Sort by Popularity - Most Popular Movies and TV Shows tagged with keyword "prison-life"
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1. Prison Break (2005–2017)
TV-14 | 44 min | Action, Crime, Drama
A structural engineer installs himself in a prison he helped design, in order to save his falsely accused brother from a death sentence by breaking themselves out from the inside.
Stars: Dominic Purcell, Wentworth Miller, Amaury Nolasco, Robert Knepper
Votes: 580,436
2. The Green Mile (1999)
R | 189 min | Crime, Drama, Fantasy
A tale set on death row, where gentle giant John Coffey possesses the mysterious power to heal people's ailments. When the lead guard, Paul Edgecombe, recognizes John's gift, he tries to help stave off the condemned man's execution.
Director: Frank Darabont | Stars: Tom Hanks, Michael Clarke Duncan, David Morse, Bonnie Hunt
Votes: 1,410,143 | Gross: $136.80M
3. Orange Is the New Black (2013–2019)
TV-MA | 59 min | Comedy, Crime, Drama
Convicted of a decade-old crime of transporting drug money, ordinarily law-abiding Piper Chapman is sentenced to 18 months behind bars and quickly discovers the realities of life-changing prison time.
Stars: Taylor Schilling, Danielle Brooks, Taryn Manning, Emma Myles
Votes: 320,507
4. Oz (1997–2003)
TV-MA | 60 min | Crime, Drama, Thriller
A series chronicling the daily activities of an unusual prison facility and its criminal inhabitants.
Stars: Ernie Hudson, J.K. Simmons, Lee Tergesen, Dean Winters
Votes: 106,855
5. Shot Caller (2017)
R | 121 min | Crime, Drama, Thriller
A newly released prisoner is forced by the leaders of his gang to orchestrate a major crime with a brutal rival gang on the streets of Southern California.
Director: Ric Roman Waugh | Stars: Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, Omari Hardwick, Lake Bell, Jon Bernthal
Votes: 98,947
6. Jailbait (2014 Video)
TV-MA | 90 min | Crime, Drama, Romance
Anna Nix is sent to a juvenile prison for the murder of her abusive stepfather. In the prison, she discovers relationships, drugs, complex mental illness, and her eventual search for redemption.
Director: Jared Cohn | Stars: Sara Malakul Lane, Erin O'Brien, Steve Hanks, Andray Johnson
Votes: 5,092
7. Life (I) (1999)
R | 108 min | Comedy, Crime, Drama
In 1932, two strangers are wrongfully convicted and develop a strong friendship in prison that lasts them through the 20th century.
Director: Ted Demme | Stars: Eddie Murphy, Martin Lawrence, Obba Babatundé, Nick Cassavetes
Votes: 54,870 | Gross: $63.84M
8. Revolver (2005)
R | 111 min | Action, Crime, Drama
Gambler Jake Green enters into a game with potentially deadly consequences.
Director: Guy Ritchie | Stars: Jason Statham, Ray Liotta, André 3000, Vincent Pastore
Votes: 102,930 | Gross: $0.08M
9. Prisoner (1979–1986)
TV-14 | 50 min | Crime, Drama
The lives of the staff and inmates of a women's prison.
Stars: Elspeth Ballantyne, Barbara Jungwirth, Betty Bobbitt, Sheila Florance
Votes: 2,246
10. A Hidden Life (2019)
PG-13 | 174 min | Biography, Drama, Romance
The Austrian Franz Jägerstätter, a conscientious objector, refuses to fight for the Nazis in World War II.
Director: Terrence Malick | Stars: August Diehl, Valerie Pachner, Maria Simon, Karin Neuhäuser
Votes: 28,249
11. Midnight Express (1978)
R | 121 min | Biography, Crime, Drama
Billy Hayes, an American college student, is caught smuggling drugs out of Turkey and thrown into prison.
Director: Alan Parker | Stars: Brad Davis, Irene Miracle, Bo Hopkins, Paolo Bonacelli
Votes: 88,332 | Gross: $35.00M
12. The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner (1962)
Not Rated | 104 min | Drama, Sport
A young thief takes up long-distance running when he is sent to a borstal.
Director: Tony Richardson | Stars: Michael Redgrave, Tom Courtenay, Avis Bunnage, Alec McCowen
Votes: 9,390
13. The Experiment (2010)
R | 96 min | Drama, Thriller
26 men are chosen to participate in the roles of guards and prisoners in a psychological study that ultimately spirals out of control.
