Prison break is one the most interesting film topics, especially among teens and young adults. Many have spent their weekends behind bars with their favorite movie characters. Here’s a list of our favorite prison break movies of all time. Immerse yourself in the dangerous world of prisons, with these high-quality movies:
15. Escape Plan (2013)
When you combine Sylvester Stallone and Arnold Schwarzenegger, what do you get? It’s an American muscle movie. Don’t worry—it’s not just a random action movie without any wit or character.
It takes brains to escape from a prison. Ray Breslin knows how to break in and out of prison. During his latest job, his business partner double-crosses him, leaving him trapped in prison with dangerous criminals. Luckily, he meets an inmate who secretly helps him devise a plan to escape. But there’s a catch: the sadistic prison warden will go to any length to make sure they don’t make it out alive.
14. Escape from Alcatraz (1979)
Frank Morris, a con man who has a history of prison escapes gets sent to America’s most brutal and inescapable maximum security prison, Alcatraz.
He quickly realizes the degenerate culture of the prison and clashes with the brutal warden. He teams up with two other inmates to plan an escape from the island.
It sounds like a great movie for a friend’s sleepover.
13. Papillon (2017)
A safecracker and a counterfeiter trapped in a hellish prison. It sounds like an epic prison break story. Papillon and Dega form an unlikely alliance to escape from the notorious penal colony on Devil’s Island.
Will Papillon’s lock-breaking skills and Dega’s financial support for the escape be enough or will they lose their lives in search of freedom?
Sit back, relax, and find out.
12. Midnight Express (1978)
How shattered will a person’s hopes be if he finds out that his four-year imprisonment has been extended to 30 more years by the high court?
That is exactly what happens to Billy Hayes, a young American who is caught by the Turkish police while attempting to smuggle hash out of Istanbul.
As his life in the abusive and privative prison becomes increasingly unbearable he realizes that his only option is – escape.
11. Escape from Pretoria (2020)
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Colors are not boundaries. The apartheid regime imprisons two white South African covert ops of Nelson Mandela’s African National. The duo plans to escape in such a style that it sends a strong message to the enemy.
It is a great movie if you’re a history fan interested in topics like racial discrimination.
10. The Great Escape (1963)
Based on Paul Brickhill’s famous novel of the same name, this movie is about a real mass escape from the Stalag Luft III.
Though the Allied soldiers succeed in escaping the prison through tunnels they’ve dug out of the prison grounds, they find the stakes are much higher outside the prison walls.
This is one of the top World War II movies of all time.
9. The Way Back (2010)
You may have trekked or thought of trekking at least once in your life but not like in The Way Back. Janusz suddenly finds himself in a remote Siberian Labor Camp when his wife denounces him as a possible spy. He realizes that his survival in the harsh prison environment is unlikely so he makes up his mind to escape.
A small group of prisoners including him make a break for it under the cover of a blizzard. But that’s just the tip of the iceberg. The group has to trek 4,000 miles on foot through the frozen Himalayas before they’re truly free.
8. Rescue Dawn (2006)
Not every prison is man-made and walled, sometimes a vast jungle can also be a prison in itself.
That’s what US Pilot Dieter and his fellow escapees Duane and Gene find out when they escape from the enemy prison during the Vietnam War.
The movie itself is very interesting and what makes it even more worth watching is one of our favorite actors Christian Bale who is in the lead role.
7. Cool Hand Luke (1967)
A cool story about a petty criminal who earns respect in a Florida prison because of his bravado and becomes a rebel hero.
When Luke is sentenced to two years in a Florida prison he doesn’t take orders from any formal or informal authority whether it’s the sadistic warden or the shot caller, Dragline.
Luke eventually earns Dragline’s respect and becomes a symbol of rebellion against the warden and his guards.
6. The Old Man & the Gun (2018)
Most people retire in their 60s but not Forrest Tucker. At 70, he not only makes a risky escape from San Quentin but also carries out a string of unprecedented heists.
The old man’s commitment to his craft captivated not only the public but also the authorities.
With Detective John Hunt hot on his trail, will the old man’s freedom be for long? (Considering his age does it even matter? Bad joke, maybe.)
5. Runaway Train (1985)
Based on a screenplay by Akira Kurosawa this philosophical movie makes one wonder about ‘to be or not to be’
When two fugitives hide on a board train speeding through Alaska, they think they’re in a safe space. It’s only when the train races out of control through the icy wilderness do they realize that the driver has died due to a heart attack.
The railroad signalman is unable to stop it and the prison warden is hot on their trail in a helicopter. Everything seems out of their hands.
So what will they do? Watch and find out.
4. Escape to Victory (1981)
A football match in a prison, featuring an international player. Sounds interesting. But there’s a twist. The Allied captives have agreed to this so they can orchestrate a mass from Nazi captivity.
A great movie starring a football champion and an action movie icon. Both Pele and Sylvester Stallone star in this movie.
This movie is a treat for soccer and war movie fans.
3. Life (1999)
One of the major tropes in storytelling is opposing personalities and this movie does justice to that.
Ray, a loudmouth Harlem grifter, and the no-nonsense Claude go to Mississippi on a bootlegging mission that can make them rich. But their plans fail when they’re falsely charged by a crooked lawman in a phony murder case.
The duo is sent to jail where they face their worst enemies (their opposing personalities) and there’s no place to escape them.
The only way for them is to accept their enemies and work together to get out of jail.
2. The Escapist (2008)
After Frank finds out that his daughter nearly overdosed on heroin, he plans to escape the prison he’s been in for the past fourteen years. With the help of a couple of inmates, he begins digging tunnels towards freedom.
Time is running out for his daughter. Will he make it out in time to save his daughter from herself or will all his efforts be in vain? Watch it to find out.
1. The Shawshank Redemption (1994)
This is not just the best prison break movie of all time, it’s also the best movie of all time. The Shawshank Redemption has been on top of the IMDb chart for years on end. The movie has not only entertained generations but also impacted viewers on a deeper level. This piece of art gives a message of hope and perseverance.
The story follows Andy Dufresne’s 19 years in prison after he is falsely charged with two consecutive life sentences for murdering his wife and her lover. Shawshank State Prison is a tough prison where you’re unlikely to survive alone.
While in prison Andy forms a friendship with Red. In the movie, we get to see how Andy makes his way through the prison hierarchy and evolves as a man during those long 19 years.
Honorable Mentions
- Maze (2017)
- Anything for Her (2008)
What are your favorite prison break films? Share your thoughts in the comments!
