Films with theme "Prison films", sorted by rating

, 2h22
Directed by Frank Darabont
Origin USA
Genres Drama, Crime
Themes Prison films, Évasion, Films about capital punishment, Buddy films
Actors Tim Robbins, Morgan Freeman, Bob Gunton, William Sadler, James Whitmore, Clancy Brown

In 1947 Portland, Maine, banker Andy Dufresne is convicted of murdering his wife and her lover and sentenced to two consecutive life sentences at the fictional Shawshank State Penitentiary in rural Maine. Andy befriends prison contraband smuggler, Ellis "Red" Redding, an inmate serving a life sentence. Red procures a rock hammer and later a large poster of Rita Hayworth for Andy. Working in the prison laundry, Andy is regularly assaulted by the "bull queer" gang "the Sisters" and their leader, Bogs.

, 3h8
Directed by Frank Darabont
Origin USA
Genres Drama, Fantastic, Fantasy, Crime
Themes Medical-themed films, Prison films, Films about psychiatry, Films about capital punishment
Actors Tom Hanks, David Morse, Bonnie Hunt, Michael Clarke Duncan, James Cromwell, Graham Greene

In a Louisiana nursing home in 1999, Paul Edgecomb becomes nervous while watching the 1935 film Top Hat. He is with his elderly friend Elaine, who becomes concerned, and Paul tells her that the film reminded him of his past, when he was a prison officer in charge of death row inmates at the Cold Mountain Penitentiary during the summer of 1935. The scene shifts to 1935, where Paul works with fellow guards Brutus "Brutal" Howell, Harry Terwilliger, and Dean Stanton. Unlike the other guards, Paul is a very calm guard and is sympathetic with some inmates.

, 2h12
Directed by Jacques Becker
Origin France
Genres Drama, Thriller, Historical, Crime
Themes Prison films, Évasion
Actors Michel Constantin, Philippe Leroy, Catherine Spaak, Jean Keraudy, Raymond Meunier, Marc Michel

Four long-sentence prisoners are determined to escape. They start digging a tunnel. While they are still at it, the prison direction puts the new convict Gaspard into their cell. They have no choice but to fill him in. At first he's enthusiastic about taking part in the getaway but all of a sudden it shows he will be released soon anyway because the main witness against him had a change in mind. Clueless as they are, Roland, Manu and Géo keep following through on their plan until it becomes evident that Gaspard has betrayed them.

, 2h58
Directed by Priyadarshan
Genres Drama, Action
Themes Prison films
Actors Mohanlal, Prabhu, Tabu, Amrish Puri, Nedumudi Venu, Cochin Haneefa

The film is set in British India in the year 1915. The story is about a young doctor, Govardhan Menon (Mohanlal), who is wrongly accused of bombing a train carrying 55 people including British officials. He is put in a cellular jail at Port Blair, Andaman and Nicobar Islands. Kaalapani shows the sufferings of hundreds of Indian prisoners in the cellular jail, including leading participants of the freedom movement. The extremely inhumane conditions faced by the prisoners in the jail are accurately depicted.

, 1h28
Directed by Stanley Kubrick
Origin USA
Genres Drama, War, Historical
Themes French war films, Politique, Prison films, Political films, Films about capital punishment
Actors Kirk Douglas, Ralph Meeker, Adolphe Menjou, George Macready, Wayne Morris, Richard Anderson

The film begins with a voiceover describing the trench warfare situation of World War I up to 1916. In a château, General Georges Broulard (Adolphe Menjou), a member of the French General Staff, asks his subordinate, the ambitious General Mireau (George Macready), to send his division on a suicide mission to take a well-defended German position called the "Anthill." Mireau initially refuses, citing the impossibility of success and the danger to his beloved soldiers, but when Broulard mentions a potential promotion, Mireau quickly convinces himself the attack will succeed.