Director: Paul T. Scheuring | Stars: Adrien Brody, Cam Gigandet, Forest Whitaker, Maggie Grace
Votes: 57,228
14. Felon (2008)
R | 104 min | Crime, Thriller
Locked up for killing an intruder in self-defense, a family man must cope with life in the violent penal system.
Director: Ric Roman Waugh | Stars: Stephen Dorff, Marisol Nichols, Vincent Miller, Anne Archer
Votes: 83,630 | Gross: $0.04M
15. Fortress (1992)
R | 95 min | Action, Crime, Sci-Fi
In a future, private underground prison/Fortress, the inmates are computer controlled with CCTV, dream readers and devices that can cause pain or death. John and his illegally pregnant wife are inside but want to escape before birth.
Director: Stuart Gordon | Stars: Christopher Lambert, Loryn Locklin, Kurtwood Smith, Clifton Collins Jr.
Votes: 30,497 | Gross: $6.74M
16. Bad Girls (1999–2006)
TV-14 | 90 min | Crime, Drama
British hard-hitting drama about the staff and inmates of a women's prison.
Stars: Kika Mirylees, Victoria Alcock, Helen Fraser, Jack Ellis
Votes: 2,593
17. Undisputed (2002)
R | 94 min | Action, Crime, Drama
When heavyweight champion George "Iceman" Chambers lands in prison, the resident gangster arranges a boxing match with the reigning prison champ.
Director: Walter Hill | Stars: Wesley Snipes, Ving Rhames, Peter Falk, Michael Rooker
Votes: 34,442 | Gross: $12.76M
18. Carandiru (2003)
R | 145 min | Crime, Drama
Stories of crime, revenge, love, and friendship at the Carandiru Penitentiary, the largest prison in Latin America.
Director: Hector Babenco | Stars: Enrique Diaz, Wagner Moura, Caio Blat, Luiz Carlos Vasconcelos
Votes: 21,980 | Gross: $0.21M
19. Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom (2013)
PG-13 | 141 min | Biography, Drama, History
A chronicle of Nelson Mandela's life journey from his childhood in a rural village through to his inauguration as the first democratically elected president of South Africa.
Director: Justin Chadwick | Stars: Idris Elba, Naomie Harris, Terry Pheto, Robert Hobbs
Votes: 29,213 | Gross: $8.32M
20. Inside the Walls of Folsom Prison (1951)
Approved | 87 min | Crime, Drama, Film-Noir
At California's Folsom Prison, escape attempts and riots are on the rise due to the old-school sadistic style of management of a brutal warden.
Director: Crane Wilbur | Stars: Steve Cochran, David Brian, Philip Carey, Ted de Corsia
Votes: 421
21. Great Freedom (2021)
Unrated | 116 min | Drama
In post-war Germany, liberation by the Allies does not mean freedom for everyone. Hans is repeatedly imprisoned under Paragraph 175, which criminalizes homosexuality. Over the decades, he develops an unlikely bond with his cellmate Viktor.
Director: Sebastian Meise | Stars: Franz Rogowski, Georg Friedrich, Anton von Lucke, Thomas Prenn
Votes: 7,381
22. Henry's Crime (2010)
R | 108 min | Comedy, Crime, Drama
Released from prison for a crime he didn't commit, an ex-con targets the same bank he was sent away for robbing.
Director: Malcolm Venville | Stars: Keanu Reeves, Vera Farmiga, James Caan, Judy Greer
Votes: 21,383 | Gross: $0.10M
23. Superjail! (2007–2014)
TV-MA | 10 min | Animation, Action, Comedy
In a surreal world, a large maximum security prison, which houses thousands of dangerous inmates is run by an eccentric warden and his equally odd staff.
Stars: David Wain, Teddy Cohn, Christopher McCulloch, Christy Karacas
Votes: 7,879
24. Brute Force (1947)
Passed | 98 min | Crime, Drama, Film-Noir
At a tough penitentiary, prisoner Joe Collins plans to rebel against Captain Munsey, the power-mad chief guard.
Director: Jules Dassin | Stars: Burt Lancaster, Hume Cronyn, Charles Bickford, Yvonne De Carlo
Votes: 11,567
25. Prison (1987)
R | 102 min | Crime, Drama, Horror
The spirit of a long-dead prisoner returns for revenge, haunting the prison's new governor.
