Movies Like A Sense of Freedom (1985)

A Sense of Freedom is a 1985 crime, drama film from John Mackenzie with a MovieMagicScore of 6.4/10. Here are 20 similar films, ranked by real viewer ratings — starting with Papillon and Sweet Sixteen.

Crime Drama

Papillon

1973

A man befriends a fellow criminal as the two of them begin serving their sentence on a dreadful prison island, which inspires the man to plot his escape.

7.8

MagicScore

Sweet Sixteen

2002

Determined to have a normal family life once his mother gets out of prison, a Scottish teenager from a tough background sets out to raise the money for a home.

7.0

MagicScore

That Sinking Feeling

1980

Ronnie, Wal, Andy and Vic are four bored, unemployed teens in dreary, rainy Glasgow. Ronnie comes up with a great idea. He has noticed that stainless steel sinks are worth a lot of money and comes up with a complicated scheme: to steal sinks from a warehouse dressed as girls and using a stop-motion-potion.

6.1

MagicScore

Young Adam

2003

A young drifter working on a river barge disrupts his employers' lives while hiding the fact that he knows more about a dead woman found in the river than he admits.

5.8

MagicScore

Ratcatcher

1999

James Gillespie is 12 years old. The world he knew is changing. Haunted by a secret, he has become a stranger in his own family. He is drawn to the canal where he creates a world of his own. He finds an awkward tenderness with Margaret Anne, a vulnerable 14 year old expressing a need for love in all the wrong ways, and befriends Kenny, who possesses an unusual innocence in spite of the harsh surroundings.

7.1

MagicScore

The 'Maggie'

1954

The poor, elderly—and the wily, when it comes to parting those who can afford it from their money—Scottish skipper of a broken-down old 'puffer' boat tricks an American tycoon into paying him to transport his personal cargo. When the tycoon learns of the trick, he attempts to track down the boat and remove his possessions.

6.3

MagicScore

The Outrun

2024

Fresh out of rehab, Rona returns to the Orkney Islands—a place both wild and beautiful, right off the Scottish coast. Now 29 and after more than a decade of living life on the edge in London, where she both found and lost love, Rona attempts to come to terms with her troubled past. As she reconnects with the dramatic landscape where she grew up, memories of her traumatic childhood merge with more recent challenging events that have set her on the path to recovery.

6.8

MagicScore

Ring of Bright Water

1969

Stuck in a dead-end job, Graham Merrill adopts an otter, Mij, as a pet and then moves to an isolated village in western Scotland. Together they set out to explore the curious and magnificent natural wonders that surround their seaside home. Soon, Graham finds himself falling in love with the beautiful town doctor, Mary. Before long, the three become inseparable friends.

5.8

MagicScore

I Am a Fugitive from a Chain Gang

1932

A World War I veteran’s dreams of becoming a master architect evaporate in the cold light of economic realities. Things get even worse when he’s falsely convicted of a crime and sent to work on a chain gang.

7.8

MagicScore

#10

Midnight Express

1978

Billy Hayes is caught attempting to smuggle drugs out of Turkey. The Turkish courts decide to make an example of him, sentencing him to more than 30 years in prison. Hayes has two opportunities for release: the appeals made by his lawyer, his family, and the American government, or the "Midnight Express".

7.5

MagicScore

#11

Brubaker

1980

The new warden of a small prison farm in Arkansas tries to clean it up of corruption after initially posing as an inmate.

7.1

MagicScore

#12

The Prince

2019

Chile, 1970. During a night of heavy drinking, Jaime, a lonely 20-year-old young man, is sentenced to prison. There, he meets “The Stallion”, an older and respected man in whom he finds protection, and from whom he learns about love and loyalty. But as their relationship grows stronger, “The Stallion” faces the violent power struggles within the prison.

7.3

MagicScore

#13

Les Misérables

1935

In 19th century France, Jean Valjean, a man imprisoned for stealing bread, must flee a relentless policeman named Javert. The pursuit consumes both men's lives, and soon Valjean finds himself in the midst of the student revolutions in France.

7.2

MagicScore

#14

A Hidden Life

2019

Austrian farmer Franz Jägerstätter faces the threat of execution for refusing to fight for the Nazis during World War II.

7.2

MagicScore

#15

The Stanford Prison Experiment

2015

In 1971, Stanford's Professor Philip Zimbardo conducts a controversial psychology experiment in which college students pretend to be either prisoners or guards, but the proceedings soon get out of hand. Based on a true story.

6.8

MagicScore

#16

The Cross of Lorraine

1943

French soldiers surrender to lying Nazis and are herded into a barbaric prison of war camp. From there they plan an uprising.

6.3

MagicScore

#17

Madeleine

1950

The middle-class family of a young woman cannot understand why she delays in marrying a respectable young man. They know nothing about her long-standing affair with a Frenchman.

6.7

MagicScore

#18

My Name is Joe

1998

Two thirtysomethings, unemployed former alcoholic Joe and community health worker Sarah, start a romantic relationship in one of the toughest Glasgow neighbourhoods.

7.2

MagicScore

#19

Perfect Sense

2011

In Glasgow, Scotland, while a mysterious pandemic begins to spread around the world, Susan, a brilliant epidemiologist, falls in love with Michael, a skillful cook.

6.9

MagicScore

#20

Wild Rose

2019

A young Scottish singer, Rose-Lynn Harlan, dreams of making it as a country artist in Nashville after being released from prison.

6.8

MagicScore

Frequently asked

What are the best movies like A Sense of Freedom?

The top films similar to A Sense of Freedom by MovieMagicScore are Papillon (7.8), Sweet Sixteen (7.0), That Sinking Feeling (6.1). Each shares crime/drama themes and is ranked by real viewer ratings, not critics or studios.

Is A Sense of Freedom worth watching?

A Sense of Freedom holds a MovieMagicScore of 6.4/10 from 20 viewer ratings.

What kind of movie is A Sense of Freedom?

A Sense of Freedom (1985) is a crime, drama film directed by John Mackenzie, starring David Hayman, Bill Barclay, Martin Black.

Where can I find more recommendations like A Sense of Freedom?

Browse the full ranked list above, or explore more crime recommendations on MovieMagicScore, where every list is ordered by genuine viewer ratings.

Keep exploring

Movies like Papillon Movies like Sweet Sixteen Movies like That Sinking Feeling Movies like Young Adam Movies like Ratcatcher Movies like The 'Maggie'

About movies like A Sense of Freedom

This ranked list pairs A Sense of Freedom (1985), a crime and drama film from John Mackenzie, with similar titles by genre, theme and cast overlap (fans of David Hayman take note). Unlike critic-driven sites, every position here is ordered by MovieMagicScore — a rating built only from real viewers, with no studio marketing or paid placement. Scores update as more people rate, so the list stays current.

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