best prison movie

[brad laidman]

it's cool hand luke by a longshot

btw any of you who have seen falcon and the snowman

the guy who was played by timothy hutten was in jail

they showed him escape from alcatraz - - he imitated the movie and was loose for two years

i find that to be a riot

[Phil Hall]

James Cagney in "White Heat." The scene were he starts a prison mess hall riot after learning his mother died is a masterwork.

[Ricky Retardo]

Does King Rat count or would that be a POW genre?

Ricky-Oh gets big props as does Caged Heat

...and Born Innocent was heavily impressive at a young age for having that broomstick/shower scene on a prime-time made-for-TV movie.

[Reverend Ned]

If POW films are included, then I'm putting in my votes for Bridge on the River Kwai and Papillon. And since I'm mentioning classics, I highly recommend I Am a Fugitive from a Chain Gang.

I still like The Shawshank Redemption. The Green Mile, not quite as much.

I'm also throwing in the Sean Penn film Bad Boys, the Pryor/Wilder comedy Stir Crazy, and the Wendy O. Williams classic Reform School Girls. Oh, and let's not forget the Penitentiary trilogy.

[GiGi]

Ditto on Papillon,what agreat movie. And my mouth felt painful and dirty the whole time I watch it, looking at Dustin Hoffman's and Steve Mcqueen's teeth.

Shawshank Redemption is pretty awesome. And my fave has to be "The Green Mile". WHat a great story.

[Mr B Natural]

And since I'm mentioning classics, I highly recommend I Am a Fugitive from a Chain Gang.


Glad to see this film pop up on this post. Awesome movie.

Another good one to mention is Chopper...the first part takes place in prison, anyway.

Hmm, I'm having a hard time picking my favorite prison movie...I'm leaning toward Riki-oh, for its numerous violent suprises.

[El Duderino Diablo]

Hands down as one of the top five (three?) coolest prison flicks ever has to be Meiko Kaji's Female Prisoner #701: Scorpion.

[GiGi]

"Chopper" certainly has to be the most violent of prison movies I have seen. Chopper Read has written a couple books, he is certainly an interesting character. He is not someone I'd want to make enemies with.

[Mr B Natural]

"Chopper" certainly has to be the most violent of prison movies I have seen. Chopper Read has written a couple books, he is certainly an interesting character. He is not someone I'd want to make enemies with.

Yeah, he became a pop icon in Australia for his honesty about his brutal past (and present, to a degree).

I haven't read his books, although I'd like to. I've seen a great deal of interviews with him, though, and Eric Bana plays him to a T in the film. What's also intersting is that before he played Chopper, Eric Bana was best known in Australia as a comic actor.