“The Shawshank Redemption” (1994)
It’s strange to look back at this Frank Darabont-directed adaptation of Stephen King’s novella and remember that, even though it was nominated for 7 Oscars including Best Picture, it was considered an under-the-radar gem at the time of its release, earning only $28 million on a $25 million budget. It’s been a long, decades-spanning steady build en route to becoming one of the most beloved films of all time. Big words, but the film is now a frequent staple of all-time top movies lists, especially those voted for by the public, enjoying the benefit of being released just at the cusp of the DVD explosion and being shown on cable seemingly every day. And its status as an unimpeachable classic feels earned: time has treated the film well, remarkably so considering it features the type of “twist” surprise that doesn’t always lend itself to repeat viewings. But the performances, especially from Tim Robbins and Morgan Freeman are quietly definitive, the period detailing lush and exact, and the message of hope is eternally moving, especially in a genre often given to miserabilism. Who doesn’t get at least a little choked up at that totally satisfying ending?
“Stalag 17” (1953)
By the time Billy Wilder’s “Stalag 17” was released, few American filmmakers had tackled the reality that so many soldiers had faced as POWs during the war (Fred Zinnemann’s “Act Of Violence” used it as the backstory for a thriller) — indeed, “Stalag 17” was delayed for nearly a year, and only released once Paramount decided it would cash-in on the release of U.S. soldiers from Korea. The result, as such, is one of the more influential films on this list, inspiring everything from “The Great Escape” to “Hogan’s Heroes” and Aardman’s glorious animated “Chicken Run.” Based on a Broadway success, the film’s set in the titular camp, and involves a failed escape attempt, and the hunt for the man who betrayed his fellow soldiers to the Germans, mostly suspected to be the charismatic, morally nebulous Sefton (William Holden, terrific and Oscar-winning). It’s episodic stuff, though the plot eventually takes over late in the day, funny and painful and full of life thanks to its tremendous cast, and though the director’s trademark cynicism is in place, it’s among his most purely humanistic works. There have been plenty of POW pictures since, but this sits with “The Grand Illusion” at the very top of the tree.
“Starred Up” (2014)
Jack O’Connell’s breakthrough turn in this wonderful, unabashedly melodramatic British prison film is its main attraction, much like Tom Hardy’s in 2008’s “Bronson” (probably the last time we felt this sort of endorphin rush from a performance). Both are absolutely essential to the success of their respective films (both set in UK prisons), elevating already strong material by sheer force of charisma and their ability to bring tons of capital-T truth. Also like Hardy, O’Connell brings out the best in his supporting cast. Ben Mendelsohn may be among the most gifted characters actor working today (and a favorite around these parts), and in “Starred Up” he gives one of his greatest performances as O’Connell’s father. There’s an abundance of soap opera plotting: the father/son dynamic; pulpy criminal underworld twists; a therapist trying to teach communication to a group of prisoners; political backstabbing in the prison employment hierarchy. But director David Mackenzie (a 2014 Breakout Director) crafts the film with the grittiness befitting a modern prison drama that renders even the soapier moments thrillingly believable, all rigorously focused on O’Connell’s angry-dog turn. So despite the cliches, the film feels fresh and vibrant, shot through with truthful details that bring the story gasping to life.
Honorable Mentions
If you’ve seen all the above, you’re a) really into prison movies and b) probably hankering for more, so here’s another few titles we debated including (out of the many hundreds of films that qualify):
Frank Darabont‘s other prison drama, “The Green Mile” is solid, but still suffers by comparison to the immensely beloved ‘Shawshank’; “The Cube” is a chilling low-budget sci-fi take on the genre; 1950’s fascinating “Caged” with Agnes Moorehead is set in a women’s prison and details an otherwise decent inmate’s descent into criminality, though it is dated now; speaking of, or rather leering at women in prison, “Caged Heat” is a great example of exploitation cinema, slightly elevated by the presence of Jonathan Demme as writer/director of this Roger Corman pic; “Stir Crazy” the apex of the Wilder/Pryor collaboration is a ridiculous, brash comedic take on prison life; “The Longest Yard” with Burt Reynolds is a surprisingly successful mash-up of prison drama, comedy and sports movie; “Carandiru” is a shocking and brilliant expose of life in the infamous Brazilian prison; Alan Clarke‘s bruising “Scum” from 1979 is set inside a British borstal and features a knockout, breakout turn from Ray Winstone; and while “The Escapist” and “Escape to Victory” are both terrific, they featured on our Prison Break feature (along with some of these other titles) and we kind of deemed them to be more about the escape plot than about incarceration itself (also why we excluded “The Rock,” in case you’re a rabid Michael Bay fan about to draft a death threat).
Finally, there’s the whole subgenre of the prison documentary which we avoided in favor of the narrative films above, but suffice to say they are often as bruising, if not more so, than their fictional counterparts. You could do a lot worse than checking out Werner Herzog‘s “Death Row/Into the Abyss” series, “The Life and Mind of Mark deFriest” and Nick Broomfield‘s “Tattooed Tears” if non-fiction is more your thing.
It’s a massive genre, though, and there are many more we could have chosen, so feel free to make the case for your own favorites by shouting through the bars, hiding a note behind a loose brick, or even using the comment form below.
–Jessica Kiang, Erik McClanahan, Oliver Lyttelton, Rodrigo Perez
