Best Prison Movies and Shows
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- CreatorCarol LongDenise RobertsStarsDeborra-Lee FurnessHugh JackmanSue JonesKevin 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.
- CreatorTom FontanaStarsErnie HudsonJ.K. SimmonsLee TergesenA series chronicling the daily activities of an unusual prison facility and its criminal inhabitants.
- CreatorPaul T. ScheuringStarsDominic PurcellWentworth MillerAmaury NolascoA structural engineer installs himself in a prison he helped design, in order to save his falsely accused brother from a death sentence by breaking themselves out from the inside.
- DirectorSteve BuscemiStarsWillem DafoeEdward FurlongDanny TrejoA young man goes to prison and a tough, older convict takes him under his wing as a mentor.
- DirectorMikael HåfströmStarsSylvester StalloneArnold Schwarzenegger50 CentWhen 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.
- DirectorDavid J. BurkeStarsVing RhamesTerrence HowardChazz PalminteriA notorious gangster nicknamed "Animal" must reconcile his past in order to make a future for his criminally-minded son.
- DirectorRyan CombsStarsVing RhamesVicellous ShannonRichard WaughJames "Animal" Allen (Ving Rhames) took the fall for the crimes of his older son (Vicellous Shannon) and is now serving a life term at Folsom Prison.
- DirectorRyan CombsStarsVing RhamesNipsey HussleGillie Da KidCain'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.
- DirectorFrank DarabontStarsTim RobbinsMorgan FreemanBob GuntonOver the course of several years, two convicts form a friendship, seeking consolation and, eventually, redemption through basic compassion.
- DirectorDon SiegelStarsNeville BrandEmile MeyerFrank FaylenFed 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.
- DirectorFrank DarabontStarsTom HanksMichael Clarke DuncanDavid MorseA tale set on death row, where gentle giant John Coffey possesses the mysterious power to heal people's ailments. When the lead guard, Paul Edgecombe, recognizes John's gift, he tries to help stave off the condemned man's execution.
- DirectorCraig Ross Jr.StarsAaron D. SpearsDanny AdamsThom BarryAndrew Perryman is a young man who has been sent to Mannsfield State Penitentiary on an 18-month sentence. His high-powered father secretly pays the prison warden to put young Perryman in East Wing, the highest-security unit in the prison, to teach his son a lesson. Events soon spiral out of control for both the warden and his inmates.
- DirectorMichael BayStarsSean ConneryNicolas CageEd HarrisA 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.
- DirectorRod LurieStarsRobert RedfordJames GandolfiniMark RuffaloA court-martialed General rallies together twelve hundred inmates to rise against a corrupt and sadistic warden.
- DirectorKevin HooksBrad TurnerStarsWentworth MillerDominic PurcellWilliam FichtnerMichael 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.
- DirectorJohn FrankenheimerStarsKyle MacLachlanSamuel L. JacksonClarence Williams IIIBased on the true story of the Attica Prison uprising of 1971.
- DirectorJohn FrankenheimerStarsBurt LancasterKarl MaldenThelma RitterA surly convicted murderer held in permanent isolation redeems himself when he becomes a renowned bird expert.
- DirectorAlan ParkerStarsBrad DavisIrene MiracleBo HopkinsBilly Hayes, an American college student, is caught smuggling drugs out of Turkey and thrown into prison.
- DirectorPaul WendkosStarsDavid CarradineRichard DysartDennis FarinaIn 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.
- DirectorRick RosenthalStarsSean PennReni SantoniJim MoodyChicago crime kid Mick O'Brien is sent to reform school after accidentally killing a rival's kid brother.
- DirectorSimon WestStarsNicolas CageJohn CusackJohn MalkovichNewly-paroled ex-con and former U.S. Ranger Cameron Poe finds himself trapped in a prisoner-transport plane when the passengers seize control.
- DirectorArt CamachoStarsBill GoldbergKuruptJack ConleyFormer 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.
- DirectorTony ScottStarsRobert RedfordBrad PittCatherine McCormackRetiring CIA agent Nathan Muir recalls his training of Tom Bishop while working against agency politics to free him from his Chinese captors.
- DirectorGeorge P. CosmatosStarsSylvester StalloneRichard CrennaCharles NapierRambo returns to the jungles of Vietnam on a mission to infiltrate an enemy base-camp and rescue the American POWs still held captive there.
- DirectorPeter MacDonaldStarsSylvester StalloneRichard CrennaMarc de JongeRambo mounts a one-man mission to rescue his friend Colonel Trautman from the clutches of the formidable invading Soviet forces in Afghanistan.
