Life sentence movies and TV shows

The list contains the best, new and most relevant life sentence movies ordered by relevance. The recommendation service has sorted out realistic, serious, captivating, suspense, disturbing and suspenseful films and TV shows about / with life sentence, prison, murder, confined, prisoner, prison life, jail, life is a bitch, violence and death plots mostly in Drama, Crime and Biography genres shot in USA, UK, Russia and other countries.
life sentence
 94
life sentence movies
TOP 10 movies tagged as life sentence: Papillon (2017), The Wrath of Cain (2010), Life (1999), The Shawshank Redemption (1994), For Life (2020), Birdman of Alcatraz (1962), The Blood Lady (2018), The Old Garden (2006), Olene Kadar (2017), 23rd March 1931: Shaheed (2002).

List of life sentence movies

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 7.2
 85K
Papillon (2017)
Genre: Adventure, Biography, Crime, Drama
Country: USA, Czech Republic, Spain
Duration: 133 min.
Story: Henri "Papillon" Charrière is convicted in Paris for a murder he did not commit. Sentenced to life imprisonment in the penal colony of French Guiana, he becomes obsessed with escaping. After planning and executing a series of treacherous ...
Style: suspense, factual, psychological, art house, homoerotic ...
Audience: adult
Plot: prison, prison escape, island prison, friendship, life sentence, escape, thief, solitary, survival, wrongful conviction, human spirit, jungle ...
Time: year 2017, year 1931, 1930s, year 1969, year 1970 ...
Place: south america, colombia, france, venezuela, paris france
Is relevant ?
The Wrath of Cain (2010)
Genre: Action, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 84 min.
Story: A former kingpin of the streets, Miles “Cain” Skinner is doing life in prison. He is feared and respected among the inmates. When Cain learns that his sentence will be shortened only by brain cancer, his urgency to change his ways goes into ...
Style: rough, serious, realistic, crime drama, captivating ...
Plot: life sentence, prison life, prison, terminal illness, uninhibited rivalry, life is a bitch, family problems, rivalry, hopes, redemption, parents and children, father son relationship ...
Time: 21st century
Place: usa
Is relevant ?
 6.8
 54K
Life (1999)
Genre: Comedy, Crime, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 108 min.
Story: Two men in 1930s Mississippi become friends after being sentenced to life in prison together for a crime they did not commit.
Style: funny, humorous, entertaining, semi serious, hilarious ...
Audience: adult
Plot: prison, twists and turns, life sentence, prison escape, prison life, redemption, african american, friendship, black, adaptation, criminal, escape attempt ...
Time: 1930s, 90s, 20th century, year 1932
Place: mississippi, new york, usa, southern usa
Is relevant ?
The Shawshank Redemption (1994)
Genre: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 142 min.
Story: Framed in the 1940s for the double murder of his wife and her lover, upstanding banker Andy Dufresne begins a new life at the Shawshank prison, where he puts his accounting skills to work for an amoral warden. During his long stretch in prison, ...
Style: clever, inspirational, touching, sentimental, twist ending ...
Audience: date night, kids, chick flick, teens, family friendly ...
Plot: prison, prison escape, freedom, human spirit, hopes, stephen king, life, friendship between men, friendship, plot twist, life philosophy, adaptation ...
Time: 1940s, 90s, 1950s, 2010s, year 1994 ...
Place: usa, america, iran, persia, pacific ocean ...
Is relevant ?
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 7.6
 9K
For Life (2020)
Genre: Biography, Crime, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 43 min.
TV show
Story: A prisoner becomes a lawyer, litigating cases for other inmates while fighting to overturn his own life sentence for a crime he didn’t commit.
Style: disturbing, psychological, captivating, inspirational
Plot: wrongful conviction, confined, lawyer, prison, prisoner, mind game, attorney, life sentence, legal, jail, jailed, confinement indoors ...
Is relevant ?
Birdman of Alcatraz (1962)
Genre: Biography, Crime, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 147 min.
Story: After killing a prison guard, convict Robert Stroud faces life imprisonment in solitary confinement. Driven nearly mad by loneliness and despair, Stroud's life gains new meaning when he happens upon a helpless baby sparrow in the exercise yard ...
Style: serious, realistic, captivating, atmospheric, black and white ...
Plot: prison, bird, redemption, life sentence, warden, alcatraz, prison escape, biopic, rebel, self discovery, isolation, obstacle ...
Time: 20th century, year 1962, 1910s, 1920s, 1930s ...
Place: san francisco, bay area, kansas
Is relevant ?
 6.1
 216
The Blood Lady (2018)
Genre: Biography, Drama, History, Thriller
Country: Russia
Duration: 52 min.
