Prison violence movies and TV shows
The list contains the best, new and most relevant prison violence movies ordered by relevance. The recommendation service has sorted out suspense, tense, realistic, captivating, suspenseful and disturbing films and TV shows about / with prison violence, prison, prison life, jail, prisoner, violence, revenge, jail cell, prison guard and confined plots mostly in Drama, Crime and Thriller genres shot in USA, Canada, Germany and other countries.
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TOP 10 movies tagged as prison violence: Shot Caller (2017), Convict (2014), Women in Cages (1971), Beyond the Walls (2012), The Platform 2 (2024), In Hell (2003), The Prison (2017), Locked Up (2015), Five Years (2013), Carandiru: The Series (2005).
Best films
New films
List of prison violence movies
112K
Genre: Crime, Drama, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 121 min.
Story:
A newly-released prison gangster is forced by the leaders of his gang to orchestrate a major crime with a brutal rival gang on the streets of Southern California.
Style:
clever, harsh, crime thriller, suspense, twist ending ...
Plot:
prison, prison gang, gang, prisoner, prison life, criminal, estranged father, organized crime, skinhead, abuse, tattoo, criminal heroes ...
Time:
year 2017, 21st century
Place:
california, los angeles, pasadena california, usa
Is relevant?
Genre: Action, Crime, Drama
Country: Australia
Duration: 110 min.
Story:
Set in the dark and old Parramatta prison built by the original convicts our lead character Ray a war veteran finds himself serving 18 months for manslaughter after defending his fiance. He soon realizes that the prison boss has it in for him and ...
Style:
captivating, tense, suspense, disturbing, crime drama
Plot:
prison, prison violence, prison gang, male objectification, gang, humiliation, convict, prison life, confined, prisoner, jailed, bandit ...
Is relevant?
Genre: Action, Crime, Drama
Country: Philippines, USA
Duration: 81 min.
Story:
Carol Jeffries is a naive American woman staying in the Philippines. She is given ten years in prison after being set up by her drug-dealer boyfriend, Rudy. She endures the harsh conditions, sadistic head matron and attempts on her life, then ...
Style:
grindhouse, biting, action thriller, independent film, realistic ...
Audience:
boys' night
Plot:
exploitation, women in prison, rape, prison, women's prison, female prisoner, female whipping, abused woman, nudity, torture chamber, abuse, murder of a nude woman ...
Time:
year 1971, 70s, 20th century
Place:
the philippines
Is relevant?
Genre: Drama, Romance
Country: Belgium, Canada, France
Duration: 98 min.
Story:
Paulo, a young pianist, meets Ilir, a double-bass player originally from Albania. It's love at first sight. Confronted by Anka, Paulo finds himself out on the street. Despite Ilir's misgivings, Paulo moves in with him. One day, when Paulo ...
Style:
realistic, emotional, touching, sexual, serious ...
Plot:
gay, musician, gay slur, gay couple, gay relationship, gay sex, kinky sex, prison, sadomasochism, gays and lesbians, love affair, love and romance ...
Time:
21st century
Place:
belgium
Is relevant?
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Genre: Horror, Sci-Fi, Thriller
Country: Spain
Duration: 99 min.
Story:
After a mysterious leader imposes his law in a brutal system of vertical cells, a new arrival battles against a dubious food distribution method.
Style:
existential horror, dark
Plot:
prison, cannibalism, suicide, prison violence, food, starvation, social injustice, solidarity, moral dilemma, violence, hunger, hallucination ...
Is relevant?
23K
Genre: Action, Drama, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 98 min.
Story:
A man must survive a prison where hardened criminals battle to the death for the warden's entertainment.
Style:
harsh, stylized, brutal, intense, emotional ...
Plot:
revenge, martial arts, prison, prison escape, prison violence, fight to the death, warden, fight, fighter, brutality, murder, prison rape ...
Time:
year 2003
Place:
russia, california, ireland, latin america, new jersey ...
Is relevant?
Genre: Action, Crime
Country: South Korea
Duration: 125 min.
Story:
An imprisoned ex-police inspector discovers that the entire penitentiary is controlled by an inmate running a crime syndicate and becomes part of the crime empire.
Style:
suspense, captivating, tense, crime drama
Plot:
prison violence, prison, jailed, prison life, gang, outlaw gang, jail, syndicate, crime boss, prisoner, prison gang, prison guard ...