- DirectorTed KotcheffStarsSylvester StalloneBrian DennehyRichard CrennaA 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.
- DirectorMikael SalomonStarsMorgan FreemanChristian SlaterRandy QuaidThe partner and nephew of an armored-truck driver tries to prevent three million dollars from being taken by a gang during a catastrophic flooding caused by a severe storm.
- DirectorJimmy HendersonStarsCeline TranLaurent PlancelTharoth SamWhat 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 trapped in the prison will have to fight their way out for survival, to protect a key witness [Savin Phillip].
- DirectorStuart RosenbergStarsPaul NewmanGeorge KennedyStrother MartinA laid-back Southern man is sentenced to two years in a rural prison, but refuses to conform.
- DirectorSoi CheangStarsTony JaaJing WuSimon YamWhile undercover officer Kit is taken prisoner by the syndicate, he befriends his keeper and discovers an organ trafficking ring.
- DirectorFrank HarrisStarsRichard LynchChris DeRoseChuck JeffreysDetective Taylor's worst nightmare unfolds after he is framed for murder by the evil Garrett. Wrenched from the comfort of his wife and daughter, Taylor's agony starts when he enters the terrible world of prison.
- DirectorDeran SarafianStarsJean-Claude Van DammeRobert GuillaumeCynthia GibbIn 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.
- DirectorJohn LuessenhopStarsRichard T. JonesDe'aundre BondsGabriel CasseusAvery (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.
- DirectorJohn LydeStarsMatthew ReeseDolph LundgrenDanielle C. RyanCop 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.
- DirectorRingo LamStarsJean-Claude Van DammeLawrence TaylorLloyd BattistaA man must survive a prison where hardened criminals battle to the death for the wardens' entertainment.
- DirectorRic Roman WaughStarsStephen DorffMarisol NicholsVincent MillerLocked up for killing an intruder in self-defense, a family man must cope with life in the violent penal system.
- DirectorRic Roman WaughStarsDwayne JohnsonSusan SarandonJon BernthalA father goes undercover for the DEA in order to free his son, who was imprisoned after being set up in a drug deal.
- DirectorRic Roman WaughStarsNikolaj Coster-WaldauOmari HardwickLake BellA 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.
- DirectorS. Craig ZahlerStarsVince VaughnJennifer CarpenterDon JohnsonA former boxer-turned-drug runner lands in a prison battleground after a deal gets deadly.
- DirectorDaniel MonzónStarsLuis TosarAlberto AmmannAntonio ResinesThe 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.
- DirectorJacques AudiardStarsTahar RahimNiels ArestrupAdel BencherifA delinquent Muslim man struggles to get by in prison until he is taken under the wing of a powerful mob boss. But his gradual rise through the mob's ranks brings him in conflict with his mentor.
- DirectorKonrad NiewolskiStarsArkadiusz DetmerAndrzej ChyraJanusz BukowskiA man falsely accused of assaulting an old woman tries to adapt to his new life in prison.
- DirectorTim McCannStarsBailey ChaseDylan BakerKathryn ErbeAn ex-convict returns home to find his estranged son missing. He teams up with a rogue officer to search for the son, pursued by a ruthless gang leader. Their lives converge in a climactic twist ending.
- DirectorJules DassinStarsBurt LancasterHume CronynCharles BickfordAt a tough penitentiary, prisoner Joe Collins plans to rebel against Captain Munsey, the power-mad chief guard.
- DirectorWilliam KeighleyStarsJames CagneyGeorge RaftJane BryanA corrupt D.A. (Thurston Hall) with political ambitions is angered by news stories implicating him in criminal activity and decides to frame the reporter (James Cagney) for manslaughter in order to silence him.
- DirectorLewis SeilerStarsHumphrey BogartIrene ManningRichard TravisFearing life in prison for a fourth offense, convict Duke Berne pulls out of an armored car robbery, planned by his crooked lawyer, but he is framed for the robbery anyway.
- DirectorLewis SeilerStarsHumphrey BogartGale PageBilly HalopYouthful tough Johnnie Stone has fallen under the influence of petty crook Frank Wilson, who involves him and robbery and murder using his sister's boyfriend's stolen gun.
- DirectorGareth Maxwell RobertsStarsGil BellowsLisa RayEsai MoralesRecently paroled after serving a long stretch for his wife's murder, Joey One-Way aligns himself with a producer who has optioned the play he wrote in prison. As he sets about adapting his work for the big screen, Joey falls for his new pal's ex-con wife, and enters into a doomed affair.