TV show
Story: 18th century, The Russian Empire. The series tells the life story of Darya Saltykova, who was called Saltychikha by serfs. The landowner brutally tortured about one and half hundreds peasants, for which "Russian Elizabeth Bathory" was ...
Style: artsy, sadistic, atmospheric, baroque
Plot: peasant, life sentence, twists and turns, death sentence, death of husband, sadist, torture, convent, loveless marriage, pardon, sadism, sadistic killer ...
Time: 18th century
Place: moscow russia, russia
Is relevant ?
 6.5
 441
The Old Garden (2006)
Genre: Drama, History, Romance
Country: South Korea
Duration: 112 min.
Story: Activist Hyun-woo is released from prison after a 17-year stint. Journeying back to the village where he spent some time as a fugitive he recalls the time spent with Yoon-hee, a woman who gave him shelter and companionship.
Style: serious, realistic, touching, sincere
Plot: life sentence, tragic love, love affair, political unrest, couples, society, fall in love, love and romance, couple relations, state affairs, isolation, mountain ...
Time: 20th century, 80s
Place: korea, seoul, asia
Is relevant ?
 6.8
 3K
Olene Kadar (2017)
Genre: Drama
Country: Turkey
Duration: 120 min.
TV show
Story: Dağhan is a doctor who tries to get his proficiency however, finds himself in jail. He loses his hope, his future, his lover and the most beautiful days of his lives due the crime that he has never committed. He is sentenced to life imprisonment.
Style: sincere, psychological, touching, disturbing
Plot: female lawyer, lawyer client relationship, love and romance, life turned upside down, life sentence, male female relationship, convict, conscience, injustice, twists and turns, justice, betrayal ...
Is relevant ?
23rd March 1931: Shaheed (2002)
Genre: Biography, Drama, History
Country: India
Duration: 188 min.
Story: Bhagat Singh, a freedom fighter, is arrested for killing the British official responsible for the death of his mentor Lala Lajpatrai. He is ultimately hanged for his misdeed.
Style: disturbing, rough, realistic, serious, captivating
Plot: prison, prison life, vengeance, politics, life sentence, legal, life is a bitch, rebelliousness, trial, police brutality, torture, police officer killed ...
Time: 1920s, 1930s, 20th century, year 1931
Place: india, asia
Is relevant ?
 6.3
 694
Prison Song (2001)
Genre: Crime, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 94 min.
Story: Elijah has been bounced from group home to group home throughout his turbulent young life. What has sustained him is his art. After a promised scholarship is taken away, Elijah ends up in a fight that result in the death of another boy. Now, ...
Style: serious, captivating, sincere, rough, hood ...
Plot: prison, injustice, hip hop, juvenile delinquency, musician's life, criminal heroes, redemption, prison life, life is a bitch, society, youth, murder ...
Time: 21st century
Place: africa
Is relevant ?
The Mulberry Tree (2010)
Genre: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 88 min.
Story: A drama centered on a young man working in Rhode Island's state corrections system and his relationship with a convicted murderer who is dying of AIDS and spending his remaining days on hospital detail.
Style: touching, serious, realistic, emotional, independent film ...
Plot: prison, hospital, redemption, family relations, estrangement, life is a bitch, hopes, one more chance, terminal illness, life sentence, haunted by the past, murderer ...
Place: rhode island, usa
Is relevant ?
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 8.0
 138K
Papillon (1973)
Genre: Biography, Crime, Drama
Country: France, USA
Duration: 151 min.
Story: A man befriends a fellow criminal as the two of them begin serving their sentence on a dreadful prison island, which inspires the man to plot his escape.
Style: inspirational, psychological, grim, realistic, depressing ...
Plot: prison escape, prison, escape, life philosophy, runaway, human spirit, prisoner, escape attempt, brutality, prison break, prison life, criminal heroes ...
Time: year 1973, 1940s, 20th century, 1930s
Place: persia, latin america, atlantic ocean
Is relevant ?
 7.2
 46K
Conviction (2010)
Genre: Biography, Crime, Drama
Country: Switzerland, UK, USA
Duration: 107 min.
Story: When Betty Anne Waters' older brother Kenny is arrested for murder and sentenced to life in 1983, Betty Anne, a Massachusetts wife and mother of two, dedicates her life to overturning the murder conviction. Convinced that her brother is ...
Style: emotional, sincere, touching, inspirational, sad ...
Audience: family friendly, adult
Plot: lawyer, legal, courtroom drama, trial, fighting the system, prison, injustice, false accusation, court, strong female character, freedom, hopes ...
Time: 20th century, 90s, year 1995, year 1992, year 2001 ...
Place: massachusetts, rhode island, usa
Is relevant ?
