ... See full summary »
Director: Craig Ross Jr. | Stars: Aaron D. Spears, Danny Adams, Thom Barry, Mark Prince Edwards
Votes: 137
13. The Rock (1996)
R | 136 min | Action, Adventure, Thriller
A mild-mannered chemist and an ex-con must lead the counterstrike when a rogue group of military men, led by a renegade general, threaten a nerve gas attack from Alcatraz against San Francisco.
Director: Michael Bay | Stars: Sean Connery, Nicolas Cage, Ed Harris, John Spencer
Votes: 314,791 | Gross: $134.07M
14. The Last Castle (2001)
R | 131 min | Action, Drama, Thriller
A court-martialed General rallies together twelve hundred inmates to rise against a corrupt and sadistic warden.
Director: Rod Lurie | Stars: Robert Redford, James Gandolfini, Mark Ruffalo, Steve Burton
Votes: 72,653 | Gross: $18.21M
15. Prison Break: The Final Break (2009 Video)
Not Rated | 89 min | Action, Drama, Thriller
Michael and Sara wed, but the happiness is short-lived when the Feds apprehend her for the murder of Michael's mother, Christina. Once a hit is ordered on Sara, the team reunite to break out the increasingly vulnerable target.
Directors: Kevin Hooks, Brad Turner | Stars: Wentworth Miller, Dominic Purcell, William Fichtner, Amaury Nolasco
Votes: 23,712
16. Against the Wall (1994 TV Movie)
R | 111 min | Action, Drama, History
Based on the true story of the Attica Prison uprising of 1971.
Director: John Frankenheimer | Stars: Kyle MacLachlan, Samuel L. Jackson, Clarence Williams III, Frederic Forrest
Votes: 2,388
17. Birdman of Alcatraz (1962)
Not Rated | 147 min | Biography, Crime, Drama
A surly convicted murderer held in permanent isolation redeems himself when he becomes a renowned bird expert.
Directors: John Frankenheimer, Charles Crichton | Stars: Burt Lancaster, Karl Malden, Thelma Ritter, Neville Brand
Votes: 16,225
18. Midnight Express (1978)
R | 121 min | Biography, Crime, Drama
Billy Hayes, an American college student, is caught smuggling drugs out of Turkey and thrown into prison.
Director: Alan Parker | Stars: Brad Davis, Irene Miracle, Bo Hopkins, Paolo Bonacelli
Votes: 74,126 | Gross: $35.00M
19. Six Against the Rock (1987 TV Movie)
Not Rated | 96 min | Action, Crime, Drama
In May of 1946, Alcatraz inmate Bernie Coy initiates a carefully thought out plan to escape the island prison. His plan, carried out with five accomplices, falls apart when they can't obtain a key to unlock a door leading to the yard.
Director: Paul Wendkos | Stars: David Carradine, Richard Dysart, Dennis Farina, Charles Haid
Votes: 196
20. Bad Boys (1983)
R | 123 min | Crime, Drama, Thriller
Chicago crime kid Mick O'Brien is sent to reform school after accidentally killing a rival's kid brother.
Director: Rick Rosenthal | Stars: Sean Penn, Reni Santoni, Jim Moody, Eric Gurry
Votes: 14,032 | Gross: $9.20M
21. Con Air (1997)
R | 115 min | Action, Crime, Thriller
Newly paroled ex-con and former U.S. Ranger Cameron Poe finds himself trapped in a prisoner transport plane when the passengers seize control.
Director: Simon West | Stars: Nicolas Cage, John Cusack, John Malkovich, Colm Meaney
Votes: 277,587 | Gross: $101.12M
22. Half Past Dead 2 (2007 Video)
R | 92 min | Action, Crime
Former WWE & WCW World Champion Bill Goldberg and hip-hop group Tha Dog Pound's Ricardo "Kurupt" Brown push life to the limit in this explosive sequel to the 2002 hit movie Half Past Dead.
Director: Art Camacho | Stars: Bill Goldberg, Kurupt, Jack Conley, Robert Madrid
Votes: 1,888
23. Spy Game (2001)
R | 126 min | Action, Crime, Thriller
Retiring CIA agent Nathan Muir recalls his training of Tom Bishop while working against agency politics to free him from his Chinese captors.
