::PRISON ESCAPE THRILLERS::
THE GIST OF THE LIST: Prison escapes are often like a reverse "heist thriller" - just how does a criminal break OUT (instead of IN) of a heavily fortified location? A wonderful variation on the "impossible crime" motif that works both as a cracker-jack suspenser and a cerebral puzzler.
This list is focused on films where the escape is one of the primary elements of the film - that is, a plan is formulated and we see it being executed.
[LISTED IN CHRONOLOGICAL ORDER]
OTHER LISTS:
CAMMANDO (MEN-ON-A-MISSION) THRILLERS
CON THRILLERS
COURTROOM THRILLERS
CULT EUROPEAN SUPERHERO MOVIES
DARK COMEDIES WITH PESKY CORPSES, BOTCHED KIDNAPPINGS, MURDEROUS BLUNDERS & ACCIDENTAL DEATHS
DEALS WITH THE DEVIL
DINNER PARTIES FROM HELL
DON'T PERFORM THE AUTOPSY! I'M NOT DEAD!
GOTHIC HORROR
HEIST THRILLERS
HEROIC BLOODSHED + BULLET BALLET + GUN-FU
HOLLYWOOD GIALLO (+ ITS OTHERS)
INNOCENT FUGITIVE ON-THE-RUN THRILLERS
ITALIAN GIALLO (+ ITS OTHERS)
LOCKED ROOM MYSTERIES + IMPOSSIBLE CRIMES
LO-FI SCI-FI
ONE ROOM THRILLERS
PARALLEL UNIVERSES, ALTERNATE REALITIES, FEVERISH DREAMS
POLICE PROCEDURALS
PRISON ESCAPE THRILLERS
RURAL-COUNTRY THRILLERS
THEOLOGICAL FILMS
THRILLING SHORT FILMS
THRILLING TV EPISODES
THRILLING TV MOVIES
UNKNOWN + UNAVAILABLE THRILLERS
VANISHED PERSON THRILLERS
This list is focused on films where the escape is one of the primary elements of the film - that is, a plan is formulated and we see it being executed.
[LISTED IN CHRONOLOGICAL ORDER]
OTHER LISTS:
CAMMANDO (MEN-ON-A-MISSION) THRILLERS
CON THRILLERS
COURTROOM THRILLERS
CULT EUROPEAN SUPERHERO MOVIES
DARK COMEDIES WITH PESKY CORPSES, BOTCHED KIDNAPPINGS, MURDEROUS BLUNDERS & ACCIDENTAL DEATHS
DEALS WITH THE DEVIL
DINNER PARTIES FROM HELL
DON'T PERFORM THE AUTOPSY! I'M NOT DEAD!
GOTHIC HORROR
HEIST THRILLERS
HEROIC BLOODSHED + BULLET BALLET + GUN-FU
HOLLYWOOD GIALLO (+ ITS OTHERS)
INNOCENT FUGITIVE ON-THE-RUN THRILLERS
ITALIAN GIALLO (+ ITS OTHERS)
LOCKED ROOM MYSTERIES + IMPOSSIBLE CRIMES
LO-FI SCI-FI
ONE ROOM THRILLERS
PARALLEL UNIVERSES, ALTERNATE REALITIES, FEVERISH DREAMS
POLICE PROCEDURALS
PRISON ESCAPE THRILLERS
RURAL-COUNTRY THRILLERS
THEOLOGICAL FILMS
THRILLING SHORT FILMS
THRILLING TV EPISODES
THRILLING TV MOVIES
UNKNOWN + UNAVAILABLE THRILLERS
VANISHED PERSON THRILLERS
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63 titles
- DirectorJean RenoirStarsJean GabinDita ParloPierre FresnayDuring WWI, two French soldiers are captured and imprisoned in a German P.O.W. camp. Several escape attempts follow until they are eventually sent to a seemingly inescapable fortress.
- DirectorRaoul WalshStarsErrol FlynnRonald ReaganNancy ColemanWhen the crew of a downed British bomber escape from their Nazi captors with Top Secret intelligence, they make a desperate journey to get out of Germany alive.
- DirectorTay GarnettStarsJean-Pierre AumontGene KellyCedric HardwickeA group of French soldiers during WWII are captured by German troops and sent to a POW camp. There they have to make use of his best resources to stay alive - and sane, while at the same time scheming a way out.
- DirectorJules DassinStarsBurt LancasterHume CronynCharles BickfordAt a tough penitentiary, prisoner Joe Collins plans to rebel against Captain Munsey, the power-mad chief guard.
- DirectorRaoul WalshStarsJames CagneyVirginia MayoEdmond O'BrienA psychopathic criminal with a mother complex makes a daring break from prison and leads his old gang in a chemical plant payroll heist.
