10 Great Movies For Prison Break Fans That You Can Stream Right Now

The Prison Break reboot is certain to include some of the elements that made the original show such a success. Prison Break was fast-paced, full of cliffhangers, and extremely character-driven, leading to some standout performances from the show’s main actors. The story began on a comparatively small scale, with the engineering genius Michael Scofield getting himself sent to prison so he could break his innocent brother out. That said, the story quickly expanded to incorporate a government conspiracy with sci-fi elements, and with multiple escapes happening during the Prison Break series and movie.

Prison Break‘s main Fox River Eight were not all easy to root for, with some characters being more innocent than others. This mix of characters and a tension-filled plot has been popular for many years, and the extra element of an extremely intricate prison escape plan made the show one-of-a-kind. Prison Break had some shocking scenes and the show was not afraid to go to some extremely dark places while also incorporating some funny moments. For a similar tone but a shorter runtime, there are several movies like Prison Break streaming that fans of the show will love.

10

Bad Boys (1983)

Sean Penn Is The New Kid In A Brutal Juvenile Facility

Bad Boys

Release Date: March 25, 1983
Runtime: 123 minutes
Director: Rick Rosenthal
Writers: Richard Di Lello
Producers: Marty Hornstein

Reni Santoni

Ramon Herrera

The 1983 movie Bad Boys is a coming-of-age crime drama starring Sean Penn as Mick, a young man who is sent to a juvenile correction facility. Mick’s crimes are relatively small-scale and include snatching purses and shoplifting, but he is a fish out of water in his new and often brutal environment. The movie features some typical prison movie staples, like sadistic guards and unlikely friendships, and the story shares some of Prison Break‘s darker elements.

Bad Boys rarely leaves the prison setting, so fans of prison dramas should watch this movie while waiting for the Prison Break reboot.

One of Prison Break‘s most tragic characters is Tweener, who is convicted of grand larceny after the baseball card he stole turned out to be a rare collector’s item. He is as uncomfortable in his new environment as Mick, and both struggle to fit in. While two of Prison Break‘s four main seasons take place away from a prison, Bad Boys rarely leaves the prison setting, so fans of prison dramas should watch this movie while waiting for the Prison Break reboot.

9

The Last Castle (2001)

Some Major Stars Appear In This Military Prison Drama

The Last Castle

Release Date: October 19, 2001
Runtime: 131 minutes
Director: Rod Lurie
Writers: David Scarpa
Producers: Don Zepfel

Many characters in Prison Break deserved better, with several of the Fox River Penitentiary inmates being falsely imprisoned. One of these is the soldier, C-Note, who was framed after refusing to respond to blackmail. While C-Note eventually gets a well-deserved happy ending in Prison Break, many characters in The Last Castle are not so fortunate. The movie is a gritty and harrowing story, starring Robert Redford, James Gandolfini, Mark Ruffalo and Delroy Lindo.

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Redford plays Lieutenant General Eugene Irwin, who is court-martialed and sent to prison, where he earns the respect of many of his fellow inmates. While Prison Break‘s Michael is a less likable character whose main weapon is his intellect, he and Irwin both rail against the sadistic regimes of the guards, inspiring other prisoners in the process. James Gandolfini plays the tyrannical Colonel Winter in one of his best movie roles, before he became best known for playing Tony Soprano.

8

Law Abiding Citizen (2009)

A Story About A Serious Moral Dilemma

Law Abiding Citizen

6/10

Release Date: October 16, 2009
Runtime: 109 Minutes
Director: F. Gary Gray
Writers: Kurt Wimmer

Law Abiding Citizen is a great movie with a moral dilemma at its heart. Gerard Butler plays Clyde Shelton, who goes on a revenge mission after one of the men who killed his family in a home invasion is released early. While law enforcement are tasked with stopping him, it is easy for many of the key people to sympathize with him. The movie was not well-received by critics, who gave it a 26% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, but audiences disagreed, giving it a 75% positive review.