 6.2
 423
Like the Wind (2013)
Genre: Biography, Crime, Drama, Romance
Country: Italy, France
Duration: 110 min.
Story: The last few years in the life of Armida Miserere, female jail director who committed suicide
Style: serious, realistic, captivating, non-linear
Plot: prison, prison life, fighting crime, fish out of water, price of justice, government facility, society, feminism, life is a bitch, government official, life sentence, prison guard ...
Time: 90s, 20th century, 80s, 2000s
Place: italy, europe, palermo italy
Is relevant ?
Midnight Express (1978)
Genre: Biography, Crime, Drama, Thriller
Country: UK, USA
Duration: 121 min.
Story: Billy Hayes is caught attempting to smuggle drugs out of Turkey. The Turkish courts decide to make an example of him, sentencing him to more than 30 years in prison. Hayes has two opportunities for release: the appeals made by his lawyer, his ...
Style: disturbing, realistic, suspense, depressing, psychological ...
Plot: prison, torture, brutality, injustice, lawyer, escape, drug, court, escape attempt, trial, prison break, jail ...
Time: 70s, 20th century, year 1978, year 1972, year 1975 ...
Place: turkey, istanbul turkey, brooklyn new york city, greece
Is relevant ?
 6.2
 194
The Hammer (2017)
Genre: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 109 min.
Story: When prison boxer George "The Hammer" Martin is offered freedom for fighting in the 1984 Olympics, he says no in order to protect the woman he loves, forcing his best friend to learn the true meaning of loyalty.
Style: captivating, psychological, thrilling
Plot: boxing, boxer, friendship, life is a bitch, jail, jailed, love, prizefighter, faith, boxing champion, prisoner, life sentence ...
Is relevant ?
Blue Murder: Killer Cop (2017)
Genre: Drama
Country: Australia
Duration: 160 min.
TV show
Story: A floating body, a drug deal gone wrong, and two former detectives the perpetrators. Life imprisonment is the end of Roger Rogerson's story. The last Blue Murder ended with his expulsion in disgrace from the NSW Police Force. In this ...
Style: tense, captivating, disturbing, suspense, detective
Plot: jail, murder, murder mystery, killings, cold case, police detective, sleuth, confined, murder investigation, unsolved crime, police investigation, investigation ...
Is relevant ?
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Turning Point 2 (2011)
Genre: Action, Crime
Country: Hong Kong
Duration: 89 min.
Story: Laughing is judged guilty of murdering gang lord Michael So and is sentenced to life imprisonment. Locked up behind bars, he meets the seemingly benign inmate Fok Tin Yam, a university professor in criminal psychology who is jailed for drug ...
Style: tense, suspenseful, exciting, disturbing, suspense
Plot: escapades, youth, survival, friendship between men, life sentence, imprisonment, prison life, justice, violence, destiny, murder, freedom ...
Time: 21st century
Place: hong kong
Is relevant ?
Butterfly in Grey (2002)
Genre: Drama, Horror
Country: Thailand
Duration: 104 min.
Story: Dao returns home and finds her fiance in bed with another woman. She shoots them dead on the spot. She is sentenced to 10 years in prison. She gets out eventually and stays with a friend who runs an escort service and learns that women are even ...
Style: disturbing, suspense, tense
Plot: women's prison, prison, murder, prison guard, changing lives, confined, confinement indoors, female protagonist, female prisoner, murderer, women in prison, jail ...
Is relevant ?
The Calculator (2014)
Genre: Action, Sci-Fi, Thriller
Country: Russia
Duration: 82 min.
Story: Ten humans on planet XT-59 paving the way trough swamp to reach Islands of Happiness.
Style: suspense, suspenseful, entertaining, tense, captivating
Audience: boys' night
Plot: alien planet, survival, prisoner, teamwork, exile, wilderness, leader, genius, life sentence, coping, power struggle, prison ...
Time: distant future, 2010s, near future
Is relevant ?
 6.4
 218K
Death Race (2008)
Genre: Action, Sci-Fi, Thriller
Country: USA, Germany, UK
Duration: 105 min.
Story: Terminal Island, New York: 2020. Overcrowding in the US penal system has reached a breaking point. Prisons have been turned over to a monolithic Weyland Corporation, which sees jails full of thugs as an opportunity for televised sport. Adrenalized ...
Style: exciting, serious, futuristic, action packed, visually appealing ...
Audience: boys' night, manly
Plot: prison, car chase, racing, car race, tough heroes, tough guy, revenge, prison life, survival, contests and competitions, explosions, race ...
Time: year 2008, future, 2010s, year 2012, 2020s
Is relevant ?
 4.0
 568
Caged (2021)
Genre: Drama, Horror, Thriller
Country: USA, UK
Duration: 81 min.