Director: Tony Scott | Stars: Robert Redford, Brad Pitt, Catherine McCormack, Stephen Dillane
Votes: 146,283 | Gross: $0.03M
24. Rambo: First Blood Part II (1985)
R | 96 min | Action, Adventure, Thriller
Rambo returns to the jungles of Vietnam on a mission to infiltrate an enemy base-camp and rescue the American POWs still held captive there.
Director: George P. Cosmatos | Stars: Sylvester Stallone, Richard Crenna, Charles Napier, Steven Berkoff
Votes: 155,445 | Gross: $150.42M
25. Rambo III (1988)
R | 102 min | Action, Adventure
Rambo mounts a one-man mission to rescue his friend Colonel Trautman from the clutches of the formidable invading Soviet forces in Afghanistan.
Directors: Peter MacDonald, Russell Mulcahy | Stars: Sylvester Stallone, Richard Crenna, Marc de Jonge, Kurtwood Smith
Votes: 122,449 | Gross: $53.72M
26. First Blood (1982)
R | 93 min | Action, Adventure
A veteran Green Beret is forced by a cruel Sheriff and his deputies to flee into the mountains and wage an escalating one-man war against his pursuers.
Director: Ted Kotcheff | Stars: Sylvester Stallone, Brian Dennehy, Richard Crenna, Bill McKinney
Votes: 227,776 | Gross: $47.21M
27. Hard Rain (1998)
R | 97 min | Action, Crime, Drama
The nephew of an armored-truck driver tries to prevent three million dollars from being taken by a local rival gang during a catastrophic flooding caused by a severe storm.
Director: Mikael Salomon | Stars: Morgan Freeman, Christian Slater, Randy Quaid, Minnie Driver
Votes: 32,259 | Gross: $19.82M
28. Jailbreak (2017)
TV-MA | 92 min | Action, Comedy
What started as a simple escort mission will soon turn to chaos as the prisoners of Koh Kla take over the prison grounds. A special task force [Jean-Paul Ly, Dara Our, Tharoth Sam] gets ... See full summary »
Director: Jimmy Henderson | Stars: Celine Tran, Jean-Paul Ly, Laurent Plancel, Tharoth Sam
Votes: 1,261
29. Cool Hand Luke (1967)
GP | 127 min | Crime, Drama
A laid back Southern man is sentenced to two years in a rural prison, but refuses to conform.
Director: Stuart Rosenberg | Stars: Paul Newman, George Kennedy, Strother Martin, J.D. Cannon
Votes: 162,971 | Gross: $16.22M
30. Kill Zone 2 (2015)
Not Rated | 120 min | Action, Adventure, Crime
While undercover officer Kit is taken prisoner by the syndicate, he befriends his keeper and discovers an organ trafficking ring.
Director: Soi Cheang | Stars: Tony Jaa, Jing Wu, Simon Yam, Jin Zhang
Votes: 6,096
31. Lockdown (1990)
R | 90 min | Action, Crime, Drama
Cop is framed for murder and sent to prison.
Director: Frank Harris | Stars: Richard Lynch, Chris DeRose, Chuck Jeffreys, Elizabeth Kaitan
Votes: 60
32. Death Warrant (1990)
R | 89 min | Action, Crime, Mystery
In a violent and corrupt prison, decorated cop Louis Burke must infiltrate the jail to find answers to a number of inside murders. What he finds is a struggle of life and death tied in to his own past.
Director: Deran Sarafian | Stars: Jean-Claude Van Damme, Robert Guillaume, Cynthia Gibb, George Dickerson
Votes: 17,374 | Gross: $16.85M
33. Lockdown (2000)
R | 105 min | Drama, Thriller
Avery (Jones) returns to college as a competitive swimmer after getting his life back on track. But his life takes another unexpected turn when he and his two friends (Bonds, Casseus) are wrongly accused of murder and end up in prison.
