Prison escape movies and TV shows
The list contains the best, new and most relevant prison escape movies ordered by relevance. The recommendation service has sorted out realistic, serious, suspense, interesting, tense and suspenseful films and TV shows about / with prison escape, escape, prison, jail, prison break, prisoner, chase, murder, violence and corruption plots mostly in Drama, Crime and Thriller genres shot in USA, UK, France and other countries.
1303
TOP 10 movies tagged as prison escape: Escape at Dannemora (2018), Escape From Pretoria (2020), The Shawshank Redemption (1994), Escape from Alcatraz (1979), The Way Back (2010), Escape Plan (2013), Papillon (2017), Papillon (1973), Prison Break (2005), The Escapist (2008).
Best films
New films
Genre: Biography, Crime, Drama, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 60 min.
TV show
Story:
The stranger-than-fiction account of a prison break in upstate New York in the summer of 2015, which spawned a massive manhunt for two convicted murderers who were aided in their escape by a married female prison employee with whom they both became ...
Style:
melancholic, captivating, atmospheric, non fiction, historical drama ...
Plot:
prison escape, prison, prison life, true crime, love triangle, prisoner, deception, twists and turns, love affair, sex scene, jail, prison break ...
Time:
2010s
Is relevant?
Genre: Action, Biography, Crime, Mystery, Thriller
Country: UK, Australia, USA, South Africa, Germany
Duration: 106 min.
Story:
South Africa, 1978. Tim Jenkin and Stephen Lee, two white political activists from the African National Congress imprisoned by the apartheid regime, put a plan in motion to escape from the infamous Pretoria Prison…
Style:
political, suspense, tense, atmospheric, dramatic ...
Audience:
boys' night
Plot:
prison, apartheid, prison escape, escape, political prisoner, political activism, political activist, politics, human spirit, prison break, rebelliousness, political persecution ...
Time:
year 1979, 70s, 20th century
Place:
south africa, africa, cape town south africa, adelaide south australia, australia ...
Is relevant?
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, uplifting, inspirational, touching, twist ending ...
Audience:
date night, chick flick, teens, kids, family friendly ...
Plot:
prison, prison escape, freedom, friendship between men, hopes, friendship, corruption, human spirit, justice, prison life, life, stephen king ...
Time:
1940s, 1950s, 90s, year 1994, 2010s ...
Place:
usa, maine, columbus ohio, persia, iran ...
Is relevant?
Genre: Biography, Crime, Drama, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 112 min.
Story:
Escape from Alcatraz tells the story of the only three men ever to escape from the infamous maximum security prison at Alcatraz. In 29 years, the seemingly impenetrable federal penitentiary, which housed Al Capone and "Birdman" Robert ...
Style:
atmospheric, suspense, suspenseful, exciting, realistic ...
Audience:
boys' night
Plot:
prison, prison escape, alcatraz, escape, prison life, freedom, jail, island, prison warden, harassment, prison guard, convict ...
Time:
year 1960, 20th century, year 1979, year 1961, year 1962 ...
Place:
san francisco, bay area, usa, canada
Is relevant?
Related movie lists
127K
Genre: Adventure, Drama, History
Country: USA, Poland, United Arab Emirates, India
Duration: 133 min.
Story:
Peter Weir's follow-up to Master & Commander (2003) is the stark & brilliant The Way Back, which takes on the theme of man's struggle for freedom. At the dawn of WWII, several men escape from a Russian gulag. The film ...
Style:
epic, inspirational, realistic, road movie, rough ...
Plot:
survival, wilderness, prison escape, escape, journey, war, pow, freedom, gulag, world war two, explorer, human spirit ...
Time:
20th century, 1940s, 2010s
Place:
himalaya, russia, tibet, mongolia, soviet union ...
Is relevant?
269K
Genre: Action, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 115 min.
Story:
Ray Breslin is the world's foremost authority on structural security. After analyzing every high security prison and learning a vast array of survival skills so he can design escape-proof prisons, his skills are put to the test. He's ...
Style:
suspenseful, suspense, clever, twist ending, entertaining ...
Audience:
boys' night, manly, chick flick
Plot:
prison, prison escape, revenge, outsmarting, escape plan, betrayal, resourceful, escape, prisoner, maximum security prison, prison break, lone hero ...
Time:
year 2013, 2010s, future, 80s, 21st century
Place:
morocco, usa, miami, new orleans, colorado ...