- DirectorKiefer SutherlandStarsForest WhitakerKiefer SutherlandClancy BrownA killer on death row finds an unlikely friend in a prison guard.
- DirectorJack HillStarsRoberta CollinsPam GrierJudith BrownBeautiful female prisoners are abused in a Philippine prison until five of them plot an escape by taking the evil female warden hostage with reluctant help from two male fruit vendors.
- DirectorGerardo de LeonStarsJudith BrownRoberta CollinsJennifer GanAmerican women prisoners in a foreign country. Sex and action.
- DirectorJack HillStarsPam GrierAnitra FordCandice RomanGrier and Haig are thieving mercenaries who engineer a prison break from the outside.
- DirectorDylan ReynoldsStarsYassmin AlersLelia GoldoniMark IrvingsenA story about a man recently released from prison who is trying to re-connect with his estranged son and girlfriend.
- DirectorAva DuVernayStarsEmayatzy CorinealdiDavid OyelowoLorraine ToussaintRuby goes on a journey of self-discovery when she drops out of medical school in order to focus on her incarcerated husband's well-being.
- StarsNicole KidmanDenholm ElliottHugo WeavingNicole Kidman and Denholm Elliott star in a 1989 miniseries about a young woman in a Thai prison for carrying her boyfriend's heroin.
- DirectorDaniel ZirilliStarsTony SchienaRashad EvansVinnie JonesDanny, a respected cop, is setup after an investigation goes wrong. While laying low in his new jail cell, Danny is forced to get involved in the inmates underground cage fighting circuit. With the help of Irving, a former mixed martial arts champion, Danny devises a scheme to bring justice and innocence to his family's name, if he can get out of the cage alive.
- DirectorRobert MunicStarsMaryam d'AboArye GrossJeffrey MeekIt's the 23rd century, and the world's most dangerous criminal has taken over the maximum security prison on asterod Alpha 4. Caught in the middle are a petty thief and a prison transport pilot.
- DirectorRobert OppelStarsRobert LaSardoAlejandra GutierrezMary KelseyRico reunites with his ex-wife after serving a five year prison term for armed robbery. Upon Rico's release he encounters old and new forces conspiring to bring him down and tear him between what he holds dear and what he most fears.
- DirectorMarius HolstStarsBenjamin HelstadTrond NilssenStellan SkarsgårdNorwegian winter, early 20th century. On the boys home Bastoy, a new inmate leads the boys to a violent uprising against a brutal regime. How far is he willing to go to attain freedom?
- DirectorLee Seung-wonStarsJe-Heon ChoiPark Chul-minKim Dae-hyunA former police investigator decides to go to a prison island to revenge the brutal killings of his family.
- DirectorJon KauffmanStarsAlexander DreymonLesley-Ann BrandtErik LaRay HarveyA rogue love story centered on a female correctional officer whose life is turned upside down by the fleeting affections of her lover - a male convict whose charm is only as genuine as his desire to be free.
- DirectorAndrea Di StefanoStarsJoel KinnamanRosamund PikeCommonAn ex-convict working undercover intentionally gets himself incarcerated again in order to infiltrate the mob at a maximum security prison.
- DirectorMarvin J. ChomskyStarsHenry DarrowCharles DurningJoel FabianiThe true story of the events leading up to and during the 1971 Attica Correctional Facility riot and the aftermath.
- DirectorWilliam A. GrahamStarsStella StevensDebbie AllenHector ElizondoA young female prison guard finds out that her first assignment is to San Quentin, one of the toughest prisons in the country.
- DirectorGeorge W. HillWard WingStarsChester MorrisWallace BeeryLewis StoneA convict falls in love with his new cellmate's sister, only to become embroiled in a planned break-out which is certain to have lethal consequences.
- DirectorHoward HawksStarsWalter HustonPhillips HolmesConstance CummingsAfter a failed attempt at running for governor, D.A. Mark Brady is appointed warden of the state prison where many of the criminals he prosecuted are incarcerated.
- DirectorBilly WilderStarsWilliam HoldenDon TaylorOtto PremingerAfter two Americans are killed while escaping from a German P.O.W. camp in World War II, the barracks black marketeer, J.J. Sefton, is suspected of being an informer.
- DirectorGreg YaitanesStarsDavid BradleyCharles NapierYuji OkumotoWhen A.T.F. agent Nick Adams (David Bradley) goes undercover in a prison to unravel the mystery of a fellow agents death there. Warden Pike (Charles Napier) and his pet goons are involved in all kinds of corrupt activities; dope dealing and gun smuggling to name a few.