Is relevant?
30K
Genre: Crime, Drama, Thriller
Country: Spain
Duration: 45 min.
TV show
Story:
Set up to take the blame for corporate fraud, young Macarena Ferreiro is locked up in a high-security women's prison surrounded by tough, ruthless criminals in this tense, provocative Spanish thriller.
Style:
psychological, suspense, disturbing, rough, captivating ...
Plot:
women's prison, prison guard, lesbian, women in prison, female prisoner, corruption, prison, female homosexuality, lgbtq, dishonesty, jail, brutality ...
Place:
new mexico
Is relevant?
Genre: Crime, Drama, Thriller
Country: Japan
Duration: 84 min.
Story:
A nurse is framed for her involvement in the hospital murder of a politician who was threatening to expose corrupt practices. She escapes from jail but is captured and sent back, resulting in the rest of the inmates being punished, added to which of ...
Style:
dark, bloody, crime drama, grim, cult classic ...
Plot:
exploitation, asian sex, women in prison, prison violence, revenge, vengeance, wrongful conviction, punishment, strong female lead, brutality, survival, escape attempt ...
Place:
japan
Is relevant?
Genre: Drama
Country: Germany, France
Duration: 95 min.
Story:
How Murat Kurnaz ended up in Guantanamo Bay is a mysterious story. 5 YEARS investigates the psychological aspect of this endless and unjustified "imprisonment" where Kurnaz had to endure never ending physical and psychological torture.
Style:
captivating, psychological, political, thought provoking, bleak ...
Plot:
biopic, prison life, prison, injustice, human rights, jailed, confined, military prison, jail cell, prison violence, prisoner, jail ...
Time:
21st century
Place:
germany
Is relevant?
Genre: Drama
Country: Brazil
TV show
Story:
A doctor volunteers to carry out AIDS prevention work at the largest prison in Latin America, Carandiru, in São Paulo. There he lives with reality behind the bars, which includes violence, overcrowding of cells and poor facilities. But despite all ...
Style:
realistic, psychological, disturbing, suspense, captivating ...
Plot:
prison life, doctor, prison, volunteer, jailed, society, jail, prisoner, prison violence, prison gang, confined, life is a bitch ...
Is relevant?
Genre: Drama, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 77 min.
Story:
A pretty young college student is arrested during a demonstration. She is taken to a notorious detention center, where she is subjected to sexual harassment by lesbian inmates and guards, and becomes the target of a sadistic, bullwhip-wielding ...
Style:
controversial, transgressive, tension, retro, period piece ...
Plot:
female prisoner, women in prison, prison, mature, sexual harassment, reformatory, sexual abuse, exploitation, sexploitation, corruption, voyeur, abuse of power ...
Time:
60s
Is relevant?
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Genre: Crime, Drama, Thriller
Country: Japan
Duration: 88 min.
Story:
Once again we focus on Nami Matsushima. This time she has a sister who goes missing and after getting too caught up in doing something about it, our innocent heroine is given a fifteen year sentence for a murder she didn't commit. She's ...
Style:
grindhouse, brutal, tense, crime drama, cult classic ...
Plot:
women in prison, exploitation, sexploitation, female protagonist, strong female lead, female vigilante, vengeance, survival, prison violence, wrongful imprisonment, justice, torture ...
Place:
japan
Is relevant?
Genre: Crime, Drama, Thriller
Country: USA, Colombia, Argentina
Duration: 83 min.
Story:
A father is imprisoned after committing a brutal revenge crime. During his confinement he must adapt to a new life of abuse, including injury and humiliation by guards and other prisoners.
Style:
captivating, suspense, psychological, tense, suspenseful ...
Plot:
revenge, violence, male protagonist, prison, imprisonment, prisoner, violent, jail, bandit, confined, murderer, abuse ...
Is relevant?
Genre: Drama, Thriller
Country: Canada
Duration: 90 min.
Story:
A man is convicted of raping and murdering a child and sent to prison. He is shortly afterwards beaten to death by other inmates. His daughter blames the jurors who convicted him for his death, and she hatches a scheme to murder each of the jury ...
Style:
suspense, dark, tension, psychological thriller, noir ...