, 1h46
Directed by Vetrimaaran
Genres Drama, Thriller
Themes Prison films
Actors Dinesh, Anandhi, Aadukalam Murugadoss, Samuthirakani, Misha Ghoshal, Kishore

Dans ce drame inspiré de faits réels, des policiers politisés de l'État de l'Andhra Pradesh piègent quatre ouvriers tamouls et les torturent en vain.

, 14h54
Directed by Rainer Werner Fassbinder
Genres Drama, Crime
Themes Medical-themed films, Prison films, Films about sexuality, Erotic films, LGBT-related films, Films about prostitution, Films about psychiatry, Political films, Erotic thriller films, Films set in psychiatric hospitals, LGBT-related films, LGBT-related film
Actors Hanna Schygulla, Barbara Sukowa, Bata Kameni, Elisabeth Trissenaar, Gottfried John, Karin Baal

1: The Punishment Begins Berlin, 1928. Franz Biberkopf is released after serving four years in Tegel prison for killing his girlfriend Ida. After settling into his old apartment he visits Minna, Ida’s sister. Minna succumbs to his forceful advances. In a flashback we see Franz kill Ida with a cream whip after correctly suspecting she was about to leave him. Franz later runs into his old friend Meck and has a drink with him in Max’s bar, a local place. There he meets Lina Przybilla, a young Polish woman, who moves in with him. He receives notification from the Berlin Police that he is barred from living in certain Berlin districts and surrounding municipalities, under the threat of a fine or imprisonment, Biberkopf places himself under the supervision of a charity called Prisoners' Aid, to which he must report once a month, and remain in employment. By doing this, he is able to remain in Berlin.

, 2h23
Directed by V. Shantaram
Genres Drama, Thriller, Comedy, Crime
Themes Prison films
Actors V. Shantaram, Sandhya Shantaram, Phaldut Sharma, Sunil Dutt

The film portrays a young jail warden, Adinath, who rehabilitates six dangerous prisoners released on parole into persons of virtue.

, 1h58
Directed by Jonathan Demme
Origin USA
Genres Drama, Thriller, Horror, Crime
Themes Assassinat, Medical-themed films, Prison films, Psychologie, Films about sexuality, LGBT-related films, Transgender in film, Serial killer films, Films about psychiatry, Évasion, Tiré d'une œuvre de Thomas Harris, LGBT-related films, LGBT-related film
Actors Jodie Foster, Anthony Hopkins, Scott Glenn, Ted Levine, Charles Napier, Anthony Heald

Clarice Starling (Jodie Foster) is pulled from her training at the FBI Academy at Quantico, Virginia by Jack Crawford (Scott Glenn) of the Bureau's Behavioral Science Unit. He assigns her to interview Hannibal Lecter, a former psychiatrist and incarcerated cannibalistic serial killer, whose insight might prove useful in the pursuit of a serial killer nicknamed "Buffalo Bill", who skins his female victims' corpses.

, 1h59
Directed by Tony Kaye
Origin USA
Genres Drama, Crime
Themes Films about families, Prison films, Films about racism, Films about sexuality, Rape in fiction, Skinheads, Gangster films
Actors Edward Norton, Fairuza Balk, Edward Furlong, Stacy Keach, Elliott Gould, Avery Brooks

Danny Vinyard (Edward Furlong), a high school student and budding neo-Nazi in Venice Beach, California, receives an assignment from Mr. Murray (Elliott Gould), his history teacher, to write a paper on "any book which relates to the struggle for human rights". Knowing Murray is Jewish, Danny writes his paper on Adolf Hitler's Mein Kampf. Murray attempts to get Danny expelled for doing this, but Principal Dr. Bob Sweeney (Avery Brooks) — who is black — refuses, instead informing Danny that he will study history and current events under Sweeney, and that the class will be called "American History X". Danny's first assignment is to prepare a paper on his brother Derek (Edward Norton), a former neo-Nazi leader who has just been released from prison after serving three years for voluntary manslaughter. Danny is warned that failing to submit the paper the next morning will result in his expulsion. The rest of the film alternates between a series of vignettes from Danny and Derek's shared past (distinguished by being shown in black and white), and present day events (shown in color).