Is relevant?
95K
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, homoerotic, psychological, art house ...
Audience:
adult
Plot:
prison escape, prison, island prison, friendship, wrongful conviction, life sentence, escape, jail, escape plan, male friendship, solitary, survival ...
Time:
year 2017, year 1931, 1930s, year 1969, 20th century ...
Place:
south america, colombia, france, former yugoslavia, venezuela ...
Is relevant?
145K
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, visually stunning, grim, mind twisting ...
Plot:
prison escape, prison, life philosophy, escape, prison break, runaway, prison life, jail, protector, human spirit, escape attempt, escape plan ...
Time:
year 1973, 1940s, 20th century, 1930s, 70s
Place:
south america, persia, guyana, latin america, atlantic ocean
Is relevant?
658K
Genre: Action, Crime, Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 44 min.
TV show
Story:
Due to a political conspiracy, an innocent man is sent to death row and his only hope is his brother, who makes it his mission to deliberately get himself sent to the same prison in order to break the both of them out, from the inside out.
Style:
exciting, tense, suspenseful, serious, realistic ...
Audience:
boys' night, teens
Plot:
prison, fugitives, escape, prison life, scheme, prison escape, conspiracy, determination, fbi, confined, siblings relations, brother ...
Time:
2010s, 2000s, 21st century
Place:
south america, chicago, texas, california, usa
Is relevant?
Genre: Crime, Drama, Thriller
Country: UK, Ireland
Duration: 102 min.
Story:
Frank Perry is an institutionalized convict twelve years into a life sentence without parole. When his estranged daughter falls ill, he is determined to make peace with her before it's too late. He develops an ingenious escape plan, and ...
Style:
tense, harsh, rough, suspenseful, psychological thriller ...
Plot:
prison, prison escape, brutality, escape, tragedy, flashback, existentialism, loneliness, prison life, going straight, twists and turns, terminal illness ...
Time:
y2k, 2000s
Place:
london, europe, england
Is relevant?
Genre: Drama, Thriller
Country: Chile
Duration: 135 min.
Story:
During the last years of Pinochet's military regime, a group of militants from the "Manuel Rodríguez Patriotic Front" plan a prison break of political prisoners, through a tunnel that will take them 18 months to dig.
Style:
tense, suspense, disturbing, suspenseful, unusual plot structure ...
Plot:
convict, prison escape, prison break, danger, prison, vengeance, race against time, murder, fugitives, against the odds, death, pursuit ...
Time:
90s, year 1990
Place:
chile
Is relevant?
Genre: Adventure, Comedy, Crime, Drama, Music
Country: UK, France, USA
Duration: 107 min.
Story:
In the deep south during the 1930s, three escaped convicts search for hidden treasure while a relentless lawman pursues them. On their journey they come across many comical characters and incredible situations. Based upon Homer's ...
Style:
road movie, funny, visually stunning, dark comedy, epic ...
Audience:
date night, teens
Plot:
prison escape, great depression, blues, on the run, small town, roman empire, country music, dark humor, music, runaway, satire, treasure hunt ...
Time:
1930s, year 2000, 20th century, y2k, 2000s ...
Place:
mississippi, ancient greece, persia, america, greece ...
Is relevant?
Related movie lists
Genre: Action, Drama, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 89 min.
Story:
The movie covers the events which occurred in between the downfall of The Company and the finale of the series. It details the arrest and incarceration of Sara Tancredi, the final escape plan which Michael devises for Sara. It also reveals the ...
Style:
suspenseful, suspense, intense, exciting, realistic ...
Audience:
boys' night, teens, girls' night
Plot:
prison, happy ending, fugitives, escape, woman in danger, self sacrifice, twists and turns, prison escape, relationships, freedom, resilience, murder mystery ...
Time:
2000s, 21st century
Place:
florida, canada, israel, new jersey
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, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 87 min.
Story:
After security expert Ray Breslin is hired to rescue the kidnapped daughter of a Hong Kong tech mogul from a formidable Latvian prison, Breslin's girlfriend is also captured. Now he and his team must pull off a deadly rescue mission to confront ...
Style:
suspense, exciting, captivating, tense, saga ...
Plot:
death, businessman, escape, mental health, prison escape, computer cracker, teamwork, murder, liberation, gunfight, vengeance, group of criminals ...
Time:
2010s
Place:
eastern europe, latvia, hong kong, los angeles
Is relevant?