Director: Renny Harlin | Stars: Lane Smith, Viggo Mortensen, Chelsea Field, Lincoln Kilpatrick
Votes: 4,773 | Gross: $0.35M
26. Caged (1950)
Not Rated | 97 min | Crime, Drama, Film-Noir
A gentle, naive, pregnant 19-year-old widow is slowly, inexorably ground down by the hardened criminals, sadistic guards, and matron at a woman's prison. Will she be the same person when her sentence is up?
Director: John Cromwell | Stars: Eleanor Parker, Agnes Moorehead, Ellen Corby, Hope Emerson
Votes: 4,726
27. The Yard (2018–2019)
TV-MA | 120 min | Crime, Drama
After a fateful domestic clash, a devoted mother Deniz Demir (Demet Evgar) finds herself in prison and fighting to survive in hopes of reuniting with her daughter.
Stars: Demet Evgar, Ceren Moray, Nursel Köse, Çagdas Onur Öztürk
Votes: 2,037
28. Impuros (2018– )
60 min | Action, Crime, Drama
Rio de Janeiro, during the 90's. Evandro dreams about becoming a great businessman, but ends up entering the world of crime and making an empire out of his criminal organization. His ... See full summary »
Stars: Raphael Logam, Rui Ricardo Diaz, Cyria Coentro, Leandro Firmino
Votes: 856
29. Freeway II: Confessions of a Trickbaby (1999)
R | 97 min | Comedy, Crime, Drama
A teenage prostitute escapes from a juvenile prison with a 16-year-old serial killer and both go on a destructive road trip to Mexico in this twist on the "Hansel and Gretel" fairy tale.
Director: Matthew Bright | Stars: Natasha Lyonne, María Celedonio, David Alan Grier, Vincent Gallo
Votes: 3,514
30. The Jericho Mile (1979 TV Movie)
97 min | Crime, Drama, Sport
A prisoner gets a chance to take part in the Olympics.
Director: Michael Mann | Stars: Peter Strauss, Richard Lawson, Roger E. Mosley, Brian Dennehy
Votes: 2,065
31. What Doesn't Kill You (2008)
R | 100 min | Crime, Drama, Thriller
Two childhood friends from South Boston turn to crime as a way to get by, ultimately causing a strain in their personal lives and their friendship.
Director: Brian Goodman | Stars: Ethan Hawke, Mark Ruffalo, Brian Goodman, Amanda Peet
Votes: 13,237
32. Big Deal on Madonna Street (1958)
Not Rated | 106 min | Comedy, Crime
A motley quintet of inept small-time thieves attempt the burglary of a local pawnshop in this Italian farce.
Director: Mario Monicelli | Stars: Vittorio Gassman, Marcello Mastroianni, Renato Salvatori, Totò
Votes: 11,536
33. Ruby & Quentin (2003)
Not Rated | 85 min | Comedy, Crime
A tough criminal is arrested after hiding the loot from a Paris armored truck robbery. A talkative dimwit befriends him in prison and escapes with him - chased by police and his evil crime boss.
Director: Francis Veber | Stars: Gérard Depardieu, Jean Reno, Richard Berry, André Dussollier
Votes: 30,786
34. Against the Wall (1994 TV Movie)
R | 111 min | Action, Drama, History
Based on the true story of the Attica Prison uprising of 1971.
Director: John Frankenheimer | Stars: Kyle MacLachlan, Samuel L. Jackson, Clarence Williams III, Frederic Forrest
Votes: 3,292
35. Irmandade (2019– )
TV-MA | 50 min | Crime, Drama, Thriller
A hard-working lawyer discovers that her missing brother has been jailed for years and is a leader of an ascendant criminal faction.
Stars: Seu Jorge, Hermila Guedes, Bruce Wexler, Naruna Costa
Votes: 1,790
36. K-11 (2012)
Not Rated | 88 min | Drama
A record producer comes around after binging on drink and drugs. He finds himself in a section of the Los Angeles County Jail reserved for homosexuals, which is ruled by a transgender woman named Mousey.
Director: Jules Stewart | Stars: Goran Visnjic, Kate del Castillo, D.B. Sweeney, Portia Doubleday
Votes: 1,775
37. Wilson (I) (2017)
R | 94 min | Comedy, Drama
A lonely, neurotic, and hilariously honest middle-aged man reunites with his estranged wife, and meets his teenage daughter for the first time.
Director: Craig Johnson | Stars: Woody Harrelson, Sandra Lee-Oian Thomas, Shaun J. Brown, James Robert Miller
Votes: 11,014 | Gross: $0.65M
38. Ghosts... of the Civil Dead (1988)
93 min | Crime, Drama, Thriller
Prison gangs clash in a high-tech security jail where there are no rules.