- DirectorArt CamachoStarsArmand AssanteJames RussoFlavor FlavConfessions of a Pit fighter is a character driven action film about regret, consequences and the triumph of the human spirit. Eddie Castillo is a quiet man. He has survived seven years of incarceration in the state pen and wants nothing more than to live out his life in relative tranquility. He moves in with you younger brother David who as a kid, idolized him. Castillo soon learns that the "tranquility" he was seeking is shattered by David getting involved in illegal underground fights, the same type of fights that coincidentally led Castillo to Prison. As much as Castillo tries to get David to go straight, he has to make his own way. David eventually gets killed in an underground fight and this sets Castillo on a collision course with destiny. Having no other choice, Castillo goes back into the underground fight game to find his brother's killer. Castillo sets out for revenge and in the process forsakes it for redemption. "From the day I was born I had to fight to survive. I fought everyone and everything that came in front of me. On the streets, confessions are made in Blood. They say that when you confess your sins, only then can you be redeemed. This is my redemption. This is my confession." (Eddie Castillo 2005)
- DirectorPaul T. ScheuringStarsAdrien BrodyCam GigandetForest Whitaker26 men are chosen to participate in the roles of guards and prisoners in a psychological study that ultimately spirals out of control.
- DirectorJ. Christian IngvordsenStarsRobert DaviKayle WatsonTerry AndersonIn the year 2011, the prison system is run by the private sector. Business tycoon R.D. Crowley (Robert Davi) has created a Virtual Reality prison. The prisoner's bodies are locked in suspended animation while their mind traverses the lethal labyrinth of games Crowley has designed for them. Crowley allows wealthy sportsmen to participate, for a price, in deadly VR combat with the prisoners.
- DirectorMervyn LeRoyStarsPaul MuniGlenda FarrellHelen VinsonWrongly convicted James Allen serves in the intolerable conditions of a Southern chain gang, which later comes back to haunt him.
- DirectorBarry LevinsonStarsRobert De NiroKevin BaconBrad PittAfter a prank goes disastrously wrong, a group of boys are sent to a detention center where they are brutalized. Thirteen years later, an unexpected random encounter with a former guard gives them a chance for revenge.
- DirectorRussell MulcahyStarsDenzel WashingtonJohn LithgowIce-TA District Attorney is terrorized by the criminal he put away years ago when he was a cop.
- DirectorDavid FincherStarsSigourney WeaverCharles S. DuttonCharles DanceReturning from LV-426, Ellen Ripley crash-lands on the maximum-security prison Fiorina 161, where she discovers that she has unwittingly brought along an unwelcome visitor.
- DirectorBradford MayStarsJohnny MessnerStacy KeachCharlotte RossBurke Wyatt is an innocent, but condemned man behind prison walls. He's found an outlet for his rage. It's called the Death Match, a killer sport devised by sadistic wardens and authorities and played out in the bowels of a maximum security prison.
- DirectorG. Philip JacksonStarsMalcolm McDowellMichael ParéHeidi von PalleskeProxate Corporation recruits a boozy former ship captain and offers him a new identity: Sean Murdoch. His job: to take charge of large ship on one voyage. Once aboard, Murdoch realizes that the ship is a prison ship, and the cargo are criminally insane inmates. Murdoch's other problem: someone has planted bombs aboard the vessel. Murdoch's acrimonious relationship with the prison warden lends extra drama to the story.
- DirectorBrian JunStarsJamie Anne AllmanMarcus AtkinsRaymond J. BarryDuring a Midwestern winter, two working-class brothers must cope with their recently incarcerated father.
- DirectorJordan Walker-PearlmanStarsObba BabatundéRae Dawn ChongCharmin Lee WhiteA young man dying in prison brings his family together for a fateful visit, and proceeds to put his life back together.
- DirectorPeter SvatekStarsRoddy PiperJayne HeitmeyerBilly DragoBoston, 2009. A police detective (Roddy Piper) searches for Adrian Dunn, his ex-partner (Billy Drago) who murdered his wife. Dunn has escaped from prison on the moon and returned to Earth with an alien virus.
- DirectorLuca BercoviciStarsShannon SturgesMichole Briana WhiteCharlie SpradlingA spacecraft with an all-female crew is forced to jettison fuel due to engine problems, and makes an emergency landing on a planet being used as a penal colony.
- StarsAlan David LeeDennis MillerTracy MannIn August 1944, 1104 Japanese prisoners of war at the Australian POW camp at Cowra stage a mass breakout. Four guards are killed in the escape, and 231 prisoners die by wounds sustained or suicide, while 334 prisoners are recaptured over the subsequent nine days.
