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- The Shawshank Redemption. It had to be "Shawshank." The extraordinary film adapted from a Stephen King novella is a hopeful, nearly perfect experience about an unexpected friendship formed behind prison walls.
- A Man Escaped. French master filmmaker Robert Bresson has a notably distant style, and he employs largely non-professional actors, limited music and stylistic choices to tell his stories.
- Cool Hand Luke. "What we've got here is... failure to communicate" goes the famous line from the effortlessly cool movie "Cool Hand Luke," which features an incredible performance from screen icon Paul Newman.
- Starred Up. David Mackenzie's "Starred Up" is the most recent film in the top reaches of the list, but it's a rare example of a movie that becomes an instant classic upon release.
4. Cool Hand Luke. 1967 2h 7m Approved. 8.1 (191K) Rate. 92 Metascore. 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. 5.
- The Shawshank Redemption. Tim Robbins, Morgan Freeman, Bob Gunton. 2,886 votes. In this iconic film, a wrongly convicted banker finds himself in a high-stakes game of espionage battling against the corrupt prison authorities.
- The Green Mile. Tom Hanks, David Morse, Michael Clarke Duncan. 2,265 votes. Set in the 1930s, this masterpiece combines supernatural elements with top-notch humor, proving that even death row inmates can have a knack for espionage.
- American History X. Ed Norton, Edward Furlong, Fairuza Balk. 1,360 votes. An intense, gritty examination of the extent to which spying and deception can infiltrate the lives of ordinary people.
- Escape from Alcatraz. Clint Eastwood, Patrick McGoohan, Jack Thibeau. 1,451 votes. This thrilling classic follows a group of inmates as they plot a daring escape from the notorious island prison.
- Georgia May
- The Shawshank Redemption (1994) Directed by Frank Darabont. Starring Tim Robbins, Morgan Freeman, Bob Gunton. Drama (2h 22m) 9.3 on IMDb — 91% on RT. We all saw this one coming, didn't we?
- The Green Mile (1999) Directed by Frank Darabont. Starring Tom Hanks, Michael Clarke Duncan, David Morse. Crime, Drama, Fantasy (3h 9m) 8.6 on IMDb — 79% on RT.
- Midnight Express (1978) Directed by Alan Parker. Starring Brad Davis, Randy Quaid, John Hurt. Biography, Crime, Drama (2h 1m) 7.5 on IMDb — 93% on RT. Midnight Express based-on-a-true-story movie, this time recounting the life of Billy Hayes who was sentenced to 30-years imprisonment for smuggling hash in Istanbul.
- The Great Escape (1963) Directed by John Sturges. Starring Steve McQueen, James Garner, Richard Attenborough. Adventure, Drama, History (2h 52m) 8.2 on IMDb — 94% on RT.
- Cool Hand Luke (1967) One of Paul Newman’s most iconic roles, Luke Jackson is a chain-gang prisoner who refuses to buckle to authority, repeatedly attempting to escape and keep his individualistic spirit in an environment designed to crush exactly that.
- The Shawshank Redemption (1994) So this one is a total no brainer, as it’s widely considered to be one of the best movies of all time full stop. You’ve probably seen it ten times already, but if you haven’t it stars Tim Robbins as a man wrongly imprisoned for the murder of his wife – and tracks his experiences in jail, his friendship with Morgan Freeman’s lifelong convict and ultimately his… well, that would be saying too much.
- Hunger (2008) Before Shame, Steve McQueen and Michael Fassbender burst onto the scene with this gut-wrenching tale of Irish republican Bobby Sands, who led the 1981 IRA Hunger Strike at Belfast’s Maze Prison in an attempt to gain political prisoner status.
- The Rock (1996) Michael Bay’s action romp has Nicolas Cage and Sean Connery breaking into prison – specifically, Alcatraz – rather than out of it, in order to stop Ed Harris’ rogue general from unleashing a deadly nerve gas on San Francisco.
Related: Best new Racing movies in 2024 & 2023 (Netflix, Prime, Hulu & Cinema List) Prison life intrigues audiences. ‘The Shawshank Redemption’ has been number one on the top 250 IMDb list for ages. In recent years, there have been several gripping prison movies as well, that we summed up below. Best crime-themed popular culture.
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4 days ago · First comes trial, then comes guilty, then comes sentencing to years locked away with people even more dangerous than you are. Join us on a whirlwind tour of prison! Over 200 fans have voted on the 40+ Best Prison Shows & Movies, Ranked. Current Top 3: The Shawshank Redemption, Orange Is the New Black, The Green Mile ...