- DirectorJack LeeIan DalrympleStarsLeo GennDavid TomlinsonAnthony SteelTrue story of three British POWs and their attempt to escape from Nazi Germany.
- DirectorLewis GilbertStarsAnthony SteelJack WarnerRobert BeattyIn 1944, at a POW camp in Germany the Allied prisoners use a dummy prop named Albert to fool the German guards and escape.
- DirectorBilly WilderStarsWilliam HoldenDon TaylorOtto PremingerAfter two Americans are killed while escaping from a German P.O.W. camp in World War II, the barracks black marketeer, J.J. Sefton, is suspected of being an informer.
- DirectorGuy HamiltonStarsJohn MillsEric PortmanChristopher RhodesAllied prisoners - British, Dutch, French and Polish - pool their resources to plan numerous escapes from the "escape-proof" German P.O.W. camp housed in a Medieval castle known as "Colditz".
- DirectorRobert BressonStarsFrançois LeterrierCharles Le ClaincheMaurice BeerblockA captured French Resistance fighter during World War II engineers a daunting escape from a German prison in France.
- DirectorDavid LeanStarsWilliam HoldenAlec GuinnessJack HawkinsBritish POWs are forced to build a railway bridge across the river Kwai for their Japanese captors in occupied Burma, not knowing that the allied forces are planning a daring commando raid through the jungle to destroy it.
- DirectorRoy Ward BakerStarsHardy KrügerColin GordonMichael GoodliffeA cocky German fighter pilot is shot down over England in 1940 and makes numerous attempts to escape to fight again.
- DirectorDon ChaffeyStarsRichard ToddBernard LeeMichael WildingIn 1943, an Italian-administered P.O.W. camp for captured Allies goes through a series of failed escapes only to culminate in a daring plan for a dramatic mass escape.
- DirectorPeter Graham ScottStarsLee PattersonHazel CourtWilliam LucasA government official arranges prison breaks as a sideline, but the police steps in and his gang is caught.
- DirectorJacques BeckerStarsAndré BervilJean KeraudyMichel ConstantinDistrust and uncertainty arise when four long-term inmates cautiously induct a new prisoner into their elaborate prison-break scheme.
- DirectorRobert DayStarsPeter SellersDavid LodgeBernard CribbinsWhile in prison, Dodger plots the perfect heist: break out, steal diamonds, get back before noticed. With days left on sentence and a solid alibi, he's confident nothing can go wrong.
- DirectorKen AnnakinStarsJames Robertson JusticeLeslie PhillipsStanley BaxterA somewhat happy-go-lucky bunch of Brits in a German POW camp find their new acerbic fellow prisoner is a key officer who must be got out at all cost.
- DirectorLuigi ComenciniStarsNino ManfrediMario AdorfValeria MoriconiAn inept thief wants to escape prison and return to his family, but two of his prison mates also want out.
- DirectorPaul RothaStarsAb AbspoelHenk AdmiraalChris BaayCrime-thriller based on a true story. In 1944 Resistance fighter Bakker is sent to a prison in Leeuwarden by the Gestapo. There he and other Allied resistance fighters are about to be rescued in a giant prison escape by their comrades.
- DirectorAndrew L. StoneStarsDirk BogardeMaria PerschyAlfred LynchBritish N.C.O. Sergeant Major Charles Coward (Sir Dirk Bogarde) escapes from the Stalag VIII-B P.O.W. camp, and is mistakenly awarded with the Iron Cross by the Germans.
- DirectorJohn SturgesStarsSteve McQueenJames GarnerRichard AttenboroughAllied prisoners of war plan for several hundred of their number to escape from a German camp during World War II.
- DirectorMark RobsonStarsFrank SinatraTrevor HowardRaffaella CarràAn American POW leads a group of mainly British prisoners to escape from the Germans in WWII.
- DirectorStuart RosenbergStarsPaul NewmanGeorge KennedyStrother MartinA laid-back Southern man is sentenced to two years in a rural prison, but refuses to conform.
- DirectorJack SmightStarsPaul NewmanSylva KoscinaAndrew DugganIn 1943, a group of captured Allied military can't agree on an escape plan, The allies headquarters develop a plan and send in a man who they hope is captured, to coordinate the captives' escape.
- DirectorMichele LupoStarsGastone MoschinLionel StanderRaimondo VianelloA gang of prison inmates escapes and robs the Royal Mint.
- DirectorLamont JohnsonStarsBrian KeithHelmut GriemIan HendryDuring WW2, German POWs in Britain plot to escape from their prison camp in Scotland.
- DirectorJoseph L. MankiewiczStarsKirk DouglasHenry FondaHume CronynA charming but totally ruthless criminal is sent to a remote Arizona prison. He enlists the help of his cellmates in an escape attempt with the promise of sharing his hidden loot.
