10 Underrated Prison Movies That Are Just as Good as ‘The Shawshank Redemption’

“I want my mommy… I don’t belong here!” This quote from The Shawshank Redemption is one of the funniest and most ridiculous things ever said in a movie. It’s also one of the many reasons why we can never forget the Stephen King adaptation. Regarded as one of the greatest prison movies ever made, the Oscar-nominated picture also benefits from strong performances from Tim Robbins and Morgan Freeman and a script that’s full of surprises. The ’90s hit is definitely worth repeating multiple times.

However, if you are looking for something that’s just as good but not well-known to the public, there are a few great options for you. These films capture the best (and worst) of prison, including the suffering, the hope, and the struggle to adapt. You’ll get to see mean wardens, bullies, and allies. Most importantly, you’ll be reminded that prison is not a resort, so it’s always wise to follow the law.

Here are 10 underrated prison movies to watch if you loved The Shawshank Redemption.

‘Down by Law’ (1986)

By chance, three men who have been sent to a New Orleans jail for crimes they didn’t commit end up in the same cell. There’s Zack (Tom Waits), a laid-back DJ; Jack (John Lurie), a pimp; and Roberto (Roberto Benigni), an Italian tourist. Under their shared fate, they opt to sprint for the land of the free rather than face hardship. Once outside, they take shelter in a woman’s house, only for Robert to fall in love with the kind stranger who has housed them. Will this derail them in Down by Law?

Taking Their Fate Into Their Own Hands

This forlorn film depicts little-known facets of the escape process in wrenching psychological detail. Director Jim Jarmusch draws unforgettable performances from his cast, telling an inspiring tale of desperation, hope, camaraderie, love, and the failures of the justice system. Audiences will enjoy the slow-moving camerawork, which keenly captures the New Orleans architecture and the Louisiana bayou to which the prisoners flee. Interestingly, Benigni and Nicoletta Braschi, whose characters fall in love in the movie, later got married in real life.

‘Starred Up’ (2013)

Based on scriptwriter Jonathan Asser’s experiences working as a voluntary therapist at HM Prison Wandsworth, Starred Up follows 19-year-old Eric Love (Jack O’Connell), who is “starred up” from a juvenile prison to a high security adult prison because he is violent and is now considered a proper adult. His estranged father, Neville (Ben Mendelsohn), happens to be incarcerated in the same facility, and it isn’t long before the two lock horns.

Two Beasts in the Same Ground

Starred Up isn’t just a Daddy Vs. Son tale. We have various kinds of prisoners, from those trying to win favor with the warden to those who feel they must take issue with all the baseless bullying. Also, be assured that you’ll keep a stern face throughout. Judged by the standards of other popular prison movies, this is a stilted, detailed, self-conscious piece of work — a classic case of dark-toned academic storytelling. There is no clever joke or a slice of wit anywhere… just arguments.

‘Felon’ (2008)

Audiences will find no fault with the hardworking family man, Wade Porter (Stephen Dorff), when he kills an intruder in Felon. Still, he gets cuffed and locked up for manslaughter. In prison, he tries to cope with a brutal fight-for-survival system engineered by guards and a criminal faction. Thankfully, he finds a guide and mentor in the veteran inmate John Smith (Val Kilmer).

Finding a Crutch

Partially based on events that took place in the 1990s at the notorious California State Prison, Corcoran, Felon strives for authenticity, going as far as to feature convicted serial killer Clifton Bloomfield as an extra. Beyond the talented, photogenic cast, great crane shots, mellifluous musical sequences, and philosophical dialogue elevate the gripping prison drama. If you’re a sucker for mentor-mentee tales, this definitely fits the bill.

‘O.G.’ (2018)

O.G. stars Jeffrey Wright as Louis, a veteran inmate preparing to reenter civilian life after a 24-year sentence for murder. As he looks forward to walking out of the gates, he befriends Beecher (Theothus Carter), a young new prisoner whose wild ways remind Louis of his own past life. The O.G. thus becomes a mentor to the young man, but will the arm-around-shoulder approach change anything?

Prison Through the Eyes of the Young and the Experienced

Wright is brilliant, but director Madeleine Sackler is the real MVP. In her narrative feature debut, she directs with mindblowing fluency, sending the camera sweeping across all the prison corners. She captures the flickering lights and glaring emptiness of corridors and the exhausting boredom of cells to the tiniest of details. Note: Sackler is an heiress and granddaughter of the Big Pharma tycoon often blamed for the Opioid epidemic. But she is her own person. O.G. was entirely filmed in Pendleton Correctional Facility in Indiana, making it one of the few prison flicks shot in actual prisons. Also, watch out for Prison Break’s William Fichtner in a key role.

‘The Escapist’ (2008)

Frank Perry (Brian Cox) from The Escapist is a lifer who has accepted that he might never go to the mall again. Things change when he receives a letter (his first in 14 years), informing him that his daughter is about to die from an overdose. With the help of a few other inmates, Perry plots an escape. Unfortunately, the brother of a powerful inmate discovers their plan. What happens next?