Genre: Action, Crime, Drama, Romance, Thriller
Country: USA, France
Duration: 133 min.
Story:
A married couple's life is turned upside down when the wife is accused of a murder. Lara Brennan is arrested for murdering her boss with whom she had an argument. It seems she was seen leaving the scene of the crime and her fingerprints were on ...
Style:
suspense, romantic, tense, suspenseful, emotional ...
Audience:
chick flick, date night, teens
Plot:
innocent, twists and turns, danger, injustice, prison escape, false accusation, couples, life turned upside down, husband wife relationship, escapades, murder, lawyer ...
Time:
year 2010, 2010s, 2000s, 21st century
Place:
venezuela, pennsylvania, usa, haiti, canada ...
Is relevant?
Genre: Action, Adventure, Drama, War
Country: Germany
Duration: 158 min.
Story:
The German soldier Clemens Forel - determined to be reunited with his beloved family - makes a dramatic escape through bitter cold winters, desolate landscapes, and life threatening ventures from a Siberian labor camp after World War II. 8000 miles ...
Style:
serious, tense, realistic, breathtaking, suspenseful ...
Plot:
world war two, pow, survival, human spirit, gulag, confined, captivity, wehrmacht, danger, wilderness survival, nazi, fugitives ...
Time:
1940s, 50s, year 1937, year 1947, year 1951 ...
Place:
germany, ussr, soviet union, siberia, tehran iran ...
Is relevant?
Genre: Adventure, Crime, Thriller
Country: Spain, Italy
Duration: 93 min.
Story:
A women's prison camp is located deep in the tropical rain forest. Sadistic guards and a warden from hell make life almost unbearable for the inmates, and any infraction of the rules is dealt with swiftly and savagely. The camp doctor is ...
Style:
disturbing, suspenseful, captivating, rough, grindhouse ...
Audience:
adult
Plot:
women in prison, punishment, prison, anal rape, death, rape, female whipping, partner, gang rape, female nudity, lesbianism, female prisoner ...
Time:
70s
Is relevant?
Related movie lists
Genre: Crime, Drama, Thriller
Country: France, Spain
Duration: 96 min.
Story:
Lisa and Julien are married and lead a happy uneventful life with their son Oscar. But their life radically changes one morning, when the police comes to arrest Lisa on murder charges. She's sentenced to 20 years of prison. Convinced of his ...
Style:
exciting, serious, sentimental, suspenseful, neo noir ...
Audience:
boys' night
Plot:
prison, accused of murder, chase, murder, police, life turned upside down, daring rescue, judge, investigation, disorder, escapades, danger ...
Time:
year 2008, 21st century
Place:
france, europe, latin america
Is relevant?
Genre: Adventure, Drama, Thriller, War
Country: USA
Duration: 172 min.
Story:
The Nazis, exasperated at the number of escapes from their prison camps by a relatively small number of Allied prisoners, relocates them to a high-security 'escape-proof' camp to sit out the remainder of the war. Undaunted, the prisoners ...
Style:
suspenseful, suspense, exciting, realistic, historical drama ...
Audience:
boys' night, family friendly, teens, manly, kids ...
Plot:
world war two, prison, prisoner, soldier, pow, freedom, prison escape, nazi, chase, war, capture, courage ...
Time:
1940s, year 1963, 1900s, 20th century
Place:
germany, america, europe, switzerland, alps ...
Is relevant?
49K
Genre: Action, Crime, Drama, Thriller
Country: USA, Netherlands
Duration: 109 min.
Story:
Frank Leone is nearing the end of his prison term for a relatively minor crime. Just before he is paroled, however, Warden Drumgoole takes charge. Drumgoole was assigned to a hell-hole prison after his administration was publicly humiliated by ...
Style:
suspense, intense, realistic, serious, suspenseful ...
Plot:
prison, revenge, prison escape, prison warden, corruption, vengeance, prisoner, prison life, tough guy, electric chair, jail, self sacrifice ...
Time:
80s
Place:
new jersey
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: 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, suspense, realistic, depressing, psychological ...
Plot:
prison, brutality, torture, injustice, lawyer, escape, prison life, prison escape, drug, drug smuggling, court, violent ...
Time:
70s, 20th century, year 1970, year 1978, year 1975 ...
Place:
turkey, brooklyn new york city, greece, istanbul turkey, europe ...
Is relevant?