- DirectorPhilip LeacockStarsDoug McClureRene AuberjonoisRichard BasehartDuring World War II, American soldier Harry Cook is sent to Norway to aid in the defection of a scientist working on the atomic bomb for the Germans. Before they can escape Europe, they are captured and sent to a POW prison camp in a high alpine castle on the German-Swiss border. Cook must find a way to escape with the scientist before the Gestapo discover the Norwegian's true identity. Cook convinces the other prisoners to build a two person glider that can fly to Switzerland. The race is on to complete the glider before the German guards discover the plane, and the Gestapo catch up with Cook and the scientist.
- DirectorFranklin J. SchaffnerStarsSteve McQueenDustin HoffmanVictor JoryA French convict in the 1930s befriends a fellow criminal as the two of them begin serving their sentence in the South American penal colony on Devil's Island, which inspires the man to plot his escape.
- DirectorTeruo IshiiStarsKen TakakuraNana KinomiBunta SugawaraA group of prisoners attempts to break out of the Abashiri Prison.
- DirectorKôsaku YamashitaStarsShin'ichi ChibaHaruko WanibuchiEitarô OzawaSonny Chiba is a master prison breaker.
- DirectorAlan ParkerStarsBrad DavisIrene MiracleBo HopkinsBilly Hayes, an American college student, is caught smuggling drugs out of Turkey and thrown into prison.
- DirectorDon SiegelStarsClint EastwoodPatrick McGoohanRoberts BlossomAlcatraz is the most secure prison of its time. It is believed that no one can ever escape from it, until three daring men make a possibly successful attempt at escaping from one of the most infamous prisons in the world.
- DirectorTom CleggStarsRoger DaltreyAdam FaithCheryl CampbellJohn McVicar was a notorious London criminal known as "Public Enemy No. 1" for armed bank robberies. He was captured and imprisoned in a high security facility, but continued attempting escapes.
- DirectorSidney PoitierStarsGene WilderRichard PryorGeorg Stanford BrownSet up and wrongfully accused, two best friends are sent to prison for a crime they didn't commit. However, no prison cell can keep them locked in a cage.
- DirectorJohn HustonStarsMichael CaineSylvester StallonePeléAs allied P.O.W.s prepare for a soccer game against the German National Team to be played in Nazi-occupied Paris, the French Resistance and British officers are making plans for the team's escape.
- DirectorAndrey KonchalovskiyStarsJon VoightEric RobertsRebecca De MornayTwo escaped convicts and a female railway worker find themselves trapped on a speeding train with no brakes and nobody driving.
- DirectorJack GoldStarsAlan ArkinJoanna PaculaRutger HauerGerman death camp in Sobibor, Poland, killed two hundred fifty thousand Jews. It had the most successful prisoner escape in World War II on October 14, 1943.
- DirectorFrank DarabontStarsTim RobbinsMorgan FreemanBob GuntonOver the course of several years, two convicts form a friendship, seeking consolation and, eventually, redemption through basic compassion.
- DirectorPeter LordNick ParkStarsMel GibsonJulia SawalhaPhil DanielsWhen a cockerel apparently flies into a chicken farm, the chickens see him as an opportunity to escape their evil owners.
- DirectorHardy MartinsStarsBernhard BettermannIris BöhmAnatoliy KotenyovA German Army officer is captured by the Soviets in World War II and sent to a labor camp in Eastern Siberia. After five years of enormous hardship he escapes, commencing an incredible, arduous, danger-filled journey.
- DirectorPeter CattaneoStarsRon CookFrank HarperJames NesbittUnder the leadership of a small-time bank robber, British inmates hatch a plan to escape by staging a musical.
- DirectorRoland Suso RichterStarsHeino FerchNicolette KrebitzSebastian KochDuring the Cold War, Germany was divided into two states - East and West. This epic story tells about their dramatic connections.
- DirectorGillies MacKinnonStarsPhilip BarantiniAndy SerkisBarry BarnesThe skilled pilot Denis Hopkins lives with his pregnant wife Valerie and has a comfortable lifestyle. When the gang of criminals headed by the sadistic Ricky Barnes breaks in his seaside house, Denis offers whatever the criminals want to protect his beloved wife but the evil Ricky kills Valerie. The baby is saved, and later the murderer is arrested and sent to the maximum security prison of Sullen Voe. Denis, moved by the purpose of avenging the death of Valerie, gives the baby and his house to his sister-in-law Christine. Then Denis breaks into a police car and is arrested, but he does not reveal his true name and is called John "What" by the prisoners and guards. Denis attempts to escape, forcing his transfer to Sullen Voe. When he reaches the prison, Ricky sets up a confrontation, but things do not happen the way Denis expected.