Plot:
revenge, murder, rape, vengeance, child murder, jury, seduction, female protagonist, vigilante justice, psychological manipulation, manipulation, obsession ...
Time:
90s
Is relevant?
Genre: Drama, Mystery
Country: France, Germany, Lithuania, Netherlands
Duration: 143 min.
Story:
Loosely inspired by Dostoyevsky’s short story A Gentle Creature about a woman who travels to a prison in a remote region to track down her incarcerated husband.
Style:
suspense, tense, captivating, suspenseful, psychological ...
Plot:
prison violence, prison, fighting the system, injustice, prison visit, prison guard, social injustice, fight for justice, social problems, society, violence, female protagonist ...
Time:
year 2017
Is relevant?
Genre: Drama, History
Country: Ireland, USA
Duration: 112 min.
Story:
Based on the true story of the 1981 hunger strike in a British prison, in which IRA prisoner Bobby Sands led a protest against the treatment of IRA prisoners as criminals rather than as prisoners of war. The film focuses on the mothers of two of the ...
Style:
political, bleak, serious, psychological, realistic ...
Plot:
prison, terrorist, prison violence, lawyer, british, working class, women, betrayal, politics, ira, struggle, prison life ...
Time:
70s, 80s, year 1996, 20th century
Place:
ireland, northern ireland, europe, england
Is relevant?
452
Genre: Crime, Drama
Country: Germany
Duration: 85 min.
Story:
Based on one of the most spectacular series of bank robberies in Germany, Zwölf Winter tells the story of Klaus and Mike, two criminals who became friends in prison. When they happen to meet each other again after they have been released they begin ...
Style:
serious, realistic, suspenseful, f word
Plot:
police investigation, manhunt, heist, law enforcement, snitch, criminal, disguise, cell mate, boyfriend girlfriend relationship, hiding place, leukemia, target practice ...
Time:
20th century, 90s, year 1999, year 2000, year 2001 ...
Place:
germany, europe
Is relevant?
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Genre: Action
Country: USA
Duration: 104 min.
Story:
After the death of his brother, Mick travels to America to seek Justice. Wrongly convicted of extortion and attempted murder, Mick is sent to Pleasant Hill Penitentiary's notorious death block 13. Seething with revenge after discovering the ...
Style:
tense, captivating, disturbing, suspense, suspenseful ...
Plot:
prison, wrongful conviction, prison gang, prison escape, escape, revenge, prison break, jail, revolt, prison fight, prison riot, prison life ...
Is relevant?
Genre: Action, Sci-Fi
Country: USA, Canada
Duration: 106 min.
Story:
Set in San Tiburon, the world's most dangerous maximum-security penitentiary and home to the world's most treacherous superpowered criminals, where tensions among the inmates and staff heighten, leading to anarchy that engulfs the prison ...
Style:
disturbing, tense, suspense, exciting, captivating ...
Plot:
prison, prison violence, prison riot, super villain, supernatural power, prison guard, prison life, prison gang, anarchy, villain, anarchism, supernatural ability ...
Time:
future
Is relevant?
Genre: Animation, Action, Drama, Mystery, Sci-Fi
Country: USA
Duration: 90 min.
Story:
Suspicious of the events ensnaring their former colleagues, Nite Owl and Silk Spectre are spurred out of retirement to investigate. As they grapple with personal ethics, inner demons and a society turned against them, they race the clock to uncover ...
Style:
political thriller, neo noir, bleak, grim, adult animation
Audience:
adult
Plot:
alternate history, conspiracy, retirement, superhero, mature, government corruption, nuclear threat, cold war, moral ambiguity, investigation, violence, complex characters ...
Time:
80s
Is relevant?
Genre: Action, Adventure, Drama, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 111 min.
Story:
A hardened convict and a younger prisoner escape from a brutal prison in the middle of winter only to find themselves on an out-of-control train with a female railway worker while being pursued by the vengeful head of security.
Style:
road movie, suspense, intense, realistic, rough ...
Plot:
train, prison escape, survival, runaway train, escaped prisoner, escape, prison, violence, prisoner, wilderness, fugitives, chases and races ...
Time:
20th century, year 1985, 80s
Place:
alaska, usa
Is relevant?
Genre: Action, Crime, Drama, Sport
Country: USA, Germany, Japan
Duration: 94 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, talky, intense, stylized, tense ...