Story: An African American male is imprisoned and placed in solitary confinement after being found guilty of murdering his wife, as he's haunted by internal demons and his dead wife, and pushed to the breaking point by an abusive female guard.
Style: psychological, scary, psychotronic, bleak, suspense ...
Plot: dead wife, isolation, african american, murder, insanity, racial discrimination, innocence, racism, evil woman, husband wife relationship, wife, nightmare ...
Time: 21st century
Place: usa
Is relevant ?
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The Orange Thief (2007)
Genre: Comedy
Country: USA
Duration: 84 min.
Story: Living on the outer boundaries of society, the eponymous orange thief and some other country-wise ruffians steal fruit for sustenance, sale, and the sheer excitement of courting danger. After the thief ends up in a Sicilian jail, his life takes an ...
Style: realistic, semi serious, humorous, captivating
Plot: criminal heroes, life turned upside down, society, against the rules, social misfits, jail, prisoner, deal, cell mate, thief, life sentence, land ...
Time: 21st century
Place: sicily, italy
Is relevant ?
 6.1
 34K
Undisputed (2002)
Genre: Action, Crime, Drama, Sport
Country: USA, Germany, Japan
Duration: 96 min.
Story: Monroe Hutchens is the heavyweight champion of Sweetwater, a maximum security prison. He was convicted to a life sentence due to a passionate crime. Iceman Chambers is the heavyweight champion, who lost his title due to a rape conviction to ten ...
Style: suspense, intense, talky, stylized, exciting ...
Audience: boys' night
Plot: prison, boxing, fight, african american, hip hop, prison fight, violence, jail, gangster, martial arts, prison life, boxer ...
Time: year 2002, 21st century
Place: usa, mojave desert, las vegas, nevada
Is relevant ?
 5.9
 21K
Henry's Crime (2010)
Genre: Comedy, Crime, Drama, Romance
Country: USA
Duration: 108 min.
Story: An aimless man is sent to prison for a crime he did not commit.
Style: humorous, entertaining, cynical, romantic, cult classic ...
Audience: date night
Plot: heist, robbery, partners in crime, cons and scams, unlikely criminal, friends, fall in love, criminal heroes, false accusation, bank robbery, ex convict, hustler ...
Time: 21st century
Place: usa, new york
Is relevant ?
 8.4
 8K
Virumaandi (2004)
Genre: Action, Crime, Drama, Thriller
Country: India
Duration: 175 min.
Story: A reporter researching the death penalty in India is recounted the story of a farm owner Virumandi whose role in a clan feud between Naicker and Kothalla Devar leads him to death row. As the story unfolds, there is a riot in the jail, and the only ...
Style: rough, serious, captivating, suspenseful, exciting ...
Plot: prison riot, frame up, death row, death sentence, false accusation, prison, life is a bitch, journalism, interview, uncover truth, injustice, forceful separation ...
Time: 21st century
Place: india, asia
Is relevant ?
 6.9
 127
Custody (1985)
Genre: Drama
Country: Poland
Duration: 118 min.
Story: A story of a young woman arrested by police on the day of her wedding for embezzlement, and promptly sentenced to life. She is already pregnant and has her baby in prison. Immediately after birth they are separated and only later Klara finds out ...
Plot: lesbian, prison, life sentence, baby, choir, female nudity, suicide, public humiliation, wedding, women's prison, released from prison, motherhood ...
Time: 60s
Place: poland
Is relevant ?
 6.7
 1K
Zoot Suit (1981)
Genre: Drama, Musical
Country: USA
Duration: 103 min.
Story: Part fact and part fiction, Zoot Suit is the film version of Luis Valdez's critically acclaimed play, based on the actual Sleepy Lagoon murder case and the zoot suit riots of 1940s Los Angeles. Henry Reyna is the leader of a group of ...
Style: stylized, serious, realistic, captivating, independent film ...
Plot: racism, gang, american history, colonialism, coming of age, rock, usa history, culture clash, generation, legion, foreign legion, underworld ...
Time: 1940s, year 1981
Place: los angeles, usa
Is relevant ?
 7.3
 387
The Sculptress (1996)
Genre: Crime, Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Country: UK
Duration: 180 min.
TV show
Story: Olive Martin (Quirke), a heavily overweight young woman is convicted of killing and butchering her mother and sister and sentenced to life imprisonment. However, when she is assigned to write a book about her life, author Rosalind Leigh (Goodall) ...
Style: detective, psychological thriller, contemplative, serious, realistic ...
Plot: prison, innocence, mysticism, writers, murder, accused of murder, hopes, uncover truth, dishonesty, journalism, legal, investigation ...
Time: 90s
Is relevant ?
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