20 movies like The Pursuit of Happiness, ordered by similarity : Papillon(2017), Midnight Express(1978), In the Name of the Father(1993), South Central(1992), Inside the Walls of Folsom Prison(1951), Blind Alley(1939), The Old Man & the Gun(2018), Maze(2017), Punishment Park(1971), Shepherds and Butchers(2016), Kramer vs. Kramer(1979), Apprentice(2016) ...
Drama
USA
1971
98 Minutes
Michael Sarrazin Barbara Hershey Arthur Hill Robert Klein Sada Thompson E.G. Marshall Barnard Hughes Rue McClanahan
student jaywalker judge radical father girlfriend brooding creative columbia university new york city courtroom prison canada fugitives troubled youth political activism prison break accidental murder escape wretched excess
A young college student is sent to prison as much for killing a pedestrian with his car as for not paying his parking tickets. When the opportunity presents itself he escapes and is ... See full summary »
Adventure, History, Biography, Drama
USA|Czech Republic|Spain
2017
133 Minutes
Charlie Hunnam Rami Malek Roland Møller Nina Senicar Tommy J. Flanagan Eve Hewson Christopher Fairbank Brian Vernel
convict innocent man prison guard prisoner escape artist friend tense bleak thrilling suspenseful incredible intricate prison island prison cell paris french guiana apartment prison prison break
Wrongfully 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.
Biography, Drama
UK|USA
1978
121 Minutes
Brad Davis Randy Quaid John Hurt Bo Hopkins Paul L. Smith Mike Kellin Norbert Weisser Irene Miracle Paolo Bonacelli Michael Ensign Kevork Malikyan
prison guard prisoner police officer girlfriend judge bleak gutsy shocking istanbul prison airport prison life prison break drug trafficking foreign relations torture escape transformation wretched excess 1970s
Billy Hayes, an American college student, is caught smuggling drugs out of Turkey and thrown into prison.
Drama
Ireland|UK
1993
132 Minutes
Daniel Day-Lewis Pete Postlethwaite Emma Thompson John Lynch Corin Redgrave Beatie Edney Daniel Massey Alison Crosbie
thief father barrister judge friend police detective disturbing powerful inspiring ireland courtroom prison pub injustice imprisonment false accusations father/son relationship terrorism patriotism wretched excess
A man's coerced confession to an I.R.A. bombing he did not commit results in the imprisonment of his father as well. An English lawyer fights to free them.
Drama
USA
1992
99 Minutes
Glenn Plummer Byron Keith Minns Lexie D. Bigham Vincent Craig Dupree LaRita Shelby Kevin Best Allan Hatcher Christian Coleman Ivory Ocean Starletta DuPois Carl Lumbly
gang member girlfriend son best friend convict father gripping brutal moving south central los angeles prison street gangs drug addiction mentorship father/son relationship self-discovery prison transformation
A former gangster fresh out of prison wants to change his life for the better and must save his 10 year old son who has already chosen a gang life.
Drama
USA
1951
87 Minutes
Steve Cochran David Brian Philip Carey Ted de Corsia Scott Forbes Michael Tolan Dick Wesson Paul Picerni William Campbell
warden prison guard prisoner prison official sergeant inmate brooding intense engaging emotional brutal bleak folsom state prison reformation prison life prison riot prison break humanity human rights escape
At California's Folsom Prison, escape attempts and riots are on the rise due to the old-school sadistic style of management of a brutal warden.
Crime, Drama
USA
1939
71 Minutes
Chester Morris Ralph Bellamy Ann Dvorak Joan Perry Melville Cooper Rose Stradner John Eldredge Ann Doran Marc Lawrence Stanley Brown Scotty Beckett
murderer henchman psychologist student wife son brooding intense frightening prison house basement pier hostage situation fugitives psychology paralysis murder abuse quest
Gangster Hal Wilson takes psychiatrist Dr. Shelby hostage. While captive, the doctor analyzes Wilson as though he were a patient.
Comedy, Mystery & Thriller, Drama
USA|UK
2018
93 Minutes
Robert Redford Casey Affleck Sissy Spacek Danny Glover Tom Waits Tika Sumpter Ari Elizabeth Johnson Teagan Johnson Gene Jones John David Washington Barlow Jacobs
prisoner prison guard bank robber wife detective escape artist amusing gutsy bleak suspenseful tense california san quentin penitentiary prison bank car escape bank heist life story prison
Based on the true story of Forrest Tucker and his audacious escape from San Quentin at the age of 70 to an unprecedented string of heists that confounded authorities and enchanted the public.
Mystery & Thriller, Drama
2017
92 Minutes
Martin McCann Niamh McGrady Tom Vaughan-Lawlor Barry Ward Eileen Walsh Andy Kellegher David Coakley Seán T. Ó Meallaigh Aaron Monaghan James Browne Ross McKinney
prisoner freedom fighter terrorist ira agent fascinating gripping tense thrilling prison europe ireland northern ireland prison break prison escape adventure quest escape 1980s
Inspired by the true events of the 1983 breakout of 38 Irish Republican prisoners from the Maze prison in Northern Ireland.
Drama
USA
1971
88 Minutes
Paul Alelyanes Carmen Argenziano Stan Armsted Harold Beaulieu Jim Bohan Kerry Cannon
prisoner judge federal agent police chief activist frightful bleak gory california desert tent dystopia vietnam war richard nixon activism culture clash prison wretched excess underdog escape
"Punishment Park" is a pseudo-documentary purporting to be a film crews's news coverage of the team of soldiers escorting a group of hippies, draft dodgers, and anti-establishment types ... See full summary »
Drama
South Africa|USA|Germany
2016
106 Minutes
Andrea Riseborough Steve Coogan Deon Lotz Robert Hobbs Garion Dowds Marcel van Heerden Nicola Hanekom Eduan van Jaarsveldt Carel Nel
lawyer prison guard judge wife murderer prisoner prisoners death row inmate brutal chilling emotional gripping intense moving powerful raw sad shocking south africa cape town
A lawyer takes on a case of a prison guard in South Africa who is traumatized by the executions he's witnessed.