- CreatorBernard FeinAlbert S. RuddyStarsBob CraneWerner KlempererJohn BannerThe inmates of a German World War II prisoner of war camp conduct an espionage and sabotage campaign right under the noses of their warders.
- DirectorMark Edwin RobinsonStarsKelly OvertonJames HavenJennette McCurdyA medical student is assigned to a psychiatric patient to discover the truth about a brutal murder, but he instead rants about danger in the outside world. The student dismisses his claims as paranoia - until someone begins.
- DirectorRobert HoustonStarsStanley DeSantisDavid KeithKristen ClokeAfter a jewelry theft Tommy Lane can hardly free. His girlfriend Kristen has less luck and is arrested. She's sentenced to jail in an ill-reputed female prison in Oklahoma. Tommy doesn't let her down; he manages to get into the prison - on the other side of the bars - to force the ruthless director to let her go.
- CreatorMatthew ArlidgeChris LangStarsLee InglebyDaniel RyanAdrian RawlinsAfter having their conviction overturned, people wrongly accused of murder rebuild their lives while the police hunt the true culprit.
- DirectorJen SoskaSylvia SoskaStarsDean CainPaul WightMichael EklundDetective Mason's wife is murdered by an ex-convict he jailed. He gets arrested intentionally to seek vengeance inside prison, uncovering a criminal conspiracy those involved will kill to protect.
- CreatorShawn RyanStarsMichael ChiklisCatherine DentWalton GogginsDrama series following the lives and cases of dirty cop Vic Mackey and the corrupt LAPD unit under his command.
- DirectorSpike LeeStarsDenzel WashingtonMilla JovovichRay AllenA basketball player's father must try to convince him to go to a college so he can get a shorter sentence.
- DirectorDavid Field and George BashaGeorge BashaDavid FieldStarsGeorge BashaRichard GreenBrian EllisonSent to prison because of manslaughter, Ray is challenged both physically and mentally by a sadistic prison boss.
- DirectorBruce LoganStarsKaren ChaseSandy MartinKin ShrinerA sexy stuntwoman gets herself thrown into prison to avenge the death of her sister.
- DirectorAlfredo RamosStarsClifton Collins Jr.Greg SeranoJacob VargasCarefree days come to an end when three Latino friends face personal crises in Los Angeles.
- DirectorMadeleine SacklerStarsJeffrey WrightTheothus CarterWilliam FichtnerLouis awaits release from prison after nearly 24 years in, when young Beech is incarcerated.
- CreatorMichael BrandtDerek HaasMatt OlmsteadStarsJason BeghePatrick John FluegerMarina SquerciatiFollows District 21 of the Chicago Police Department, made up of two different groups: the uniformed cops and the Intelligence Unit.
- DirectorJerry LondonStarsJulie ChristieHugo WeavingJohn PolsonOn 9th of November 1983 two Australians, Kevin Barlow and Geoff Chambers were arrested at Penang Airport in Malaysia carrying 179 grams of heroin, a crime which in Malaysia carries a mandatory sentence of death. Dadah Is Death (A Long Way From Home) is the true story of Barbara Barlow's desperate attempt to save her son from the hangman's rope - a courageous effort that involved impassioned pleas to President Reagan, The British Prime Minister, and even the Pope. By July 1986 this international struggle had seemed to reach a hopeless conclusion and all that was left was a mother's love for her son.
- DirectorJohn G. AvildsenStarsStephen DorffArmin Mueller-StahlMorgan FreemanAn English boy, living in Africa during World War II, through his boxing prowess, becomes a symbol of hope, in a time of war.
- DirectorMimi LederStarsPowers BootheLaura JohnsonMichael IronsideMace Moutron, The Sandman, is released from prison to take part in a project where convicts assist the police in their job. Mace isn't used to playing by the rules, and he's frustrated with the corruption and impotence of the police. When he takes action against a local drug lord, the conflict becomes personal.
- CreatorBryan CranstonDavid ShoreStarsGiovanni RibisiMarin IrelandShane McRaeA con man on the run from a vicious gangster takes cover by assuming the identity of his prison cellmate Pete, and reuniting with Pete's estranged family, which threatens to drag him into a world just as dangerous as the one he's escaping.
- DirectorLuca BercoviciStarsAngie EverhartJames RussoEric RobertsA young co-ed who's just been release from prison for a crime she didn't commit plots her revenge against a former lover, who was the real culprit, with the help of a policeman.