20 of the Most Entertaining Escape Films Ever!
by trident712 | created - 24 Nov 2010 | updated - 25 Nov 2010 | PublicThe hopelessness of confinement, coupled with the constant tensions that surround escape, entertains many movie fans. Whether it is from a war camp, prison, dungeon, kidnapper, a gang, cult, or other relentless tormentor, the suspense is intensified by the desire for freedom that resonates in us all. Viewers are fully committed to the protagonist(s), as they visually and emotionally share the confinement experience. Participation is enhanced as moviegoers internalize or discuss what they would or wouldn’t do in this or that situation. Since personal freedom is at the foundation of every human’s will, it is easy to understand how the escape story has become one of the most successful and powerful plot lines to “capture” audiences.
- Instant Watch Options
- Genres
- Movies or TV
- IMDb Rating
- In Theaters
- Release Year
- Keywords
1. The Great Escape (1963)
Approved | 172 min | Adventure, Drama, Thriller
Allied prisoners of war plan for several hundred of their number to escape from a German camp during World War II.
Director: John Sturges | Stars: Steve McQueen, James Garner, Richard Attenborough, Charles Bronson
Votes: 259,039 | Gross: $12.10M
The Commander in Chief of all escape films!
2. Stalag 17 (1953)
Not Rated | 120 min | Comedy, Drama, War
After two Americans are killed while escaping from a German P.O.W. camp in World War II, the barracks black marketeer, J.J. Sefton, is suspected of being an informer.
Director: Billy Wilder | Stars: William Holden, Don Taylor, Otto Preminger, Robert Strauss
Votes: 58,827
Excellent mystery to solve in this war camp experience.
3. Escape from Alcatraz (1979)
PG | 112 min | Action, Biography, Crime
Alcatraz is the most secure prison of its time. It is believed that no one can ever escape from it, until three daring men make a possibly successful attempt at escaping from one of the most infamous prisons in the world.
Director: Don Siegel | Stars: Clint Eastwood, Patrick McGoohan, Roberts Blossom, Jack Thibeau
Votes: 147,513 | Gross: $43.00M
Dark, cold, and edgy!
4. No Escape (1994)
R | 118 min | Action, Drama, Sci-Fi
A soldier convicted for murdering his commanding officer is dumped and left to die on a prison island inhabited by two camps of convicts.
Director: Martin Campbell | Stars: Ray Liotta, Lance Henriksen, Stuart Wilson, Kevin Dillon
Votes: 22,716 | Gross: $15.34M
Fully entertaining!
5. The Island (2005)
PG-13 | 136 min | Action, Sci-Fi, Thriller
A man living in a futuristic sterile colony begins to question his circumscribed existence when his friend is chosen to go to the Island, the last uncontaminated place on earth.
Director: Michael Bay | Stars: Scarlett Johansson, Ewan McGregor, Djimon Hounsou, Steve Buscemi
Votes: 327,751 | Gross: $35.82M
A very creative rush!
6. The Secret War of Harry Frigg (1968)
Unrated | 110 min | Comedy, War
In 1943, a group of captured Allied military can't agree on an escape plan, The allies headquarters develop a plan and send in a man who they hope is captured, to coordinate the captives' escape.
Director: Jack Smight | Stars: Paul Newman, Sylva Koscina, Andrew Duggan, Tom Bosley
Votes: 1,785 | Gross: $7.70M
Fun, funny, and feel good. A lighthearted approach to the seriousness of confinement...until a joker is played.
7. Chicken Run (2000)
G | 84 min | Animation, Adventure, Comedy
When a cockerel apparently flies into a chicken farm, the chickens see him as an opportunity to escape their evil owners.
Directors: Peter Lord, Nick Park | Stars: Mel Gibson, Julia Sawalha, Phil Daniels, Lynn Ferguson
Votes: 212,342 | Gross: $106.83M
Great entertainment!
8. Victory (1981)
PG | 116 min | Drama, Sport, War
As allied P.O.W.s prepare for a soccer game against the German National Team to be played in Nazi-occupied Paris, the French Resistance and British officers are making plans for the team's escape.
Director: John Huston | Stars: Michael Caine, Sylvester Stallone, Pelé, Bobby Moore
Votes: 33,281 | Gross: $10.85M
An escape no one saw coming.
9. Rescue Dawn (2006)
PG-13 | 125 min | Adventure, Biography, War
A U.S. fighter pilot's epic struggle of survival after being shot down on a mission over Laos during the Vietnam War.
Director: Werner Herzog | Stars: Christian Bale, Steve Zahn, Jeremy Davies, Zach Grenier
Votes: 110,836 | Gross: $5.49M
You wouldn't want to be there!
