20 movies like Penitentiary, ordered by similarity : Papillon(2017), South Central(1992), The Old Man & the Gun(2018), Woodpeckers(2017), Bronson(2008), Midnight Express(1978), I Am a Fugitive From a Chain Gang(1932), Cool Hand Luke(1967), The Good Bad Girl(1931), The Big House(1930), Inside the Walls of Folsom Prison(1951), The Informer(2019) ...
Drama
USA
1979
99 Minutes
Leon Isaac Kennedy Thommy Pollard Hazel Spears Badja Djola Glorya De Lani Chuck Mitchell
innocent man prostitute cellmate friend trainer prison guard gritty brutal unrestrained rousing california prison prison life wrongful conviction boxing gangs determination escape underdog 1970s
A hitchhiker named Martel Gordone gets in a fight with two bikers over a prostitute, and one of the bikers is killed. Gordone is arrested and sent to prison, where he joins the prison's ... 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.
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.
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.
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.
Biography, Drama
UK|Cayman Islands|Denmark|USA
2008
92 Minutes
Tom Hardy Kelly Adams Luing Andrews Katy Barker Amanda Burton Mark Devenport Paul Donnelly Andrew Forbes Jon House Matt King James Lance
prisoner fighter prison guard promoter wife teacher brutal unrestrained gritty england prison cell solitary confinement prison life michael peterson solitary confinement crime criminal justice system alter ego underdog
A young man who was sentenced to seven years in prison for robbing a post office ends up spending three decades in solitary confinement. During this time, his own personality is supplanted by his alter-ego, Charles Bronson.
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
USA
1932
93 Minutes
Paul Muni Glenda Farrell Helen Vinson Preston Foster Edward Ellis Allen Jenkins Noel Francis Berton Churchill
veteran prisoner guard landlady lawyer bleak brutal intense georgia diner prison chicago construction site prison injustice torture escape aspirations jealousy escape
Wrongly convicted James Allen serves in the intolerable conditions of a southern chain gang, which later comes back to haunt him.
Drama
USA
1967
129 Minutes
Paul Newman George Kennedy J.D. Cannon Lou Antonio Robert Drivas Strother Martin Jo Van Fleet Wayne Rogers Anthony Zerbe Ralph Waite Harry Dean Stanton
prisoner warden guard police officer mother brash cool moving bleak amusing gritty florida prison farm hideout country road church cell prison rebellion escape
A laid back Southern man is sentenced to two years in a rural prison, but refuses to conform.
Crime, Drama
USA
1931
67 Minutes
Mae Clarke James Hall Marie Prevost Nance O'Neil Edmund Breese James Donlan Paul Porcasi Paul Fix Wheeler Oakman George Berliner
girlfriend gangster son parent best friend detective melodramatic gripping intense nightclub houseboat apartment philadelphia prison gangsters murder marriage friendship reputation wealth
Marcia Cameron (Mae Clark), a gangster's moll, quits her racketeering boyfriend Dapper Dan Tyler (Robert Ellis) for a respectable rich man, Bob Henderson (Jmaes Hall), but after giving ... See full summary »
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.
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.
Mystery & Thriller, Crime, Drama
UK|USA|Canada
2019
113 Minutes
Joel Kinnaman Rosamund Pike Clive Owen Common Ana de Armas Martin McCann Eugene Lipinski Valeria Vereau
reformed criminal soldier fbi agent mobster prisoner drug dealer brutal bleak tense thrilling gritty unrestrained prison informing prison drug trade mob pursuit escape fall
An ex-convict working undercover intentionally gets himself incarcerated again in order to infiltrate the mob at a maximum security prison.
Action, Crime, Drama
USA
2012
94 Minutes
Wes Chatham Devon Sawa Sarah Butler Neal McDonough Lucky Johnson Chris Browning Adam Mervis Bernard Hocke Ava Bogle Eric Scott Woods Michael Jai White
best friend young man robber police officer prisoner murderer bleak brutal disturbing engaging gripping suspenseful louisiana prison baton rouge, la. cage friendship relationships prison fighting
A former NCAA champion wrestler, paroled after ten years in prison, agrees to a series of cage fights to save a friend's life and is asked to do the impossible - lose.
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
1994
142 Minutes
Tim Robbins Morgan Freeman Bob Gunton William Sadler Clancy Brown Gil Bellows James Whitmore Mark Rolston Jeffrey DeMunn
innocent man prisoner warden guard banker friend powerful emotional gripping maine prison mexico beach field store murder escape corruption freedom friendship
Two imprisoned men bond over a number of years, finding solace and eventual redemption through acts of common decency.
Crime, Drama
USA
2000
90 Minutes
Willem Dafoe Edward Furlong Seymour Cassel Mickey Rourke Steve Buscemi Tom Arnold John Heard Danny Trejo Jake La Botz Mark Boone Junior Edward Bunker
young man convict sexual predator guard judge transvestite gritty raw touching tense prison cell cafeteria court classroom unusual friendship prison life protection unlikely criminal survival
A young man goes to prison and a tough, older convict takes him under his wing as a mentor.
Crime, Drama
Australia
2009
94 Minutes
Ross McCall Marina Sirtis Treva Etienne Graham McTavish Deobia Oparei Terence Jay Luke Massy Suzanne May
prisoners prison life prison guard girlfriend gang member gory frightening gritty street football game prison football field prison release parole freedom corruption kidnapping film rivalry rescue
In the tradition of "Crash" comes this explosive new Australian drama. 19 year-old Matt struggles to rebuild his life after a tragic car accident. For a while he finds comfort in the arms ... See full summary »
Crime, Sports & Fitness, Drama, Action
Indonesia|USA
2014
148 Minutes
Iko Uwais Yayan Ruhian Arifin Putra Oka Antara Tio Pakusadewo Alex Abbad Julie Estelle Cok Simbara Cecep Arif Rahman Very Tri Yulisman Ryuhei Matsuda
son gangster family member undercover cop inmate kingpin brash brooding chilling prison office police station jakarta, indonesia building drug house undercover operations crime family fighting prison
Only a short time after the first raid, Rama goes undercover with the thugs of Jakarta and plans to bring down the syndicate and uncover the corruption within his police force.
Crime, Drama
France|Italy
1969
120 Minutes
Alain Delon Jean Gabin Lino Ventura Irina Demick Amedeo Nazzari Sydney Chaplin Elisa Cegani Karen Blanguernon Marc Porel Yves Lefebvre Philippe Baronnet
gangster prisoner police officer murderer thief mafia boss engaging brutal thrilling suspenseful intense italy sicily prison diamond heist gangs gangsters adventure escape pursuit
A young, ambitious mobster plans an elaborate diamond heist while seducing the daughter of a ruthless mob patriarch as a determined police commissioner closes in on all of them.
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.