20 movies like Rosewater, ordered by similarity : South Central(1992), Papillon(2017), Breakout(1959), Shot Caller(2017), Midnight Express(1978), The Philly Kid(2012), Middle of Nowhere(2012), Kiss of the Spider Woman(1985), Apprentice(2016), Woodpeckers(2017), Girls of the Sun(2018), Hannibal Brooks(1969) ...
Drama
USA
2014
103 Minutes
Gael García Bernal Shohreh Aghdashloo Golshifteh Farahani Dimitri Leonidas Haluk Bilginer Andrew Gower Arian Moayed Numan Acar Nasser Faris
journalist interrogator president political candidate brutal disheartening gripping shocking suspenseful iran prison interrogation room torture politics terror war espionage imprisonment discovery transformation
Iranian-Canadian journalist Maziar Bahari is detained by Iranian forces who brutally interrogate him under suspicion that he is a spy.
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.
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, War
UK
1959
99 Minutes
Richard Todd Richard Attenborough Bernard Lee Michael Wilding Dennis Price Donald Houston William Franklyn Vincent Ball Peter Arne Peter Jones Ronnie Stevens
prisoner of war prisoners military officer informant brutal engaging gripping gutsy patriotic suspenseful tense thrilling italy prison camp world war ii prisoners of war escape informing tunneling escape
In 1943, an Italian-administered P.O.W. camp for captured Allies goes through a series of failed escapes only to culminate in a daring plan for a dramatic mass escape.
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.
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.
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.
Romance, Drama
2012
101 Minutes
Emayatzy Corinealdi David Oyelowo Omari Hardwick Lorraine Toussaint Edwina Findley Sharon Lawrence Dondré Whitfield Troy Curvey III Maya Gilbert
wife husband couple medical student convict emotional endearing engaging gripping inspiring prison united states america prison prison life self-discovery journey marriage relationships incarceration
A med student (Emayatzy Corinealdi) considers leaving her long-imprisoned husband (Omari Hardwick) for a charming bus driver (David Oyelowo).
Drama
Brazil|USA
1985
119 Minutes
William Hurt Raul Julia Sonia Braga José Lewgoy Nuno Leal Maia Antonio Petrim Denise Dumont Milton Gonçalves Patricio Bisso Herson Capri Nildon Parrente
political prisoner gay man woman convict warden fascinating tender prison argentina politics imprisonment homosexuality fantasy storytelling unlikely friendship transformation discovery 1980s
A gay man and a political prisoner are together in a prison. The gay man narrates the stories of two fake movies and his own life.
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
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.
War, Drama
France|Belgium|Georgia|Switzerland
2018
115 Minutes
Golshifteh Farahani Emmanuelle Bercot Evin Ahmad Erol Afsin Zübeyde Bulut Behi Djanati Atai Arabi Ghibeh Sinama Alievi
female fighter journalist mother son terrorist intense tense disheartening gripping emotional brutal iraq abandoned building camp village war extremism family love women soldiers
A Kurdish female battalion prepares to take back their town from extremists.
Comedy, War, Drama
UK|USA
1969
101 Minutes
Oliver Reed Michael J. Pollard Karin Baal Wolfgang Preiss Helmut Lohner Peter Carsten
prisoner of war soldier englishman elephant escaped convict zookeeper charming cheeky confident endearing fascinating incredible prison camp private zoo alps munich mountain war zone world war ii prison break
A prisoner of war working at a zoo gets the chance to escape from the Germans, so he does and he takes with him the elephant that he's been caring for. Together they head for the Swiss border and freedom.
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.
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
2000
91 Minutes
Mariam Parvin Almani Nargess Mamizadeh Fareshteh Sadr Orafai Monir Arab Elham Saboktakin Fatemeh Naghavi Mojgan Faramarzi Fereshteh Sadr Orafai Maryiam Palvin Almani Solmaz Panahi
woman friend husband prostitute prisoner pregnant woman suspenseful disheartening profound emotional iran prison hospital street city bus pregnancy prison life iranian society journey
Three Iranian women (Mariam Parvin Almani, Nargess Mamizadeh, Fareshteh Sadr Orafai) battle oppressive governmental regulations that affect all areas of their lives.
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.
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.
Drama
UK|Ireland
2000
93 Minutes
Shawn Hatosy Danny Dyer Michael York Lee Ingleby Robin Laing Eva Birthistle
militant teen boy prisoner warden daughter friend brutal emotional creative inspiring boat liverpool, england prison courtroom reform school beach brendan behan irish republican army self-discovery imprisonment
Irish writer and political activist Brendan Behan, is befriended as a teenager in a British labor camp by a liberal warden.
Crime, Comedy, Drama
2018
108 Minutes
Adèle Haenel Pio Marmaï Audrey Tautou Damien Bonnard Vincent Elbaz Hocine Choutri Octave Bossuet Jean-Louis Barcelona Alexandre Marouani Olivier Charasson Bruno Gerbi-Doublier
widow son lieutenant corrupt cop gripping gritty engaging emotional france interrogation room police station police corruption justice released from prison discovery forbidden love transformation 2010s
While a French Riviera police officer discovers her late husband led a criminal double life, the man who was imprisoned for her husband's crimes is released from jail and must adapt to the outside world.
Drama, War
West Germany
1959
93 Minutes
Joachim Hansen Wilhelm Borchert Wolfgang Preiss Carl Lange Horst Frank Peter Carsten Richard Münch Günter Pfitzmann Sonja Ziemann Gunnar Möller
german officer nationalist german soldier enemy soldier engaging suspenseful fascinating gripping melodramatic heartwarming germany stalingrad stalingrad, russia war zone war world war ii ideologies nationalism national identity
In the winter of 1943, against the background of battle scenes, a young German Lieutenant who increasingly distrusts the inhuman Nazi ideology struggles with the concept of war.