Like Law Abiding Citizen, Prison Break also contains several moral dilemmas and characters who find their ethics challenged. Michael commits several crimes, including fraud and theft, to break his brother out of prison, and many of the Fox River Eight have to continue committing crimes to stay ahead of the people chasing them. Prison Break‘s Sara Tancredi is a great example of a character who finds herself torn between what is right and what is legal, and viewers who love this kind of debate will love Law Abiding Citizen.

7

Taken (2009)

A Man Uses His Specific Skills To Save A Family Member

Taken

8/10

Release Date: January 30, 2009
Runtime: 90 minutes
Director: Pierre Morel
Writers: Luc Besson, Robert Mark Kamen

In Prison Break, the only character who could have broken Lincoln out of prison was Michael, as he designed the prison itself. Michael had the technical and structural knowledge to navigate the inner workings of the prison building, as well as change his plans when people and procedures threw obstacles in his way. Taken is another example of a character using his “very specific set of skills” to save a family member.

Taken is one of Liam Neeson’s best movies, and he plays the former Green Beret, Bryan Mills, who receives a panicked call from his daughter, who is in the process of being kidnapped by human traffickers. Mills uses his expertise to start a one-man mission to hunt down the traffickers and get his daughter back. While Prison Break has some fantastic moments, none of its lines match Mills’ iconic scene in Taken, in which he tells the traffickers that he is coming for them.

6

The Fugitive (1993)

Harrison Ford Evades A Manhunt

The Fugitive

Release Date: August 6, 1993
Runtime: 130 minutes
Director: Andrew Davis
Writers: David Twohy, Jeb Stuart

Prison Break retconned Michael’s death in the movie, which also wrapped up some other parts of the story. Like Prison Break, The Fugitive began as a TV show and then became a movie, but while the Prison Break movie was not as well-received as the original series, The Fugitive has a 96% positive critical rating on Rotten Tomatoes, with reviewers praising the movie’s twists and turns.

Like Prison Break, The Fugitive is also about a man who is falsely convicted of murder as part of a larger conspiracy. In The Fugitive, Harrison Ford plays a doctor who is falsely accused of murdering his wife, and when his prison bus crashes, he goes on a hunt to uncover the truth behind her murder. For people who loved this aspect of Prison Break more than its technical and sci-fi elements, this is the movie to watch while waiting for the reboot.

5

Con Air (1997)

A Prison Break Movie That Does Not Take Itself Too Seriously

Con Air

Release Date: June 5, 1997
Runtime: 115 minutes
Director: Simon West
Writers: Scott Rosenberg

Prison Break had some funny scenes, especially when the fan-favorite Sucre was involved, but the series itself was not a comedy. Con Air may not be a comedy either, but it leaned into the sillier aspects of a prison break while still being an action thriller. Con Air stars Nicolas Cage as a man who is imprisoned for accidentally killing another man in self-defense. After serving his time, he finds himself on a plane that gets hijacked by dangerous criminals.

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Con Air might have its gritty moments, but it is often overshadowed by its funnier scenes, so viewers who enjoyed the sillier aspects of Prison Break should watch Con Air for more of this. The movie has become a cult hit, with iconic lines like “put the bunny in the box,” which people who have not seen the movie often know, and which Nicolas Cage described as “absurdity at its finest.“

4

Conviction (2010)

Hilary Swank Stars In This Prison Story That Is Based On True Events

Conviction

7/10

Release Date: October 15, 2010
Runtime: 107 Minutes
Director: Tony Goldwyn
Writers: Pamela Gray

Prison Break was not based on a true story, but the show did include some real-life inspiration for the story, like the real mystery behind the fan-favorite character Westmoreland. On the other hand, Conviction is based on the real story of Betty Anne Waters (played by Hilary Swank,) who earned a law degree so that she could represent her wrongfully convicted brother in court. Some of the best Prison Break characters were lawyers and legal professionals, and Conviction has a similar tone to many of their scenes.