Doing It for Family

Top acting from pros Damian Lewis and Dominic Cooper help elevate a film already brimming with endless tension. Still, it’s the endlessly seasoned Brian Cox who carries most of the weight, and we root for his character all the way, hoping he gets to escape and nurse his daughter back to good health. If you’re craving a high-octane prison drama that’s full of thoughtful dialogue, The Escapist might just be what you’ve been looking for all along. Look around, too, for UFC star Conor McGregor as an extra playing a prisoner, and WWE wrestler Sheamus.

‘Ghosts… of the Civil Dead’ (1988)

Ghosts… of the Civil Dead takes us to Central Industrial Prison, a privately run maximum security prison in the middle of the Australian desert, where guards are overwhelmed with rioting inmates. A major conspiracy soon comes to light, revealing that the higher powers have pitted the officers against the inmates to justify the construction of a larger penitentiary.

Money… The Root of All Evil

Nominated for a whopping nine Australian Film Institute Awards but underappreciated in the rest of the world, Ghosts… of the Civil Dead is a fun, adrenaline-filled film, partially inspired by the writings of convicted murderer, Jack Henry Abbott. The twisty, violent, and convoluted plot sometimes takes a back seat to scholarly dialogue, touching on privatization and the government’s failures. For most of its running time, the movie does not pretend to be 100% realistic, but that’s all intentional, to ensure everyone gets entertained. The title is a spin on a section of Roman law, where a convict who loses their legal rights is referred to as civiliter mortuus (person without civil rights).

‘Shot Caller’ (2017)

Jacob Harlon (Nikolaj Coster-Waldau) from Shot Caller lives the perfect life as a stockbroker until a fatal DUI lands him in prison. To ensure his survival, he joins a violent white supremacist gang. As days go by, he morphs into a hardened prison leader. Once freed, he becomes a proper gangster, setting in motion a tragic set of events that land him back in prison. This time it’s a life sentence.

Choices Have Consequences

This solicitous, heartbreaking portrait of a man’s transformation from good to evil effortlessly pits the innocence of the free world against the tight-rope walk that ensures survival in prison. Drawing strong performances from his lead, as well as finely tuned support work from Jon Bernthal and Omari Hardwick, director Ric Roman Waugh handles the material with admirable boldness and restraint, avoiding a maudlin tone and aura of pity that most prison movies are known for. Be warned: a letter from Jacob’s son will leave you in tears.

‘Cell 211’ (2009)

Spanish prison thriller, Cell 211 (Celda 211), follows Juan Oliver (Alberto Ammann), a guard who is confronted with a violent riot on his first day on the job. Trapped inside the prison, he convinces the riot’s mastermind, Malamadre (Luis Tosar), that he is a new inmate. But how long can he keep up the ruse?

Whatever It Takes To Survive

Gradually, as Juan’s deception seems more likely to be discovered, Cell 211 builds to a tense, scary, emotionally fraught climax. Will our man survive? The film keeps you waiting, but you’ll love it. You can’t help but fear for Juan as his little stunt catapults him into the unknown. Nominated for 15 Goya Awards, the movie deserved more appreciation from outside Spain. But it’s never too late, is it?

‘I Am a Fugitive from a Chain Gang’ (1932)

I Am a Fugitive from a Chain Gang is the story of James Allen (Paul Muni), a World War I veteran who is finding it hard to survive during the Great Depression. Things get worse when he is wrongly convicted of robbery and sentenced to prison with hard labor. There, he is quickly exposed to the brutal conditions of life on a chain gang. After a while, he becomes fed up and plots an escape.

Enough of the Suffering

Mervyn LeRoy’s groundbreaking I Am a Fugitive from a Chain Gang was one of the first Hollywood films to directly address brutalities in America’s prisons, a verboten topic especially in the early 20th century, where offenders were seen as deserving of the harshest punishment. Adapted from Robert Elliott Burns’s 1932 autobiography of the same name, which was originally serialized in the True Detective magazine, the movie is a wonder of witty wordplay and clever twists, some carefully paced for comic effect. You’ll love every minute.

‘The Last Castle’ (2001)

At the height of his Tony Soprano fame, James Gandolfini starred in The Last Castle as Colonel Winter, the warden of a maximum-security military prison who meets his match in court-martialed U.S. Army hero, General Eugene Irwin (Robert Redford). Pissed by Winter’s abusive rule, Irwin quietly pulls all inmates onto his side and then organizes a full-scale rebellion.

Someone Had To Do It

Here, the ensemble cast is first-rate. It features names like Mark Ruffalo, Delroy Lindo, and Robin Wright, but Gandolfini and Redford earn the biggest kudos, playing spiteful and unruly characters, respectively, with entertaining results. Beyond that, the cinematography is brilliantly utilized to signify the shifting powers. In the early stages, the warden’s office is displayed in bright colors while the yard is depicted in dull colors. This changes as the prisoners begin to take over. The film was shot mainly at the 103-year-old former Tennessee State Prison in Nashville, which had previously been used for The Green Mile.