10. Escape from New York (1981)
R | 99 min | Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi
In 1997, when the U.S. president crashes into Manhattan, now a giant maximum security prison, a convicted bank robber is sent in to rescue him.
Director: John Carpenter | Stars: Kurt Russell, Lee Van Cleef, Ernest Borgnine, Donald Pleasence
Votes: 157,614 | Gross: $25.24M
Great concept delivered through 80s' edginess.
11. The Running Man (1987)
R | 101 min | Action, Sci-Fi, Thriller
In a dystopian America, a falsely convicted policeman gets his shot at freedom when he must forcibly participate in a TV game show where convicts, runners, must battle killers for their freedom.
Director: Paul Michael Glaser | Stars: Arnold Schwarzenegger, Maria Conchita Alonso, Yaphet Kotto, Jim Brown
Votes: 167,829 | Gross: $38.12M
A great ride!
12. Misery (1990)
R | 107 min | Drama, Thriller
After a famous author is rescued from a car crash by a fan of his novels, he comes to realize that the care he is receiving is only the beginning of a nightmare of captivity and abuse.
Director: Rob Reiner | Stars: James Caan, Kathy Bates, Richard Farnsworth, Frances Sternhagen
Votes: 235,754 | Gross: $61.28M
The title says it all.
13. To End All Wars (2001)
R | 117 min | Action, Drama, War
During World War II, four Allied POWs endure harsh treatment from their Japanese captors while being forced to build a railroad through the Burmese jungle.
Director: David L. Cunningham | Stars: Robert Carlyle, Kiefer Sutherland, Ciarán McMenamin, Mark Strong
Votes: 11,650
From patriotism to humanism, a powerful story of character in confinement.
14. The Count of Monte Cristo (2002)
PG-13 | 131 min | Action, Adventure, Drama
A young man, falsely imprisoned by his jealous "friend", escapes and uses a hidden treasure to exact his revenge.
Director: Kevin Reynolds | Stars: Jim Caviezel, Guy Pearce, Christopher Adamson, JB Blanc
Votes: 148,539 | Gross: $54.23M
Rich with intensity!
15. Fire with Fire (1986)
PG-13 | 103 min | Drama, Romance
A young woman from a Catholic school and a young man from a nearby prison camp fall in love and must run away together to escape the law, the church and their parents.
Director: Duncan Gibbins | Stars: Craig Sheffer, Virginia Madsen, Jon Polito, J.J. Cohen
Votes: 1,897 | Gross: $4.64M
A lost gem!
16. Cool Hand Luke (1967)
GP | 127 min | Crime, Drama
A laid-back Southern man is sentenced to two years in a rural prison, but refuses to conform.
Director: Stuart Rosenberg | Stars: Paul Newman, George Kennedy, Strother Martin, J.D. Cannon
Votes: 188,621 | Gross: $16.22M
It's in the name.
17. Night Crossing (1982)
PG | 107 min | Drama, Family, History
True tale about two men planning to escape from communist East Germany in a hot air balloon, but only if they can take their families with them.
Director: Delbert Mann | Stars: John Hurt, Jane Alexander, Doug McKeon, Keith McKeon
Votes: 1,587 | Gross: $8.00M
Arguably the greatest escape from East Berlin.
18. Hart's War (2002)
R | 125 min | Drama, War
A law student becomes a lieutenant during World War II, is captured and asked to defend a black prisoner of war falsely accused of murder.
Director: Gregory Hoblit | Stars: Bruce Willis, Colin Farrell, Terrence Howard, Cole Hauser
Votes: 55,347 | Gross: $19.08M
Another tense war camp thrill-ride.
19. The Escapist (2008)
Not Rated | 102 min | Crime, Drama, Thriller
Frank is 14 years into a life sentence when he decides to break out of the London prison to set things right with his ill junkie daughter. He plans an ingenious escape requiring 4 inmates with different skills.
Director: Rupert Wyatt | Stars: Brian Cox, Damian Lewis, Joseph Fiennes, Seu Jorge
Votes: 17,406 | Gross: $0.01M
Wonderful Brit film. Non-linear storytelling suspends the viewer till the end.
20. The Poseidon Adventure (1972)
PG | 117 min | Action, Adventure, Drama
A group of passengers must embark on a harrowing struggle for survival after a rogue wave capsizes their cruise ship at sea.
Director: Ronald Neame | Stars: Gene Hackman, Ernest Borgnine, Shelley Winters, Red Buttons
Votes: 49,259 | Gross: $84.56M
Man against a trap-ridden maze.
Tell Your Friends