Movies Like Prison (1987)

Prison is a 1987 crime, drama, horror, thriller film from Renny Harlin with a MovieMagicScore of 5.7/10. Here are 20 similar films, ranked by real viewer ratings — starting with In Hell and Death Warrant.

Crime Drama Horror Thriller

In Hell

2003

A man must survive a prison where hardened criminals battle to the death for the warden's entertainment.

6.6

MagicScore

Death Warrant

1990

Canadian policeman Louis Burke is assigned in a jail to investigate the murders of prisoners and jailors. While there, Louis, using his outstanding martial arts skills, is able to save his life and make himself respected in this violent world.

6.2

MagicScore

15 Minutes

2001

When Eastern European criminals Oleg and Emil come to New York City to pick up their share of a heist score, Oleg steals a video camera and starts filming their activities, both legal and illegal. When they learn how the American media circus can make a remorseless killer look like the victim and make them rich, they target media-savvy NYPD Homicide Detective Eddie Flemming and media-naive FDNY Fire Marshal Jordy Warsaw, the cops investigating their murder and torching of their former criminal partner, filming everything to sell to the local tabloid TV show "Top Story."

5.9

MagicScore

Face/Off

1997

In order to foil a terrorist plot, an FBI agent undergoes facial transplant surgery and assumes the identity of a criminal mastermind. The plan turns sour when the criminal wakes up prematurely and seeks revenge.

7.0

MagicScore

Vendetta

2015

A hard-nosed detective deliberately commits a crime to get thrown in prison, allowing him the chance to seek vengeance on a criminal serving a life sentence for brutally murdering his wife.

5.3

MagicScore

20,000 Years in Sing Sing

1932

Brash hoodlum Tom Connors enters Sing Sing cocksure of himself and disrespectful toward authority, but his tough but compassionate warden changes him.

6.3

MagicScore

Hold Your Breath

2012

There is an old wives tale that you should hold your breath when passing by a cemetery because an evil spirit rejected by both heaven and hell can get inside of you when you inhale. Somewhere in a carload of college kids on holiday doesn't follow the rules when driving by a graveyard, allowing a spirit of a recently executed serial killer to get inside him/her to begin a killing spree of body-jumping carnage.

4.2

MagicScore

The Crow: Salvation

2000

Alex Corvis, a man wrongly executed for the murder of his girlfriend, returns from the dead and sets out to find the real killer.

5.5

MagicScore

Ernest Goes to Jail

1990

Bumbling bank janitor Ernest P. Worrell is assigned to jury duty, and soon finds himself in trouble when he is covertly switched with a look-a-like crime boss. Ernest must escape from jail to expose the mix-up.

5.0

MagicScore

#10

Big House Bunny

1950

While attempting to evade a group of hunters, Bugs Bunny jumps into a rabbit hole and inadvertently tunnels into Sing Song prison, where the malevolent prison guard, Sam Schultz, assumes he's an inmate.

6.9

MagicScore

#11

Seed

2006

After surviving the electric chair, convicted serial killer Max Seed is buried alive. He digs himself out of the grave and goes on a killing spree. Taking revenge on the men who put him there and random unfortunates alike.

3.9

MagicScore

#12

Birdman of Alcatraz

1962

After killing a prison guard, convict Robert Stroud faces life imprisonment in solitary confinement. Driven nearly mad by loneliness and despair, Stroud's life gains new meaning when he happens upon a helpless baby sparrow in the exercise yard and nurses it back to health. Despite having only a third grade education, Stroud goes on to become a renowned ornithologist and achieves a greater sense of freedom and purpose behind bars than most people find in the outside world.

7.5

MagicScore

#13

The Experiment

2001

20 volunteers agree to take part in a seemingly well-paid experiment advertised by the university. It is supposed to be about aggressive behavior in an artificial prison situation. A journalist senses a story behind the ad and smuggles himself in among the test subjects. They are randomly divided into prisoners and guards. What seems like a game at the beginning soon turns into bloody seriousness.

7.4

MagicScore

#14

Ghost in the Cell

2026

In a notorious prison, an invisible force begins killing inmates brutally, compelling enemy gangs and corrupt guards to work together as they try to survive the mounting bloodshed.

7.2

MagicScore

#15

Murder in the First

1995

A young, inexperienced public defender is assigned to defend an inmate accused of committing murder while behind bars.

7.1

MagicScore

#16

Ariel

1988

A Finnish man goes to the city to find a job after the mine where he worked is closed and his father commits suicide.

7.1

MagicScore

#17

The Italian Job

1969

Charlie's got a 'job' to do. Having just left prison he finds one of his friends has attempted a high-risk job in Torino, Italy, right under the nose of the mafia. Charlie's friend doesn't get very far, so Charlie takes over the 'job'. Using three Mini Coopers, a couple of Jaguars, and a bus, he hopes to bring Torino to a standstill, steal a fortune in gold and escape in the chaos.

7.0

MagicScore

#18

A Prayer Before Dawn

2018

The amazing true story of Billy Moore, an English boxer incarcerated in Thailand’s most notorious prison. Thrown into a world of drugs and violence, he finds his best chance to escape is to fight his way out in prison Muay Thai tournaments.

6.7

MagicScore

#19

The Longest Yard

2005

Disgraced pro football quarterback Paul Crewe lands in a Texas federal penitentiary, where manipulative Warden Hazen recruits him to advise the institution's football team of prison guards. Crewe suggests a tune-up game which lands him quarterbacking a crew of inmates in a game against the guards. Aided by incarcerated ex-NFL coach and player Nate Scarborough, Crewe and his team must overcome not only the bloodthirstiness of the opposition, but also the corrupt warden trying to fix the game against them.

6.7

MagicScore

#20

Undisputed

2002

Monroe Hutchens is the heavyweight champion of Sweetwater, a maximum security prison. He was convicted to a life sentence due to a passionate crime. Iceman Chambers is the heavyweight champion, who lost his title due to a rape conviction to ten years in Sweetwater. When these two giants collide in the same prison, they fight against each other disputing who is the real champion.

6.5

MagicScore

Frequently asked

What are the best movies like Prison?

The top films similar to Prison by MovieMagicScore are In Hell (6.6), Death Warrant (6.2), 15 Minutes (5.9). Each shares crime/drama/horror/thriller themes and is ranked by real viewer ratings, not critics or studios.

Is Prison worth watching?

Prison holds a MovieMagicScore of 5.7/10 from 130 viewer ratings.

What kind of movie is Prison?

Prison (1987) is a crime, drama, horror, thriller film directed by Renny Harlin, starring Viggo Mortensen, Chelsea Field, Lane Smith.

Where can I find more recommendations like Prison?

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 In Hell Movies like Death Warrant Movies like 15 Minutes Movies like Face/Off Movies like Vendetta Movies like 20,000 Years in Sing Sing

About movies like Prison

This ranked list pairs Prison (1987), a crime and drama and horror and thriller film from Renny Harlin, with similar titles by genre, theme and cast overlap (fans of Viggo Mortensen 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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