The Top Prison Movies Of All Time Filmed In Actual Prisons
The first thing that comes to mind when you think of prison movies is a bunch of people in orange jumpsuits and handcuffs. This might be the truth, but there is more as revealed by many films that have been shot inside prisons worldwide. Prison movies are a favorite of many people in the United States and across the world. What could be more entertaining than watching a movie set in prison?
There are many different reasons people love these films, but one major factor is that they provide insight into prison life, how inmates and correctional officers operate. Below is a discussion of 10 of the most popular movies filmed in actual prisons throughout the world. This list includes some classics from decades ago as well as some more recent releases.
The Green Mile (1999)
The Green Mile is a 1999 prison movie based on the Stephen King novel of the same name. It features Tom Hanks and takes place at the Tennessee State Penitentiary. Moreover, its storyline follows Paul Edgecomb, a death row inmate officer, in 1935 at Louisiana State Penitentiary. In his long career, he has seen many inmates walk up to “Old Sparky.” However, John Coffey is something different. Coffer was convicted for raping and murdering two little girls.
Despite all this, it seems like he was innocent. Additionally, he has astounding mental powers and can heal people by passing his hand over their injuries. He also appears to have genuine goodness inside him that none of the other prisoners seems to possess.
The Shawshank Redemption (1994)
The Shawshank Redemption (1994) is a prison movie about human behavior. Frank Darabont directed the film, which starred Tim Robbins, Morgan Freeman, and Bob Gunton. It tells the story of Andy Dufresne, who is sentenced to a life sentence for murders he didn’t commit. However, he manages to escape and starts a new life outside the prison walls with his girlfriend, Linda, after spending 19 years in jail.
Later, they are caught and sent back to prison after four years on the run from authorities. They then spend another 15 years before Andy finally gets out again. This time, he gets his release after revelations that Warden Norton instructed guards Redding and Hadley to frame him for murder so he would never have any hope of parole.
Papillon (1973)
Papillon is a nickname for Henri Charrière (Steve McQueen). He is dubbed as such due to the butterfly tattoo on his chest area. Papillon was wrongfully accused of murdering a pimp in 1993 and condemned to life imprisonment in the French Guiana jail system.
He encounters Louis Dega (Dustin Hoffman) on his transfer to the prison. He is a fellow inmate who is a notorious forger and embezzler who is confident that his wife will get him out of prison. Papillon also has escape plans from prison. As a result, he befriends Dega and promises to protect him only if he funds his escape from the Devil’s Island prison.
Papillon manages to escape several times, but the authorities keep on rearresting him. At one point, he even stays in solitary confinement for five years. Eventually, Papillon was able to flee and spent the rest of his life as a free man. However, the prison facility did not survive.
Bronson (2008)
It was directed by Nicolas Winding Refn and is based on a story written by Refn and Brock Norman Brock. It is a biographical crime film on the life of Charles Bronson.
The film stars Tom Hardy in the role of Charles Bronson. British media often regard him as Britain’s most dangerous criminal, and the film follows his life. It does so by depicting his experiences in jail, including his involvement in a dozen or more hostage-taking incidents. Peterson got the name Charles Bronson from his fight promoter due to his years of bare-knuckle boxing.
The beginning scenes involve scenarios where Peterson (Bronson’s legal name) recounts his delinquent early life memories. He does the narrating with self-deprecating humor. Moreover, Bronson addresses the camera while clad in jail attire on his first screen appearance. Later, he tells his story in a vaudeville-style theatre in front of an audience. The plot of the film emerges as a surreal tale of interconnected vignettes, interspersed by vaudeville interludes.
Escape from Alcatraz (1979)
This movie narrates the story of how three men, Frank Morris and brothers John and Clarence Anglin, planned to break out from maximum security prison from Alcatraz Island in 1962. The trio had made no concrete plans for escape. Instead, they figured that they would know what to do when the time was right.
They all pretended to be sick on the night of 11 June 1962, at midnight, while most of the other inmates were asleep or watching a movie downstairs. As a result, they each climbed onto their respective beds and began sawing away with crudely-made tools like flathead screwdrivers.
They broke through the walls of their cells and made their way to the roof. However, John Anglin left behind his cellmate, Frank Morris. The officials later discovered that Morris had used too much force when breaking out. As a result, they thought that he had drowned in a cistern at the foot of one of Alcatraz’s water towers. The other inmates never found out about this; they assumed he had successfully escaped like them.
The 1979 film is acted based on this 1963 event with Don Siegel as the director. Patrick McGoohan, Fred Ward, Jack Thibeau, and Larry Hankin appear in the movie, with Danny Glover making his feature film debut here.
Midnight Express (1978)
Alan Parker directed the 1978 prison drama film Midnight Express, produced by David Puttnam and written by Oliver Stone. It is based on Billy Hayes’ 1977 non-fiction book Midnight Express. It stars Brad Davis, Irene Miracle, Bo Hopkins, Michael Lonsdale, and John Hurt.
It narrates the story of an American college student who takes drugs through Europe. The police later arrest him for drug trafficking and throw him into a Turkish prison, where he experiences degradation and abuse at the hands of his captors. However, it deviates from the book’s recollections of the incident, particularly in its depiction of the Turkish characters. As a result, several people, including Billy Hayes himself, have expressed displeasure with this rendition of the narrative. Later, Stone and Hayes both voiced their dissatisfaction with the Turkish people’s representation in the movie.
