Movies like Prison Break 2017
If you like "Prison Break" you are looking for tense, atmospheric and grim movies about / with prison, prisoner, prison escape, escape, imprisonment, world war two and isolation themes of Drama genre shot in Japan.
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Prison Break (2017)
149
Original name: 破獄
Genre: Drama
Country: Japan
Duration: 108 min.
Story:
One late night in June 1942, Sakuma Seitaro dangles from the frame of a skylight in an isolation cell in Akita Prison. He forces open the glass window and breaks out of jail. This crime even reaches the ears of Urata Susumu, the chief warden of Kosuge Prison in Tokyo. Urata had been in charge of those sentenced to life in the prison until last year. Although Sakuma is a dangerous person who had also broken out of jail in Aomori, he submits to Urata who is the only person who had treated him kindly in the past. However, three months after escaping from jail, Sakuma shows up at Urata’s house. He has come to complain about the inhumane Akita prison officers. But he is locked up again after Urata notifies the police during an unguarded moment. A year later, Sakuma is sent to Abashiri Prison and Urata is also ordered to transfer as the prison’s chief warden.
Style:
tense, atmospheric, grim, noir, period drama
Plot:
prison, prisoner, prison escape, escape, imprisonment, world war two, isolation, escape plan, prison warden, loyalty, custody, solitude, moral ambiguity, character study, survival, police, betrayal, justice, corruption, discipline, redemption, revenge, obedience, guilt, snow ...
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Most similar movies to Prison Break
The list contains related movies ordered by similarity. Recommendation engine sorted out tense, suspense, psychological and dark films with plots about moral ambiguity, isolation, betrayal, survival, character study, revenge and corruption mostly in Drama genres. Some movies like Prison Break: Murderess (2023), Whistleblower (2019), Prisoner (2008), Zebras in Wyoming (2017), The Executioner (2009). The matching attributes are highlighted in bold.
Genre: Drama
Country: Greece
Duration: 97 min.
Story:
It is the early 20th century on a dystopian Greek island. Hadoula, a widow who lost her husband, loannis Fragkos, at a young age, is a woman who has learned how to survive in a male-dominated and extremely patriarchal society. Hadoula carries a ...
Style:
melancholic, atmospheric, bleak, grim, tense ...
Plot:
female protagonist, greek island, guilt, moral ambiguity, redemption, literary, remote island, moral dilemma, religion, survival, isolation, widow ...
Time:
20th century
Similarity:
95%
Genre: Drama
Country: Japan
Duration: 119 min.
Story:
A seemingly lazy salaryman is tasked with managing a company secret.
Style:
serious, realistic, tension, suspense, melancholic ...
Plot:
office politics, hierarchy, corporation, company, cover up, scandal, ceo, corporate corruption, office, corruption, ethical dilemma, power struggle ...
Time:
2010s
Similarity:
88%
Genre: Drama
Country: Japan
TV show
Story:
Story of a Japanese man falsely imprisoned in Thailand who attempts to escape from jail.
Style:
suspense, disturbing, thought provoking, captivating, crime drama ...
Plot:
prison, escape, jailed, jail, prison life, prison escape, injustice, prison break, social problems, falsely accused, prison sentence, jail cell ...
Time:
2000s
Place:
thailand
Similarity:
85%
Genre: Drama
Country: USA
Story:
A prisoner soon has his guard questioning his own world-view.
Style:
thought provoking, psychological, tension, intense, existential ...
Plot:
prisoner, security guard, prison, character study, power, confined, power struggle, claustrophobia, moral dilemma, isolation, identity, moral ambiguity ...
Place:
wyoming
Similarity:
82%
Movie in collections
Genre: Drama
Country: South Korea
Duration: 98 min.
Story:
An execution scheduled to be carried out in 12 years creates a hostile and stifling atmosphere among guards in one jail. This has profound effects on the dehumanization of Jae-kyoung, a young, newly appointed guard who nonetheless happens to find ...
Style:
thrilling, psychological, captivating, bleak, grim ...
Plot:
prison, security guard, prison warden, execution, coworker, prison life, workplace situations, death penalty, workplace, life is a bitch, problem, dehumanization ...
Place:
korea, south korea
Similarity:
73%
Genre: Drama
Country: Ireland
Duration: 74 min.
