# Favorite prison movie **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [November 23, 2003, 6:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-prison-movie/214872 "2003-11-23T18:55:21Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Hydrocortisone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e19b73/32.png) [@Hydrocortisone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hydrocortisone)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2003, 4:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-prison-movie/214872/21 "2003-11-24T04:46:53Z")
Cool Hand Luke Bridge on the River Kwai Schindler’s List (does this count?) Shawshank Redemption ---
**Author:** ![Dizzy\_Fingers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/aeb1de/32.png) [@Dizzy\_Fingers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dizzy_Fingers)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2003, 4:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-prison-movie/214872/22 "2003-11-24T04:57:59Z")
_Take the Money and Run_ ---
**Author:** ![danceswithcats](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/9e8a1a/32.png) [@danceswithcats](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/danceswithcats)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2003, 5:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-prison-movie/214872/23 "2003-11-24T05:25:28Z")
After some of those mentioned above, I’d go for _Birdman of Alcatraz_, and one of Sean Penn’s best, _Dead Man Walking_ ---
**Author:** ![greenphan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c37758/32.png) [@greenphan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/greenphan)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2003, 5:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-prison-movie/214872/24 "2003-11-24T05:51:31Z")
The aforementioned “Animal Factory” was directed by Steve Buschemi and written by Eddie Bunker (Mr. Blue in “Reservoir Dogs”) about his days in prison. It’s a pretty good movie, although inconsistent. I gotta go with “The Great Escape” on this one. The other day, I started whistling and it lasted for an hour before I realized I was whistling “The Great Escape” theme. That’s how great the movie is. Hehehe. –greenphan ---
**Author:** ![sirtonyh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ad7895/32.png) [@sirtonyh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sirtonyh)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2003, 6:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-prison-movie/214872/25 "2003-11-24T06:01:21Z")
I’m going to have to go with Papillon. Not just a great prison movie, a great movie period. Honorable mentions to The Shawshank Redemption, The Green Mile and Cool Hand Luke too. ---
**Author:** ![Second\_Guest](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/87869e/32.png) [@Second\_Guest](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Second_Guest)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2003, 6:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-prison-movie/214872/26 "2003-11-24T06:30:08Z")
I’ve liked a couple of the ones that have already been mentioned (_The Green Mile_, _The Shawshank Redemption_), but several obscure films also come to mind: _Greenfingers_ - An inmate with a green thumb enters a national gardening competition. (Based on a true story.) _Lucky Break_ - Inmates concoct a scheme to escape by staging a musical. _Stranger Inside_ - A mother/daughter reunion in prison. ---
**Author:** ![MrSarcasticus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b487fb/32.png) [@MrSarcasticus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrSarcasticus)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2003, 6:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-prison-movie/214872/27 "2003-11-24T06:49:19Z")
Check out SHORT EYES. IMDB’s tagline: “A child molestor sent to prison finds that criminals exact harsher justice than society.” [http://us.imdb.com/title/tt0076706/combined](http://us.imdb.com/title/tt0076706/combined) In a word: Potent. ---
**Author:** ![alaricthegoth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/4bbf92/32.png) [@alaricthegoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alaricthegoth)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2003, 6:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-prison-movie/214872/28 "2003-11-24T06:51:35Z")
The Linda Blair flick Chained Heat was always a favorite of mine. let me plug “reform school girls”, for so many things but chiefely Wendy O Williams (late and lamented) and a truly archetypical bull dagger matron. ---
**Author:** ![EllisDee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ellisdee/32/4531_2.png) [@EllisDee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EllisDee)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2003, 8:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-prison-movie/214872/29 "2003-11-24T08:48:17Z")
Stir Crazy ---
