Lock Up Time: Prison Flicks.

[Smokey]

The guards, the bars, the exercise yard and the smell of human animals packed into cages. Welcome to the worlds of celebrated prison movies!

Not in any particular order:

Bad Boys (1983): Sean Penn at his roughest role as he quickly rises through the ranks in the prison.


South Central (1992): Glenn Plummer put in an amazing performance as a father who his son join a gang while he is prison. Once out he try to save his son from the gang, even if it kill him.


There Was a Crooked Man (1970): Kirk Douglas as a prisoner and Henry Fonda as warden match wit on this western territorial prison. The question here is who is more crooked, the prisoner or warden?


Penitentiary (1979): Leon Isaac Kennedy (Too Sweet) fight his way out of prison with his fist. Very raw.....with pictured guy (Half Dead) as his bunk bed mate!


Bird Man of Alcratraz (1962): A Very dark movie. But thanks to Burt Lnacaster, it does endure.


Dead Man Walking (1996): Sean Penn proves once again that he is one of the best actor in Hollywood.


Stalag 17 (1953): The movie that started Hogan’s Hero fever. Easily one of the best POW movie with mix of drama, suspense, anxiety and a twist of comedy.


The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957): Directed by David Lean. Alec Guinness as British Colonel Nicholson is torn between duty and honor.


Runaway Train (1986): Jon Voight is Manny, a prisoner on the run with the warden hot on the trail. A runaway train is his only way out and there is no turning back.

Honorable mention:

Midnight Express (1978) "I hate! I hate you! I hate your nation! And I hate your people!"

[thekid]

What no Shawshank Redemption????

[Woochifer]

What? Women in prison don't count?

You missed out on classics like Sweet Sugar and The Big Doll House!


The one and only Pam Grier


(Yes, that's Dan Tanna's secretary before she landed on Vega$)

[PeruvianSkies]

A great prison flick list is incomplete without adding the following addition to the list: LE TROU (1960). Yes, this is a French movie and if you can get past that fact it is truly one of the greatest movies of all time, and of course a great prison break film. The film was made by Jacques Becker, who was on a roll when he died at the age of 54 and had he lived longer probably would have gone to make more memorable films and would have become a larger name in cinema. If you want to watch a most unforgettable film that will have you on the edge of your seat from beginning to end than check out LE TROU...





Another film worthy of mention is 1937's THE GRAND ILLUSION, which paved the way for movies like THE GREAT ESCAPE, STALAG 17, and even more recent films like HART'S WAR.

[Jack in Wilmington]

You forgot the one and only "Cool Hand Luke" That was the movie that made me walk the straight and narrow. It made me think twice about ever doing anything that would put me in the pokey.
Con Air was a really good one, even though it was not really "in prison"

[Smokey]

Thanks for the comments.

Sorry Cool Hand Luke and Shawshank Redemption didn’t make it in the list. Both films seem to have authority rejection theme and are good movies in their own rights. But found Shawshank Redemtion too predictable and “too neat”. And Tim Robins not convincing enough. A Lackluster performance for lack of better words.

And recently watched Cool hand Luck and wasn’t too impressed (except with Gorge Kennedy performance). For both films, the elements of prisoner vulrenability just wasn’t there to make them interesting.

Haven’t seen THE GRAND ILLUSION (or LE TROU for that matter), or couple of women’s prison movies Wooch mentioned. Women prison movies seem to be exploitation than drama.

But seen couple of women’s prison flicks that were X rated

[PeruvianSkies]

MURDER IN THE FIRST (1995) with Kevin Bacon, Gary Oldman, and Christian Slater. A powerful performance from all and a good prison movie.

[Smokey]

MURDER IN THE FIRST (1995) with Kevin Bacon, Gary Oldman, and Christian Slater. A powerful performance from all and a good prison movie.

Thanks for movie suggestion. I was not aware of that movie as Bacon and Oldman are my two of favorite actors. I will look for it.

Jack In W. mentioned Con Air, and I totally forgot about that movie when making the list. That was a very smart and entraining movie with fabulous cast, but slightly over the top as most Jerry Bruckheimer action flicks are.

[PeruvianSkies]

Thanks for movie suggestion. I was not aware of that movie as Bacon and Oldman are my two of favorite actors. I will look for it.

Jack In W. mentioned Con Air, and I totally forgot about that movie when making the list. That was a very smart and entraining movie with fabulous cast, but slightly over the top as most Jerry Bruckheimer action flicks are.

Make sure you add LE TROU to your list!