Story:
After being imprisoned for dangerous driving, causing the death of a child and possession of illegal substances, Jason Buckley is finding it difficult to adjust to life outside prison.
Style:
dark, bleak, psychological, atmospheric, intense ...
Plot:
trauma, social realism, loss, grief, guilt, haunting, character study, remorse, reckless driving, accident, isolation, moral ambiguity ...
Similarity:
72%
164
Genre: Drama
Country: Japan
Duration: 118 min.
Story:
On a small island somewhere near Japan, three cult members have devoted themselves to the "Deserted Island Program". Calling each other by rank, these people-two men and one women-have been chosen by their superiors to throw off the ...
Style:
psychological, dramatic, thrilling, suspenseful, captivating ...
Plot:
isolation, woman, male female relationship, social problems, human nature, japanese woman, life is a bitch, lifestyle, social issues, corruption, japanese man, moral ambiguity ...
Place:
japan
Similarity:
71%
Genre: Drama
Country: India
Duration: 119 min.
Story:
Shivan revolves around a couple who are very much in love but one day the woman is found dead and the man is found guilty and imprisoned. But once he is in jail he recollects certain memories that change everything.
Style:
tense, suspense, intense, psychological, emotional ...
Plot:
love, innocence, flashback, memory, murder, wrongful conviction, investigation, prison, justice, moral ambiguity, guilt, character study ...
Similarity:
65%
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Genre: Drama
Country: Czech Republic
Duration: 97 min.
Story:
The story, written by former George Stransky former political prisoners and today's chairman Pen Club is situated to 50 years and uranium camp of political prisoners in Pribram, where after the fall of the Stalinist cult comes at the end of ...
Style:
reflective, period piece, melancholic, atmospheric, grim ...
Plot:
prisoner of war camp, oppression, character study, social commentary, guilt, justice, memory, totalitarianism, authoritarianism, reconciliation, moral ambiguity, forgiveness ...
Time:
1950s, 50s
Place:
czechoslovakia
Similarity:
65%
Genre: Drama
Country: Soviet Union, Colombia
Duration: 140 min.
Story:
A man wants to flee wartime Germany and the detested Nazis to Columbia, where his brother lives. In order to achieve his goal he agrees to become an informer for the Reich.
Style:
historical drama, period piece, dark, bleak, tense ...
Plot:
world war two, betrayal, nazism, ethical dilemma, moral ambiguity, tragedy, guilt, survival, totalitarianism, collaboration, compromise, conscience ...
Time:
1940s
Place:
colombia
Similarity:
61%
299
Genre: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 88 min.
Story:
Dives into the often ignored seedy underbelly of Maine and it follows Emma Maddox as she returns to her hometown years following the mysterious death of her brother, Mikey. As she reconnects with his best friend Tommy, the two rekindle their flame ...
Style:
suspenseful, tense, captivating, psychological, thrilling ...
Plot:
redemption, revenge, small town, problem, bereavement, life is a bitch, lie, getting home, investigation, betrayal, friendship, coastal town ...
Place:
maine
Similarity:
57%
Genre: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 74 min.
Story:
1972 ABC Movie of the Week. Lady parole officer goes undercover to investigate prison brutality, but is trapped when the only person on the outside who knows why she's there is killed.
Style:
suspense, dark, tense, psychotronic, period drama
Plot:
undercover, women in prison, prison, women's prison, parole officer, confined, mistreatment, danger, injustice, investigation, female protagonist, law enforcement ...
Time:
70s
Similarity:
55%
Genre: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 102 min.
Story:
In 1946 North Africa, two former US Air Force pilots are forced to work for an international smuggler to get money needed for their return to civilian life after fighting in World War II.
Style:
tense, crime thriller, crime drama, suspenseful, period piece ...
Plot:
world war two, post war, world war, war veteran, smuggling, desert, moral ambiguity, black market, air force, betrayal, corruption, desperation ...
Time:
1940s, year 1946
Place:
north africa, africa, algeria
Similarity:
53%
Genre: Drama
Country: Turkey
Duration: 89 min.
Story:
Denise, a botanist, is working in the swamps in a part of Turkey, planting and researching local flora. In her evenings she sometimes meets with her lover Hamit, a simple man at first glance. But he is making his living with human trafficking which ...
