The best prison movies of all time
The top 3 according to 770 votes from people: The Shawshank Redemption (1994) · A Man Escaped (1956) · Cool Hand Luke (1967). (Updated Jul 8, 2025.)
From The Shawshank Redemption to A Man Escaped: the prison films critics and fans rank highest (Looper, SlashFilm, Collider).
Top 12
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1
The Shawshank Redemption (1994)
Hope behind bars; for years the top-rated film on IMDb.
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2
A Man Escaped (1956)
Robert Bresson's meticulous escape from a Nazi prison.
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3
Cool Hand Luke (1967)
Paul Newman as the ultimate anti-hero on a chain gang.
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4
Le Trou (1960)
Jacques Becker's escape film, tense to the last minute.
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5
Grand Illusion (1937)
Jean Renoir's anti-war film set in a POW camp.
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6
Escape from Alcatraz (1979)
Clint Eastwood and the escape that may have worked.
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7
The Great Escape (1963)
Allied prisoners plan a mass breakout; Steve McQueen's motorbike.
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8
Papillon (1973)
Steve McQueen and Dustin Hoffman on Devil's Island.
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9
A Prophet (2009)
Jacques Audiard's rise of a young inmate in a French prison.
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10
Midnight Express (1978)
An American jailed in Turkey, written by Oliver Stone.
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11
The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957)
A prison camp film that won Best Picture.
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12
The Green Mile (1999)
Tom Hanks on death row with a man who heals.
How is this ranking ordered? By people's votes: each ▲ adds a point and each ▼ takes one away. Anyone can vote and add what is missing.
Is something missing?
Comments (4)
A Prophet is the best prison movie of this century, no contest.
A Man Escaped is the most tense film ever made with almost nothing happening.
Le Trou deserves to be way higher, that ending.
Shawshank at #1, never gets old.