One of the best characters in Prison Break was the lawyer, Veronica Donovan. Before she was killed off in a shocking scene in Prison Break season 2, she tirelessly fought to uncover new evidence that could exonerate Lincoln. While Veronica came too close to the conspiracy and did not live to see Lincoln freed, Conviction has a happier ending, and features a character who is spiritually similar to Veronica.

3

21 Bridges (2019)

A Fast-Paced Escape Movie Starring Chadwick Boseman

21 Bridges

5/10

Release Date: November 22, 2019
Runtime: 99 Minutes
Director: Brian Kirk
Writers: Adam Mervis, Matthew Michael Carnahan

21 Bridges stars the late Chadwick Boseman in one of his best roles as Andre Davis, a tough NYPD detective who is assigned to catch two cop killers. The title refers to the monumental task ahead of him, which involves shutting down all 21 bridges leading in and out of Manhattan, which should prevent his targets from escaping. The tense cat-and-mouse tone of 21 Bridges is similar to the second season of Prison Break, in which the Fox River Eight have been separated with the manhunt closing in.

The tense cat-and-mouse tone of 21 Bridges is similar to the second season of Prison Break, in which the Fox River Eight have been separated with the manhunt closing in.

Prison Break is full of twists and turns, which are sometimes the result of the main characters discovering that they could not trust the people they expected to. 21 Bridges contains some similar shocks, as Andre discovers a web of corruption that extends much further into the police department than he could have imagined. The ending of 21 Bridges is ambiguous, so viewers who didn’t like Prison Break‘s neat ending may prefer this movie.

2

The Shawshank Redemption (1994)

One Of The Most Powerful Prison Movies Of All Time

The Shawshank Redemption

9/10

Release Date: October 14, 1994
Runtime: 142 minutes
Director: Frank Darabont

The Shawshank Redemption is often regarded by many as one of the greatest movies of all time, and it is still referenced in popular movies and TV shows today. The story is about the way the mild-mannered Andy Dufresne, who is wrongfully convicted of murder, manipulates the prison system and sadistic guards while secretly planning his escape. The Shawshank Redemption stars Tim Robbins and Morgan Freeman, and is adapted from a book by Stephen King.

Prison Break may not be as beautiful and harrowing as The Shawshank Redemption, but both have some heart-stopping escape scenes, and guards that will make you despise them, and both are stories of justice. Both Prison Break and The Shawshank Redemption involve moments that show how a character’s quick thinking can change everything. The Shawshank Redemption‘s rooftop scene shows Andy saving himself with his knowledge of accounting, while it is Sucre’s plastering knowledge that protects the group from the guards.

1

The Rock (1996)

A Movie About Breaking Into Prison, Rather Than Out

The Rock

8/10

Release Date: June 7, 1996
Runtime: 136 minutes
Writers: Mark Rosner, David Weisberg, Douglas Cook
Producers: Don Simpson, Jerry Bruckheimer, Louis A. Stroller, Sean Connery

Most movies about prison breaks involve characters breaking out of a prison, rather than in. This is one major reason why Prison Break was so unusual and memorable. That said, the 1996 movie The Rock features a similar plot point, with two characters breaking into Alcatraz. The Rock stars Sean Connery, Nicolas Cage, and Ed Harris, and while it scored mixed critical reviews, Rotten Tomatoes audiences gave the movie an 85% positive rating.

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The Rock follows the chemical weapons specialist Stanley Goodspeed and Alcatraz escapee John Mason as they break into Alcatraz to stop a group of rogue US marines from launching a nerve gas rocket. Prison Break had a few explosions and shots during its four original seasons, but The Rock is much more action-packed. There are rocket launches, heavy gunfire, and helicopter action scenes, which Prison Break, while still intense, didn’t have. For a different take on the “breaking into prison” plot, The Rock is the movie to watch next.

Prison Break