Style:
melancholic, atmospheric, tense, crime drama, bleak ...
Plot:
human trafficking, secrets, moral ambiguity, exploitation, desperation, smuggling, poverty, betrayal, social realism, survival, isolation, character study ...
Place:
istanbul turkey, turkey, black sea
Similarity:
49%
Genre: Drama
Country: India
Duration: 119 min.
Story:
A couple enters a city ruled by cruel thugs but an unsettling affair reopens unexpected twists and creates new tensions for them. Will they stick together through it all?
Style:
tense, suspense, dark, intense, psychological ...
Plot:
gang, unsettling, corruption, moral ambiguity, fear, betrayal, power struggle, urban, survival, adultery, revenge, claustrophobia ...
Similarity:
48%
Genre: Drama
Country: USA
Story:
It's 1987, in the small sleepy town of Pine Ridge. When a husband and wife living off the beaten path encounter a mysterious stranger on Christmas Eve, dark secrets quickly emerge. On the same night, law enforcement are investigating a local ...
Style:
suspense, intense, tense, twist ending, psychological thriller ...
Plot:
christmas eve, isolation, small town, deception, husband wife conflict, suspicion, dark past, moral ambiguity, claustrophobia, home invasion, holiday, betrayal ...
Time:
80s
Similarity:
48%
Genre: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 100 min.
Story:
A young female prison guard finds out that her first assignment is to San Quentin, one of the toughest prisons in the country.
Style:
tense, suspenseful, noir, realistic, serious ...
Plot:
prison, women in prison, survival, moral dilemma, violence, sexism, corruption, isolation, law and order, realism, urban, redemption ...
Time:
80s
Place:
california
Similarity:
48%
Genre: Drama
Country: Poland
Duration: 92 min.
Story:
An actress travels from Warsaw to Paris and during the trip reflects on the last few years of her life. It goes back to the German occupation and her hiding of a fellow actor who has supposedly killed a collaborator. He is weak and a bit cowardly, ...
Style:
reflective, bleak, melancholic, dramatic, road movie ...
Plot:
world war two, identity, theater, flashback, actress, nazi occupation, suicide, guilt, female protagonist, survival, moral ambiguity, tragedy ...
Time:
1940s
Place:
warsaw poland, paris france, poland, eastern europe
Similarity:
46%
Genre: Drama
Country: Japan
Story:
Following the showdown with his arch nemesis Ando, Detective Ango Ishikawa takes on a new case with his uncanny ability to communicate with the dead.
Style:
psychological, suspenseful, detective, thrilling, captivating ...
Plot:
supernatural, haunting, ghost, macabre, guilt, good versus evil, moral ambiguity, medium, redemption, investigation, police procedural, revenge ...
Time:
2010s
Place:
tokyo
Similarity:
45%
Genre: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 82 min.
Story:
They will do anything to get to Mexico... and freedom. From the moment the riot started and the guard is killed, there's no going back for the women of Cell Block 3. The eruption of violence following their escape leaves a trail of death and ...
Style:
brutal, tense, action packed, crime thriller, road movie ...
Plot:
prison escape, riot, revenge, moral ambiguity, escape plan, blaxploitation, women, female fight, fugitive, exploitation, freedom, women in prison ...
Similarity:
44%
Genre: Drama
Country: France
Duration: 86 min.
Story:
Force Majeure (Uncontrollable Circumstances) begins with a drug deal involving tourists Phillipe (Patrick Bruel) and Daniel (Francois Cluzet), and a Dutch stranger. Two years pass: the Dutchman has been arrested in an unspecified Asian country, ...
Style:
thought provoking, serious, tense, suspenseful, bleak ...
Plot:
moral dilemma, death sentence, responsibility, moral ambiguity, guilt, friendship, human rights, justice, loyalty, realism, character study, sacrifice ...
Time:
80s
Place:
southeast asia, paris france, amsterdam
Similarity:
44%
Genre: Drama
Country: Japan
Duration: 131 min.
Story:
The main character is a man named Takashi Morioka, who has lost his job and his home due to a recession. He ends up falling into a trap set by the diabolical Yuki Michio, who happened to survive by chance an incident on an island 16 years ago where ...
Style:
tense, suspense, psychological thriller, captivating, psychological ...