**Author:** ![Horseflesh](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/horseflesh/32/7502_2.png) [@Horseflesh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horseflesh)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2003, 9:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-prison-movie/214872/30 "2003-11-24T09:01:54Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Zebra \* > \*\*Empire is my favortie movie of all time, all the others tie for second. \*\* It’s one of my favorites too (and one of only 2 movies to bring a tear to my eye), but unfortunately didn’t qualify as a sizeable portion of the movie didn’t take place in a prison. Your other picks are good as well. It looks like the top contenders so far are _Cool Hand Luke_, _Shawshank Redemption_, and _The Green Mile_. Good call there, **danceswithcats** – I also think that Sean Penn’s best work was _Dead Man Walking_. His performance just before his execution kinda shook me up. Looking over some of the posts I see I need to go rent some movies. ---
**Author:** ![green\_bladder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/73ab20/32.png) [@green\_bladder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/green_bladder)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2003, 12:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-prison-movie/214872/31 "2003-11-24T12:51:23Z")
Surprise, surprise… _The Shawhank Redemption_ along with _The Green Mile_ and _American History X_. Oh, and throw in _the Hurricane_. ---
**Author:** ![Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spectre_of_pithecanthropus/32/12343_2.png) [@Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spectre_of_Pithecanthropus)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2003, 1:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-prison-movie/214872/32 "2003-11-24T13:28:46Z")
How can nobody have mentioned [I Am A Fugitive From A Chain Gang](http://www.allmovie.com/cg/x.dll)? As the [allmovie.com](http://allmovie.com) critic writes, it makes _Cool Hand Luke_ look like a picnic in the country. ---
**Author:** ![photopat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/e95f7d/32.png) [@photopat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/photopat)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2003, 7:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-prison-movie/214872/33 "2003-11-25T19:19:21Z")
Oh, it was definitely the first prison movie I ever saw, **Peter Pan**. I remember it well…I was doing 3 to 5 in Folsom for passing bad Czechs and after the movie Fat Andy and I went for a stroll behind the grease pit… sigh. What? ---
**Author:** ![Daizy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/46a35a/32.png) [@Daizy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Daizy)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2003, 7:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-prison-movie/214872/34 "2003-11-25T19:32:10Z")
My vote would be **Murder In The First** with Christian Slater and Kevin Bacon ---
**Author:** ![lieu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c2a13f/32.png) [@lieu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lieu)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2003, 7:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-prison-movie/214872/35 "2003-11-25T19:35:35Z")
I did enjoy the scene in bad Boys where Penn loaded the pillowcase with coke cans and took care of business. Other than that it would have to be Shawshank, Cool Hand Luke, The Great Escape and Papillon. Maybe Alcatrez as a distant fifth. ---
**Author:** ![HumanStromboli](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/958977/32.png) [@HumanStromboli](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HumanStromboli)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2003, 10:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-prison-movie/214872/36 "2003-11-25T22:02:12Z")
No one’s mentioned _Tango & Cash_ yet? Come on. 😛 I’d go with _The Great Escape_, although for some reason the last shot of _The Shawshank Redemption_ kinda gets to me. ---
**Author:** ![Stover9](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c68b51/32.png) [@Stover9](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stover9)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2003, 10:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-prison-movie/214872/37 "2003-11-25T22:08:49Z")
Shawshank is one of the best movies ever, regardless of its prison setting. Longest Yard also gets a vote for me. ---
**Author:** ![Earl\_of\_Sandwhich](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/91b2a8/32.png) [@Earl\_of\_Sandwhich](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earl_of_Sandwhich)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2003, 10:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-prison-movie/214872/38 "2003-11-25T22:35:51Z")
_The Defiant Ones_ _The Executioner’s Song_ ---
**Author:** ![Rainbowthief](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/4bbf92/32.png) [@Rainbowthief](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rainbowthief)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2003, 11:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-prison-movie/214872/39 "2003-11-25T23:08:34Z")
_Prison Heat_, starring the amazing Lori Jo Hendrix. Her body alone is reason for a sequel. ---
**Author:** ![Balduran](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/cc9497/32.png) [@Balduran](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Balduran)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2003, 1:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-prison-movie/214872/40 "2003-11-26T01:14:53Z")
I’ll second **Birdman of Alcatraz**. In fact, I originally didn’t see **Shawshank Redemption** because I thought it was going to be a cheap rip-off of it. I was wrong, they are both great movies. I also liked **American Me** [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-prison-movie/214872.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-prison-movie/214872.md?page=3)