This harrowing prison drama won Academy Awards for Best Film Editing and Best Sound along with four more nominations. Moreover, it received Golden Globe Award nominations for best motion picture (drama), director, actor in a supporting role (John Hurt), and screenplay.
Scum (1979)
One of the most memorable and disturbing prison movies of all time is Scum. The film was released in 1979, starred Ray Winstone (the lead actor), and was directed by Alan Clarke. It looks into the life of inmates at a borstal institution for young offenders for six weeks, revealing what “life” might be like behind bars. It was filmed on location at St Annes-on-Sea and Blackgate Prison in Lancashire, England, in August 1978. It drew its cast members from prisons across Greater Manchester.
Scum accurately conveys how oppressive prison can feel to those serving time there and depicts violence among inmates realistically. However, it exaggerates to make its point. For example, inmates attack a prison officer by knocking him to the floor and kicking his head until he dies in one of its scenes. Despite the actual violence in the scene, there was no blood display.
The most disturbing scenes are those between prisoners who discuss their crimes or commit acts of self-harm. It also seems like Clarke shows some sympathy towards certain characters, such as Paul Harris, played by Ray Winston. For instance, there is a scene where Harris throws away food because he does not want it after witnessing an act of violence committed against another.
However, many local authorities banned the film as they thought it might spark riots among prisoners and prevent further prison reform. People also believe that Scum influenced a new wave of British cinema, whose focus was more on gritty realism rather than escapism.
Brubaker (1980)
This is a 1980 American prison drama film directed by Stuart Rosenberg and is set in a maximum-security prison. Robert Redford plays Henry Brubaker, a recently appointed prison warden who cleans up a corrupt and brutal criminal justice system. It is a fictionalized version of the 1969 book Accomplices to the Crime: The Arkansas Prison Scandal. Tom Murton and Joe Hyams wrote the book and details Murton’s investigation into the 1967 prison scandal.
Prison reform is a priority for Brubaker. However, he is at odds with corrupt officials on the state prison board who have benefitted from corruption. He strives to restructure the institution with an eye on prisoner rehabilitation and human rights.
Several long-term inmates, including Larry Lee Bullen and Richard “Dickie” Coombes and former warden’s clerk Purcell, join him in the reform efforts. On the other hand, Lillian Gray works with the governor to persuade Brubaker to modernize the jail in a manner that would benefit the governor’s public image. This was part of the governor’s office’s public relations strategy.
The Longest Yard (1974)
The Longest Yard went into production in 1974, with its filming taking over six weeks at Georgia State Prison in Reidsville. The cast and crew could free rein inside the facility with only two rules: no violence and no women. It features cameo appearances by football players and other celebrities such as Bubba Smith, Ray Nitschke, Paul Hornung, Roger Brown, Pat Donovan, and Jim Grabowski.
Paul “Wrecking” Crewe is a former pro-football quarterback who ends up in jail after conviction for manslaughter. This happened following a vehicular accident that killed his best friend. He puts together a team of inmates to take on the sadistic correctional officers at a football game. However, things get complicated when the warden (James Cromwell) offers to let Crewe go if he can win.
The Longest Yard was a major success at the box office. It grossed $47 million in the USA alone (on an estimated budget of around $500 000), making it one of 1974’s top 20 highest-grossing films. Additionally, the movie has since spawned three remakes: “New Longest yard” (2005), starring Adam Sandler; “Prisoners of war” (2011), and “Guardians of the Tomb” (2018).
The Rock: The 1996 Prison Movie
This is a prison movie starring Sean Connery, Ed Harris, Nicolas Cage and Michael Biehn. It’s about an FBI agent who infiltrates Alcatraz to break into the home of a dangerous criminal but finds himself taken prisoner by his associates.
The film begins with John Mason (Sean Connery) on vacation in Mexico with his family. His boss, James Prescott (Ed Harris), then calls him back to work. They are trying to find out what happened to $100 million worth of heroin that disappeared from evidence storage three years earlier.
Afterward, they decide they need someone inside Alcatraz Prison to get more information on where the drugs went. As a result, they choose to use Mason as the inside man because he is a British national and therefore cannot be extradited. Furthermore, Prescott says that there are no agents who have any experience in prison or underworld life that would give them half a chance of succeeding.
Mason agrees to attempt the break-in, but only if he receives full immunity for whatever happens. He also demands $100,000 upfront and the release of his associate Ronnie (Nicolas Cage) from prison to work together on the job.
The Big House (1930)
The Big House is a 1930 prison movie starring Wallace Beery, Lewis Stone, Louise Dresser and Jean Hersholt. Mervyn LeRoy directed the film, and Robert Lord adapted it for the screen. It is one of the four films about life in Sing Sing Prison. The others were “Scarface” 1932; “I Am a Fugitive from a Chain Gang” 1932; and “White Heat” 1949.
It goes ahead to tell how two convicts with opposite views on crime try to escape together. The Big House portrays life in both the convict population and prison staff with equal realism, balancing humor with an unsparing view of brutality.
