Looper's 45 Best Prison Movies of All Time Ranked

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BY BARRY LEVITT / MARCH 24, 2022 12:59 AM EST

There's something compelling about a look behind bars –- for many movie fans, prison films are their only experience with the world of incarceration. Prison movies take audiences to places unknown, often bringing us face to face with hardened criminals. Many great prison movies take us deeper, showing us things we didn't expect, whether it's a criminal with surprising kindness, or the brutal conditions faced by inmates the world over. Films about prison can transport us to unique and fascinating worlds, and many successfully hold a mirror up to society, exposing our bizarre desires to see people suffer.

Great prison movies go deeper than this, of course, exposing the remarkable humanity that can exist in prisoner-of-war camps, jails, and chain gangs. They provide insight into this unknown society, and while there are certainly heavy connotations to the prison movie, many subvert them with wicked, often clever humor. Exploring the genre of prison movies yields rich results, especially in a surprisingly diverse slate of films that cover every facet of a life behind bars. In honor of this fascinating, frightening, thrilling, challenging, and sometimes heartwarming genre, here are the 45 best prison movies of all time ranked.

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  1. 1 new

    The Shawshank Redemption

    1994, in 24 top lists Check
  2. 2 new

    Un condamné à mort s'est échappé ou Le vent...

    1956 — a.k.a. A Man Escaped, in 20 top lists Check
  3. 3 new

    Cool Hand Luke

    1967, in 13 top lists Check
  4. 4 new

    Starred Up

    2013, in 0 top lists Check
  5. 5 new

    La grande illusion

    1937 — a.k.a. The Grand Illusion, in 30 top lists Check
  6. 6 new

    Chicken Run

    2000, in 9 top lists Check
  7. 7 new

    Stalag 17

    1953, in 7 top lists Check
  8. 8 new

    I Am a Fugitive from a Chain Gang

    1932, in 14 top lists Check
  9. 9 new

    Un prophète

    2009 — a.k.a. A Prophet, in 10 top lists Check
  10. 10 new

    The Bridge on the River Kwai

    1957, in 32 top lists Check
  11. 11 new

    Escape from Alcatraz

    1979, in 1 top list Check
  12. 12 new

    The Great Escape

    1963, in 14 top lists Check
  13. 13 new

    The Green Mile

    1999, in 15 top lists Check
  14. 14 new

    Le trou

    1960 — a.k.a. Le Trou, in 15 top lists Check
  15. 15 new

    In the Name of the Father

    1993, in 7 top lists Check
  16. 16 new

    Brute Force

    1947, in 6 top lists Check
  17. 17 new

    Midnight Express

    1978, in 4 top lists Check
  18. 18 new

    Birdman of Alcatraz

    1962, in 2 top lists Check
  19. 19 new

    Brawl in Cell Block 99

    2017, in 1 top list
    Check
  20. 20 new

    Bad Boys

    1983, in 1 top list Check
  21. 21 new

    Hunger

    2008, in 6 top lists Check
  22. 22 new

    Rescue Dawn

    2006, in 0 top lists Check
  23. 23 new

    Scum

    1979, in 3 top lists Check
  24. 24 new

    Twelve Monkeys

    1995 — a.k.a. 12 Monkeys, in 14 top lists Check
  25. 25 new

    Kiss of the Spider Woman

    1985, in 5 top lists Check
  26. 26 new

    American History X

    1998, in 12 top lists Check
  27. 27 new

    The Hurricane

    1999, in 1 top list Check
  28. 28 new

    Caged

    1950, in 3 top lists Check
  29. 29 new

    Riot in Cell Block 11

    1954, in 2 top lists Check
  30. 30 new

    Papillon

    1973, in 6 top lists Check
  31. 31 new

    King Rat

    1965, in 1 top list Check
  32. 32 new

    The Longest Yard

    1974, in 2 top lists Check
  33. 33 new

    Bronson

    2008, in 1 top list Check
  34. 34 new

    The Big House

    1930, in 2 top lists Check
  35. 35 new

    Brubaker

    1980, in 0 top lists Check
  36. 36 new

    Chopper

    2000, in 3 top lists Check
  37. 37 new

    Sleepers

    1996, in 0 top lists Check
  38. 38 new

    American Me

    1992, in 1 top list Check
  39. 39 new

    The Hill

    1965, in 2 top lists Check
  40. 40 new

    I Love You Phillip Morris

    2009, in 0 top lists Check
  41. 41 new

    The Prisoner of Shark Island

    1936, in 2 top lists Check
  42. 42 new

    The Big Doll House

    1971 — a.k.a. Bamboo Dolls House, in 0 top lists Check
  43. 43 new

    Stir Crazy

    1980, in 2 top lists Check
  44. 44 new

    The Last Castle

    2001, in 0 top lists Check
  45. 45 new

    Law Abiding Citizen

    2009, in 0 top lists Check
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Last updated on Dec 29, 2022; source