Plot:
delivery man, breaking the law, financial problem, delivery, choice, money problems, deal, family in danger, ethical dilemma, coercion, moral ambiguity, manipulation ...
Similarity:
44%
Genre: Drama
Country: Soviet Union
Duration: 81 min.
Story:
Soldiers of internal troops Ivin A. standing on duty at night, could not shoot escapes bandit and murderer Prince Mishka. The explanatory he wrote that he refused to continue to dispose of another's life.
Style:
bleak, realistic, tense
Plot:
male nudity, military, moral dilemma, dilemma, conscience, character study, interrogation, escape, guilt, court martial, hierarchy, isolation ...
Similarity:
42%
Movie in collections
Genre: Drama
Country: Germany
Duration: 107 min.
Story:
Almost casually, the young concrete worker Bastian kills a tramp. The police believe it was an accident and so the murder remains undiscovered for the time being.
Style:
independent film, bleak, tense, dark, suspenseful ...
Plot:
murder, guilt, moral ambiguity, character study, ethical dilemma, accidental killing, cover up, working class, aftermath, social realism, realism, secrets ...
Similarity:
39%
Genre: Drama
Country: Sweden, Malta
Duration: 91 min.
Story:
In the shade of Malta’s scorching sun, around the edges of the Swedish online-gambling community, exiled con man Dimman shows up for a lavish wedding, kicking off a desperate and decadent pursuit of redemption.
Style:
suspense, psychological, tense, dark comedy
Plot:
shame, con artists, secrets, character study, redemption, fraud, guilt, moral ambiguity, temptation, identity crisis, decadence, exile ...
Place:
malta
Similarity:
39%
Genre: Drama
Country: Chile
Duration: 70 min.
Story:
Two thieves wander in the chilean desert and finally get to a small town near Bolivia. There, they try to include themselves with the townspeople but their instincts betray them and tragedy ensues. Based on a true story, this film opened one year ...
Style:
bleak, tense, atmospheric, road movie, period piece
Audience:
adult
Plot:
desert, escape, criminal, tragedy, realism, outsider, isolation, moral ambiguity, small town, betrayal, survival, mistrust ...
Time:
70s, 1940s
Place:
chile, bolivia
Similarity:
38%
Genre: Drama
Country: Italy, Switzerland, France
Duration: 117 min.
Story:
A prison drama where an old mobster and a prison guard must find a way to coexist so that imprisonment can become less so, and perhaps reveal the paradox that is behind the very concept of captivity.
Style:
psychological, captivating, disturbing, existential, contemplative ...
Plot:
prison guard, confined, prison, prison life, lgbt, white trash, jailed, social misfits, society, life is a bitch, jail, prison sentence ...
Place:
italy
Similarity:
38%
Genre: Drama
Country: Canada
Duration: 104 min.
Story:
Kevin Barlow (Roy Dupuis) will die on schedule and according to regulations. Harry Parlington (Serge Houde), director of the Cantos execution facility, intends to make sure of it. However Barlow chooses to go, be it calmly or fighting to the end, ...
Style:
psychological, intense, existential, tense, philosophical ...
Plot:
prison, death row, execution, death sentence, character study, ethical dilemma, moral ambiguity, humanity, claustrophobia, power struggle, mature, warden ...
Time:
2000s
Similarity:
37%
Genre: Drama
Country: UK
Duration: 90 min.
Story:
Known for his brutally violent policing tactics, suspended police officer Michael Clarke is sent undercover to infiltrate the notorious London criminal enterprise of Terance Turner, with the task of bringing the gang boss to justice.
Style:
detective, intense, brutal, dark, suspense ...
Audience:
adult
Plot:
undercover, undercover cop, police, gang, law enforcement, organized crime, violence, corruption, investigation, hooligan, urban, confrontation ...
Place:
london
Similarity:
36%
Genre: Drama
Country: Turkey
Duration: 124 min.
Story:
One day, Sedat, who works as a prison guard in Konya, is given the duty to take one of the prisoners, Musa, to his hometown. Musa does not intend to return until he finds out why his daughter was killed.
Style:
psychological, emotional, dramatic, suspense, captivating ...
Plot:
prison guard, investigation, prisoner, liar, lie, uncover truth, life is a bitch, hidden truth, loss, tragedy, father daughter relationship, getting home ...
Similarity:
34%
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