Audience:
boys' night, teens
Plot:
prison, violence, fight, boxing, prisoner, african american, prison fight, hip hop, mafia, tough guy, martial arts, gangster ...
Time:
year 2002, 21st century
Place:
usa, mojave desert, las vegas, nevada, california ...
Is relevant?
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Genre: Biography, Crime, Drama, Romance
Country: USA
Duration: 125 min.
Story:
Edward J. Olmos made his directorial bow with the powerhouse crime saga American Me. Olmos stars as street-gang leader Santana, who during his 18 years in Folsom Prison rules over all the drug-and-murder activities behind bars. Upon his release, ...
Style:
sexy, disturbing, talky, emotional, intense ...
Audience:
boys' night
Plot:
prison, gang, prison gang, violence, sexual abuse, gay rape, homosexual rape, racism, prison life, visceral, jail, mafia ...
Time:
1940s, 20th century, 70s, 50s, 1950s ...
Place:
los angeles, california, south america, usa, san francisco
Is relevant?
Genre: Comedy, Crime, Sport
Country: USA
Duration: 113 min.
Story:
Pro quarter-back, Paul Crewe and former college champion and coach, Nate Scarboro are doing time in the same prison. Asked to put together a team of inmates to take on the guards, Crewe enlists the help of Scarboro to coach the inmates to victory in ...
Style:
entertaining, inspirational, funny, hilarious, humorous ...
Audience:
kids, teens, girls' night, boys' night
Plot:
prison, american football, football, prison guard, prison life, underdog, cheerleading, dumb, redemption, adaptation, betrayal, warden ...
Time:
year 2005, 2000s, 21st century
Place:
texas, austin texas, usa, san diego california, new jersey ...
Is relevant?
Genre: Comedy, Drama
Country: Sweden
Duration: 108 min.
Story:
The enthusiastic Reine is forced to take a job as a social worker at Kumla prison.
Style:
realistic, semi serious, humorous
Plot:
prison, prisoner, theater, thoughtful, escape, escape plan, social relations, innocence lost, artists and showbiz, confined, prison life, career change ...
Time:
90s
Place:
europe, eastern europe
Is relevant?
Genre: Action, Adventure, Drama
Country: Philippines
Duration: 30 min.
TV show
Story:
An undercover agent goes on a dangerous mission to bring down a crime ring. Fueled by a bitter and painful past, he along with his allies faces the grueling task that will challenge his resolve and strength.
Style:
suspenseful, tense, dramatic, captivating, exciting ...
Plot:
secret agent, secret plan, dark past, dangerous mission, special agent, criminal gang, mission, traumatic past, past, troubled past, undercover agent, agent ...
Place:
italy, japan
Is relevant?
Genre: Crime, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 85 min.
Story:
An innocent, pregnant prison inmate (Shirley Knight) becomes the bad warden's (Andrew Duggan) personal favorite.
Style:
realistic, serious, tense, captivating, emotional ...
Audience:
toddlers
Plot:
women's prison, prison, pregnancy, women in prison, doctor, riot, tough girl, strong female lead, prisoner, bad girl, injustice, righting the wronged ...
Time:
60s
Is relevant?
Genre: Crime, Mystery, Thriller
Country: Canada
Duration: 90 min.
Story:
Julia Carver is a young entrepreneur with a normal life, receiving the bitter news that his brother has been jailed. Since then, his life is complicated, because he must take care of his nephew, a teenager that causes many problems. What's ...
Style:
tense, crime thriller, suspense
Plot:
kidnapping, hidden money, brother sister relationship, danger, treasure hunt, family drama, pursuit, investigation, conspiracy, prison, betrayal, cat and mouse ...
Time:
2000s
Place:
philadelphia
Is relevant?
Genre: Animation, Action, Drama, Fantasy
Country: Japan
Duration: 46 min.
Story:
The story follows Saiga Riki-Oh, a young man blessed with inhuman strength. After taking revenge against a yakuza boss who was responsible for the death of his girlfriend, he ends up in a maximum security prison owned by a private organization.
Style:
anime, adult animation, disturbing, seinen, bloody
Plot:
prison, all male cast, superhero, post-apocalyptic future, superpower, murder, martial arts, revenge, bare chested male, heroes, rainstorm, bloodbath ...
Place:
japan
Is relevant?
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