Related movie lists
Genre: Drama, War
Country: UK
Duration: 120 min.
TV show
Story:
Three prisoners, Jack Rose, Tom Willis and Nick McGrade, embark on an heroic plan to escape from a World War Two POW camp. As Rose And Willis are recaptured by the Germans, McGrade manages to traverse their clutches and travels to London to inform ...
Style:
realistic, serious, touching, tense, exciting ...
Plot:
pow, world war two, military, soldier, love and romance, battles, love triangle, prison life, nazism, world war, danger, confined ...
Time:
1940s, 20th century, year 1939
Place:
london, germany, europe, warsaw poland
Is relevant?
Genre: Crime, Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 93 min.
Story:
The true story of the infamous prison break of Gary Tison and Randy Greenwalt from the Arizona State prison in Florence, in the summer of 1978.
Style:
serious, tense, suspense, disturbing, captivating ...
Plot:
escape, prison break, escaped prisoner, true crime, runaway, serial killer, fleeing, jail, criminal, law enforcement, biopic, manhunt ...
Time:
70s, year 1978
Place:
arizona
Is relevant?
Genre: Comedy, Crime, Drama, Romance
Country: UK, USA
Duration: 91 min.
Story:
Clive Owen stars as a prison inmate who goes into an experimental "open" prison where the inmates walk around freely and get job training for their impending releases. While there, he discovers he has a talent for growing flowers. His ...
Style:
touching, inspirational, feel good, compassionate, witty ...
Audience:
date night, girls' night
Plot:
prison, gardening, prison escape, friendship, outdoor sex, solitude, unlikely friendships, adaptation, happy ending, misfit, fish out of water, going straight ...
Time:
21st century
Place:
england, europe, london
Is relevant?
Genre: Crime, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 127 min.
Story:
When petty criminal Luke Jackson is sentenced to two years in a Florida prison farm, he doesn't play by the rules of either the sadistic warden or the yard's resident heavy, Dragline, who ends up admiring the new guy's unbreakable ...
Style:
atmospheric, serious, rough, depressing, intense ...
Audience:
manly, adult
Plot:
prison, escape, prisoner, prison break, death, prison life, runaway, convict, prison escape, egg, freedom, fugitive ...
Time:
20th century, 1950s, year 1967, 60s, 50s
Place:
florida, southern usa
Is relevant?
Genre: Biography, Crime, Drama, History
Country: USA, Japan
Duration: 140 min.
Story:
Depression-era bank robber John Dillinger's charm and audacity endear him to much of America's downtrodden public, but he's also a thorn in the side of J. Edgar Hoover and the fledgling FBI. Desperate to capture the elusive outlaw, ...
Style:
suspense, period piece, crime thriller, factual, exciting ...
Audience:
manly, boys' night
Plot:
bank robber, bank robbery, mafia, gunfight, criminal, robbery, group of criminals, heist, criminal heroes, great depression, gang, manhunt ...
Time:
1930s, year 1933, year 2009, 20th century, 2000s ...
Place:
indiana, chicago, tucson arizona, illinois, arizona ...
Is relevant?
Genre: Comedy, Drama
Country: USA, Germany
Duration: 99 min.
Story:
The Grand Budapest Hotel tells of a legendary concierge at a famous European hotel between the wars and his friendship with a young employee who becomes his trusted protégé. The story involves the theft and recovery of a priceless Renaissance ...
Style:
atmospheric, stylized, witty, surreal, visually appealing ...
Audience:
family friendly, teens, adult
Plot:
hotel, art theft, mentor, mentor protege relationship, prison escape, murder, escapades, twists and turns, gunfight, painting, fictional country, lawyer ...
Time:
1930s, year 2014, 20th century, 60s, 80s ...
Place:
eastern europe, alps, europe, persia, america ...
Is relevant?
Genre: Drama
Country: Iran, Czech Republic, Germany
Duration: 151 min.
Story:
Heshmat, an exemplary husband and father, gets up very early every day. Where does he go? Pouya cannot imagine killing another man, yet he is told he must do so. Javad doesn’t know that proposing to his beloved won’t be the only surprise on her ...
Style:
psychological, intellectual, independent film, philosophical, non-linear ...
Plot:
society, prison escape, life & death, marriage proposal, human nature, adaptation, multiple storylines, destiny, friendship, love, wisdom of life, disorder ...
Place:
iran, middle east
Is relevant?
Related movie lists