, 2h16
Directed by Stanley Kubrick
Origin USA
Genres Drama, Science fiction, Thriller, Social science fiction, Crime
Themes L'adolescence, Films about children, Medical-themed films, Films about music and musicians, Prison films, Films about sexuality, Films about suicide, Rape in fiction, Films based on science fiction novels, Films set in the future, Films about classical music and musicians, Films about psychiatry, Political films, Dystopian films
Actors Malcolm McDowell, Patrick Magee, Adrienne Corri, Miriam Karlin, Godfrey Quigley, Anthony Sharp

In futuristic London, Alex DeLarge is the leader of his "droogs", Georgie, Dim and Pete. One night, after getting intoxicated on "drencrom" (milk laced with drugs), they engage in an evening of "ultra-violence," which includes beating an elderly vagrant and fighting a rival gang led by Billyboy. After stealing a car, they drive to the country home of writer F. Alexander, where they beat Mr. Alexander to the point of crippling him for life. Alex then rapes his wife while singing "Singin' in the Rain".

, 1h40
Genres Drama
Themes Prison films
Actors Ayla Arslancan, Meral Çetinkaya

When a woman is sent to prison for drug smuggling, Barış, her young son, is sent with her, as is the custom in Turkey. Inside this all-women’s penitentiary, Barış (Ozan Bilen) searches for companionship and guidance—and finds them both in the form of Inci Nur Sürer, a political prisoner with whom he forms a very special bond. A beautifully observed, tender story of the growing affection between a woman and a child who is not her own, Tunç Başaran’s film, with a screenplay by Feride Çiçekoğlu based on her novel, builds an effective counterpoint between the prison world, with its discipline, intrigues and threat of violence, and the private space Inci and Barış manage to create for themselves. Voted Best Turkish Film of the Year at the 1989 Istanbul Film Festival.

, 1h43
Directed by Lee Unkrich
Origin USA
Genres Comedy, Comedy-drama, Animation
Themes Jeu, Prison films, Films about toys, Évasion, Buddy films, Children's films
Actors Tom Hanks, John Morris, Tim Allen, Joan Cusack, Ned Beatty, Don Rickles

Andy, now 17 years old, is about to leave for college, and his toys have not been played with for years. He intends to take only Woody with him, and puts Buzz Lightyear, Jessie and the other toys in a bag to be stored in the attic. Andy's mother mistakenly takes the bag to the curb for garbage pickup. The toys escape and, believing Andy intended to throw them away, decide to climb in a donation box with Barbie bound for Sunnyside Daycare. Woody follows them and tries to explain the mistake, but they refuse to believe him.

, 1h4
Origin Philippines
Genres Documentary
Themes Films about children, Prison films, Documentary films about law, Documentaire sur une personnalité, Documentary films about child abuse, Documentary films about law enforcement, Films about child abuse

Ditsi Carolino received the Best Director award for the documentary film Bunso (The Youngest) at the OneWorld 2005 documentary films festival held in Prague, Czech Republic.

, 2h45
Directed by John Sturges, John Flynn
Origin USA
Genres Drama, War, Thriller, Action, Adventure, Historical
Themes Prison films, Transport films, Aviation films, Motocyclette, Political films, Évasion, Disaster films, Films about aviation accidents or incidents, United States Armed Forces in films
Actors Steve McQueen, James Garner, Richard Attenborough, James Donald, Charles Bronson, Donald Pleasence

In 1943, having expended enormous resources on recapturing escaped Allied prisoners of war (POWs), the Germans move the most determined to a new, high-security prisoner of war camp. The commandant, Luftwaffe Colonel von Luger (Hannes Messemer), tells the senior British officer, Group Captain Ramsey (James Donald), "There will be no escapes from this camp." Von Luger points out the various features of the new camp designed to prevent escape, as well as the perks the prisoners will receive as an incentive not to try. After several failed escape attempts on the first day, the POWs settle into life at the prison camp.