Director: John Luessenhop | Stars: Richard T. Jones, De'aundre Bonds, Gabriel Casseus, Master P
Votes: 2,400 | Gross: $0.45M
34. Riot (I) (2015)
Not Rated | 87 min | Action
Cop Jack Stone robs a Russian mob bank to end in the same prison as the mob boss killing Jack's wife. An inmate helps him as does a reporter. Lots of fights.
Director: John Lyde | Stars: Matthew Reese, Dolph Lundgren, Danielle C. Ryan, Chuck Liddell
Votes: 2,878
35. In Hell (2003)
R | 98 min | Action, Drama, Thriller
A man must survive a prison where hardened criminals battle to the death for the wardens' entertainment.
Director: Ringo Lam | Stars: Jean-Claude Van Damme, Lawrence Taylor, Lloyd Battista, Carlos Gómez
Votes: 18,788
36. Felon (2008)
R | 104 min | Action, Crime, Thriller
A family man convicted of killing an intruder must cope with life afterward in the violent penal system.
Director: Ric Roman Waugh | Stars: Stephen Dorff, Marisol Nichols, Vincent Miller, Anne Archer
Votes: 75,106 | Gross: $0.04M
37. Snitch (I) (2013)
PG-13 | 112 min | Action, Drama, Thriller
A father goes undercover for the DEA in order to free his son, who was imprisoned after being set up in a drug deal.
Director: Ric Roman Waugh | Stars: Dwayne Johnson, Susan Sarandon, Jon Bernthal, Rafi Gavron
Votes: 83,424 | Gross: $42.93M
38. Shot Caller (2017)
R | 121 min | Crime, Drama, Thriller
A newly released prisoner is forced by the leaders of his gang to orchestrate a major crime with a brutal rival gang on the streets of Southern California.
Director: Ric Roman Waugh | Stars: Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, Omari Hardwick, Lake Bell, Jon Bernthal
Votes: 73,155
39. Brawl in Cell Block 99 (2017)
Not Rated | 132 min | Action, Crime, Drama
A former boxer-turned-drug runner lands in a prison battleground after a deal gets deadly.
Director: S. Craig Zahler | Stars: Vince Vaughn, Jennifer Carpenter, Don Johnson, Udo Kier
Votes: 59,501
40. Celda 211 (2009)
113 min | Action, Adventure, Crime
The story of two men on different sides of a prison riot -- the inmate leading the rebellion and the young guard trapped in the revolt, who poses as a prisoner in a desperate attempt to survive the ordeal.
Director: Daniel Monzón | Stars: Luis Tosar, Alberto Ammann, Antonio Resines, Manuel Morón
Votes: 64,132
41. A Prophet (2009)
R | 155 min | Crime, Drama
A young Algerian man is sent to a French prison.
Director: Jacques Audiard | Stars: Tahar Rahim, Niels Arestrup, Adel Bencherif, Reda Kateb
Votes: 93,929 | Gross: $2.08M
42. Symmetry (2003)
99 min | Drama, Thriller
A man falsely accused of assaulting an old woman tries to adapt to his new life in prison.
Director: Konrad Niewolski | Stars: Arkadiusz Detmer, Andrzej Chyra, Janusz Bukowski, Marcin Jedrzejewski
Votes: 3,265
43. No Beast So Fierce (2016)
Not Rated | 85 min | Drama, Thriller
Released after 20 years in prison, ex-con Charlie Sundstrom (Bailey Chase) returns to his home town to find that his estranged son, who has disappeared into the criminal underworld, is ... See full summary »
Director: Tim McCann | Stars: Kathryn Erbe, Bailey Chase, Dylan Baker, Susan Pourfar
Votes: 201
44. Brute Force (1947)
Passed | 98 min | Crime, Drama, Film-Noir
At a tough penitentiary, prisoner Joe Collins plans to rebel against Captain Munsey, the power-mad chief guard.
Director: Jules Dassin | Stars: Burt Lancaster, Hume Cronyn, Charles Bickford, Yvonne De Carlo
Votes: 9,170
45. Each Dawn I Die (1939)
Approved | 92 min | Crime, Drama, Film-Noir