- DirectorSang-Jin KimStarsSol Kyung-guCha Seung-wonSong Yun-ahTwo inmates successfully escape their prison only to find out that they are among those who'll get early release for the Korean National Liberation day. Now they have to get back into the prison in time to avoid further mayhem.
- CreatorPaul T. ScheuringStarsDominic PurcellWentworth MillerAmaury NolascoA 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.
- DirectorIsrael Adrián CaetanoStarsRodrigo de la SernaPablo EcharriNazareno CaseroThe goalkeeper of a little-known soccer team is kidnapped by a Argentinean government squad and sent to a detention center. After months of torture, he plots his escape with three other young men.
- DirectorFred CavayéStarsVincent LindonDiane KrugerLancelot RochWith no legal means left to him, a high school teacher devises a daring plan to rescue his wrongfully imprisoned wife from jail.
- DirectorRupert WyattStarsBrian CoxDamian LewisJoseph FiennesFrank is 14 years into a life sentence when he decides to break out of the London prison to set things right with his ill junkie daughter. He plans an ingenious escape requiring 4 inmates with different skills.
- DirectorPaul HaggisStarsRussell CroweElizabeth BanksLiam NeesonA married couple's life is turned upside down when the wife is accused of a murder.
- DirectorPeter WeirStarsJim SturgessEd HarrisColin FarrellSiberian gulag escapees travel four thousand miles by foot to freedom in India.
- DirectorEric ValetteStarsAlbert DupontelAlice TaglioniStéphane DebacBank-robber Franck Adrien is serving a prison sentence after robbing a national bank. Before he was caught he managed to hide the money but now it's not just the police who are looking for the money. His cell-mate is Jean-Louis Maurel, an alleged rapist/child molester who claims his innocence. When the court finds Maurel not guilty, Maurel promises to look after Franck's family when he gets out. But one day, a man called Manuel Carrega tells Franck that Maurel is a suspected serial killer and that Franck's family is in danger. Franck escapes from prison and police officer Claire Linné and her team take up the chase.
- DirectorAdrian GrunbergStarsMel GibsonKevin BalmoreDaniel Giménez CachoA career criminal nabbed by Mexican authorities is placed in a tough prison where he learns to survive with the help of a young boy.
- DirectorMikael HåfströmStarsSylvester StalloneArnold Schwarzenegger50 CentWhen a structural-security authority finds himself set up and incarcerated in the world's most secret and secure prison, he has to use his skills to escape with help from the inside.
- DirectorMichael NoerStarsCharlie HunnamDamijan OklopdzicChristopher FairbankWrongfully convicted for murder, Henri Charriere forms an unlikely relationship with fellow inmate and quirky convicted counterfeiter, Louis Dega, in an attempt to escape from the notorious penal colony on Devil's Island.
- CreatorBrett JohnsonMichael TolkinStarsBenicio Del ToroPatricia ArquettePaul DanoA female prison employee in upstate New York becomes romantically involved with a pair of inmates and helps them escape.
- DirectorSteven C. MillerStarsSylvester StalloneDave BautistaXiaoming HuangYears after he fought his way out of an inescapable prison, Ray Breslin has organized a new top-notch security force. But when one of his team members goes missing, Breslin must return to the hell he once escaped from.
- DirectorTinu PappachanStarsAntony VargheseVinayakanChemban Vinod JoseJacob, a manager at a big financial firm, finds himself behind bars when he tries to save the woman he loves from being involved in a criminal case. The only way for him to survive and to escape was to break out of prison.
- DirectorFrancis AnnanStarsDaniel RadcliffeDaniel WebberIan HartBased on the real-life prison break of two political captives, Escape From Pretoria is a race-against-time thriller set in the tumultuous apartheid days of South Africa.
- DirectorFrancis SearleStarsPeter ReynoldsAvice LandoneDavid KernanA family of burglars and safecrackers plan a heist at a jewelry store. When one of the family--who is the safecracking expert--gets arrested and jailed, they hatch a plan to break him out so he can take part in the robbery.
- DirectorDavid AlbalaStarsAlberto EllenaAmparo NogueraBenjamín VicuñaThis drama is inspired on a real event in 1990 when 49 political prisoners escaped from a tunnel that took 18 months to dig.
- DirectorTeruo IshiiStarsKen TakakuraKôji NanbaraTetsurô TanbaShinichi is a good guy serving three years and approaching the end of his time. He escapes handcuffed to dangerous Gunda, who instigated the escape. Thus tethered, they start out on a journey across the desolate snow country of Hokkaido.
- DirectorPeter BebjakStarsNoel CzuczorPeter OndrejickaFlorian PanznerA fictionalized tale of the escape by Rudolf Vrba and Alfred Wetzler, based on the novel by Wetzler called 'What Dante did not See.' They hide for 3 days and escape once the search for them is over. They report their experiences.