Drama
USA
1979
104 Minutes
Dustin Hoffman Meryl Streep Justin Henry Jane Alexander Howard Duff George Coe JoBeth Williams Howland Chamberlin
father mother son friend lawyer judge emotional heartwarming intense apartment park courtroom new york city office divorce court battles parenthood transformation rivalry quest
Ted Kramer's wife leaves him, allowing for a lost bond to be rediscovered between Ted and his son, Billy. But a heated custody battle ensues over the divorced couple's son, deepening the wounds left by the separation.
Drama
Singapore|Germany|France|Hong Kong|Qatar
2016
96 Minutes
Firdaus Rahman Wan Hanafisu Mastura Ahmad Boon Pin Koh Nickson Cheng Crispian Chan Gerald Chew
prison guard prisoner executioner apprentice sister father brooding emotional intense prison apartment execution chamber market car street prison execution guilt anger acceptance
Inevitably, a transfer to a maximum security prison will eventually challenge the integrity and ethics of a young correctional officer on his way to become a chief executioner.
Drama, Western
USA
1961
67 Minutes
James Brown Jean Willes John Clarke Med Flory John Pickard Peggy Stewart Sandra Stone Warren Kemmerling Nesdon Booth Herb Armstrong Renny McEvoy
escaped convict fugitive sheriff ex-wife doctor witness confident brooding brash wild west prison casino desert prison break posse vendetta murder escape revenge pursuit
In this movie filmed and released in 1961 (and not a 1962 production), an escaped convict returns to town and begins a reign of terror. Marked for death are Dr. Dean Knudtson, his wife ... See full summary »
Drama
2017
106 Minutes
Jean Jean Ramón Emilio Candelario Judith Rodriguez Jose Cruz Manuel Raposo Karina Valdez Aleja Johnson Carlota Carretero Keunis Álvarez Orestes Amador
prison guard prisoner prisoners messenger gangsters love interest romantic interest romantic rival rival dark disturbing emotional engaging gripping intense moving passionate powerful raw tense
Incarcerated in the Dominican Republic, an inmate uses sign language to communicate with his imprisoned girlfriend at an adjacent institution.
Crime, Drama
USA
1930
87 Minutes
Wallace Beery Chester Morris Robert Montgomery Lewis Stone Leila Hyams George F. Marion J.C. Nugent Karl Dane DeWitt Jennings Matthew Betz Claire McDowell
prisoner prison official guard warden criminal gritty thrilling bleak prison prison life prison break drunk driving corruption crime escape revenge 1930s
A convict falls in love with his new cellmate's sister, only to become embroiled in a planned break-out which is certain to have lethal consequences.
Crime, Drama
UK
1947
103 Minutes
Trevor Howard Sally Gray Griffith Jones Rene Ray Mary Merrall Charles Farrell Michael Brennan Jack McNaughton
innocent man boss fugitive girlfriend henchman thrilling gritty gripping bleak england prison funeral home black market set-up prison break manhunt murder escape rivalry 1940s
After WW2, former RAF airman Clem Morgan joins a gang of black-market smugglers-thieves but when a robbery goes wrong, Clem is caught , framed for a policeman's murder, and is sent to prison where he plots his escape and revenge.
Mystery & Thriller, Drama
UK|Australia|USA|South Africa
2020
101 Minutes
Daniel Radcliffe Ian Hart Daniel Webber Nathan Page Stephen Hunter Mark Leonard Winter Jeanette Cronin Paul Harvey Ratidzo Mambo Martin Ayles PJ Oaten
prisoner south african man prison guard friend brash emotional gripping gutsy intense prison south africa apartheid injustice jailbreak activism african politics escape quest 1970s
Based 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.
Drama
USA
1928
75 Minutes
Richard Barthelmess Montagu Love Robert E. O'Connor Jay Eaton Lina Basquette Thelma Todd Ed Brady Fred Warren William B. Davidson Alice Joyce William Walling
blackmailer governor wife mother son father melodramatic shocking tense suspenseful death row city cabaret prison murder capital punishment blackmail father/son relationship crime family
A crook blackmails a governor because of knowing his wife's dark past.
Mystery & Thriller, Crime, Drama
USA
2017
120 Minutes
Nikolaj Coster-Waldau Lake Bell Jon Bernthal Emory Cohen Jeffrey Donovan Benjamin Bratt Jessy Schram Evan Jones
stockbroker gang leader gang member husband inmate white supremacist brooding brutal dark gripping tense thrilling california chino state prison prison street city criminal underworld gang war gangs
A newly released prisoner is forced by the leaders of his gang to orchestrate a major crime with a brutal rival gang on the streets of Southern California.
Drama
1970
90 Minutes
Melvyn Douglas Gene Hackman Dorothy Stickney Estelle Parsons Elizabeth Hubbard Lovelady Powell Daniel Keyes Conrad Bain Jon Richards James Karen
father son mother fiancée sister college professor moving tender emotional bleak touching brooding new york city parents' house diner hospital father/son relationship independence family grief
A middle-aged New York professor (Gene Hackman) loses his mother (Dorothy Stickney) and reaches out to his bitter father (Melvyn Douglas).