The narrow, claustrophobic confines of a prison cell/compound can initially seem extremely limiting, but a handful of filmmakers have proved that sometimes limitations give rise to masterworks. Here's a list of the best ones
Jacques Becker's film based on true events benefits from the presence of actors who were once prisoners and best suited to convey prison life in the best way possible, with the necessary grit and tension.
Director Don Siegel's collaboration with Clint Eastwood is a masterclass in generating tension in the smallest of places, aided by some of the best technicians and actors in Hollywood.
Watching a Robert Bresson film is akin to doing meditation, with all kinds of feelings going through our minds despite his clinical, detached, and methodical approach. It's as much a tale of spiritual growth as it is about resilience.
Steven McQueen, James Garner, Richard Attenborough, Charles Bronson, Donald Pleasence, James Coburn and a host of colourful, quirky actors populate this immensely rewatchable and immersive prisoner-of-war drama that rightly deserves its classic status.
In this Spanish-language thriller, a man who is not a prisoner is forced by circumstances beyond his control to pretend he is one. Featuring some of the biggest names in Spanish cinema, the film gets increasingly intense as it inches toward its climax.
One of the grittiest films ever made, Brubaker is based on the work of a real-life prison superintendent who goes undercover as an inmate to look into the cruel and shady events and unspeakable crimes happening inside a state penitentiary.
Thriller master John Frankenheimer directs a sturdy, exceptionally poignant character drama inspired by the life of Robert Franklin Stroud, nicknamed 'Birdman of Alcatraz', who became a ornithologist while in prison.
Tom Hardy delivers his greatest performance as an extremely short-tempered but a family-loving real-life criminal with self-destructive tendencies in this film from 'Drive' director Nicolas Winding Refn. This is prison life depicted in its most unvarnished and filthiest form.