Director: John Hillcoat | Stars: David Field, Mike Bishop, Chris DeRose, Kevin Mackey
Votes: 1,961
39. Attica (2021)
TV-MA | 116 min | Documentary, History
This unnervingly vivid dive into the 1971 uprising from Emmy® winning director Stanley Nelson sheds new light on the enduring violence and racism of the prison system and highlights the urgent, ongoing need for reform 50 years later.
Directors: Traci Curry, Stanley Nelson | Stars: Arthur Harrison, Carlos Roche, Tyrone Larkins, George Che Nieves
Votes: 3,082
40. Animal (2005 Video)
R | 93 min | Drama, Action
A notorious gangster nicknamed "Animal" must reconcile his past in order to make a future for his criminally-minded son.
Director: David J. Burke | Stars: Ving Rhames, Terrence Howard, Chazz Palminteri, Jim Brown
Votes: 2,162
41. Short Eyes (1977)
R | 100 min | Drama
A child molester sent to prison finds that criminals exact harsher justice than society.
Director: Robert M. Young | Stars: Bruce Davison, José Pérez, Nathan George, Don Blakely
Votes: 1,566
42. Hard Cell (2022)
TV-MA | 25 min | Comedy
A documentary crew follows the inmates and staff of HMP Woldsley while Catherine Tate portrays multiple characters to capture the penal system at its brutal humorous best.
Stars: Catherine Tate, Donna Preston, Christian Brassington, Niky Wardley
Votes: 2,153
43. Goodbye Bafana (2007)
R | 118 min | Biography, Drama, History
Goodbye Bafana is the true story of a white South African racist whose life was profoundly altered by the black prisoner he guarded for twenty years. The prisoner's name was Nelson Mandela.
Director: Bille August | Stars: Joseph Fiennes, Dennis Haysbert, Diane Kruger, Patrick Lyster
Votes: 12,239
44. Get Santa (2014)
PG | 102 min | Comedy, Family, Fantasy
After Santa Claus is arrested and jailed, a recently paroled prisoner and his young son attempt to save Christmas before it's too late.
Director: Christopher Smith | Stars: Jim Broadbent, Rafe Spall, Kit Connor, Ewen Bremner
Votes: 4,759
45. Dead Leaves (2004)
Not Rated | 55 min | Animation, Action, Adventure
Two aliens awaken on Earth with no recollection of their past and embark on a devastating crime spree but are sent to an infamous lunar penitentiary named Dead Leaves.
Director: Hiroyuki Imaishi | Stars: Kappei Yamaguchi, Takako Honda, Yûko Mizutani, Mitsuo Iwata
Votes: 4,424
46. Trial by Jury (1994)
R | 107 min | Crime, Drama, Thriller
Valerie is a juror in the trial of a mob boss. When her young son's life is threatened, she has no option other than to see that justice isn't done.
Director: Heywood Gould | Stars: Joanne Whalley, Armand Assante, Gabriel Byrne, William Hurt
Votes: 2,069 | Gross: $6.97M
47. A Sense of Freedom (1981)
81 min | Crime, Drama, Thriller
The life and imprisonment of Glasgow hard man and gangster Jimmy Boyle.
Director: John Mackenzie | Stars: David Hayman, Jake D'Arcy, Sean Scanlan, Alex Norton
Votes: 614
48. 'P' fung bou (2019)
Not Rated | 96 min | Action, Crime
William Luk, goes undercover as a prisoner to investigate correctional officers who are receiving bribes.
Director: David Lam | Stars: Louis Koo, Kevin Cheng, Raymond Lam, Ka-Tung Lam
Votes: 790 | Gross: $0.33M
49. Unchained (1955)
75 min | Crime, Drama, Film-Noir
A convict in a medium-security prison is torn between his need to finish his sentence and get back to his wife and family, and his desire to escape the confines of prison.
Director: Hall Bartlett | Stars: Elroy 'Crazylegs' Hirsch, Barbara Hale, Chester Morris, Todd Duncan
Votes: 233
50. Two Way Stretch (1960)
TV-PG | 78 min | Comedy, Crime
While in prison, Dodger plots the perfect heist: break out, steal diamonds, get back before noticed. With days left on sentence and a solid alibi, he's confident nothing can go wrong.
Director: Robert Day | Stars: Peter Sellers, David Lodge, Bernard Cribbins, Wilfrid Hyde-White
Votes: 2,643