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: 579,671
2. 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: 320,265
3. 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: 1,408,124 | Gross: $136.80M
4. Oz (1997–2003)
TV-MA | 55 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: 106,724
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: 98,646
6. 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: 102,806 | Gross: $0.08M
7. 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: 88,272 | Gross: $35.00M
8. 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: 5,064
9. 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: 28,183
10. 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: 54,801 | Gross: $63.84M
11. 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: 2,237
12. 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: 83,577 | Gross: $0.04M
13. 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: 21,946 | Gross: $0.21M
14. 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: 2,591
15. 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: 57,186
16. 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: 34,411 | Gross: $12.76M
17. 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: 30,479 | Gross: $6.74M
18. 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: 29,198 | Gross: $8.32M
19. 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: 7,355
20. 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: 21,371 | Gross: $0.10M
21. 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: 4,715
22. 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: 7,867
23. 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: 3,509
24. 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: 13,233
25. 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: 30,769
26. 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: 853
27. 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: 11,550
28. The Quare Fellow (1962)
Not Rated | 85 min | Crime, Drama
In Ireland, a newly hired prison guard has to deal with the realities of prison work and to face the grim issue of death-row executions.
Director: Arthur Dreifuss | Stars: Patrick McGoohan, Sylvia Syms, Walter Macken, Dermot Kelly
Votes: 405
29. 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: 11,521
30. 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: 4,768 | Gross: $0.35M
31. 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: 9,371
32. 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: 2,064
33. 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: 2,029
34. 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: 11,011 | Gross: $0.65M
35. 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: 3,286
36. 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: 1,564
37. 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: 1,788
38. 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: 12,237
39. 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: 1,776
40. 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: 1,959
41. 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: 2,161
42. 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: 3,081
43. 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: 4,754
44. 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: 2,068 | Gross: $6.97M
45. 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: 2,150
46. Secret Agents (2004)
109 min | Crime, Action, Thriller
Moles threaten to foil a team of secret agents' plan.
Director: Frédéric Schoendoerffer | Stars: Vincent Cassel, Monica Bellucci, André Dussollier, Charles Berling
Votes: 4,812
47. Alcatraz: The Whole Shocking Story (1980 TV Movie)
196 min | Action, Crime, Drama
Fact based story of the lives and attempted 1946 escape of several inmates in the famous correctional facility. Young inmate Clarence Carnes masterminds a grand escape involving several ... See full summary »
Director: Paul Krasny | Stars: Michael Beck, Art Carney, Alex Karras, Telly Savalas
Votes: 337
48. Caged Men (1971)
R | 97 min | Crime, Drama
Elliot is a loser who robbed a bank and landed in jail after being setup by his girlfriend. As the new guy, Elliot is considered fresh meat and encounters inmates trying to make him their own at every turn.
Director: Ed Forsyth | Stars: Ross Stephenson, Maureen McGill, Jeremy Hart, Edward Blessington
Votes: 92
49. Kill Kill Faster Faster (2008)
97 min | Thriller
Recently paroled after serving a long stretch for his wife's murder, Joey One-Way aligns himself with a producer who has optioned the play he wrote in prison. As he sets about adapting his ... See full summary »
Director: Gareth Maxwell Roberts | Stars: Gil Bellows, Lisa Ray, Esai Morales, Shaun Parkes
Votes: 711
50. 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