Movies Like Papillon (1973)

Papillon is a 1973 crime, drama film from Franklin J. Schaffner with a MovieMagicScore of 7.8/10. Here are 20 similar films, ranked by real viewer ratings — starting with The Great Escape and We're No Angels.

Crime Drama

The Great Escape

1963

The Nazis, exasperated at the number of escapes from their prison camps by a relatively small number of Allied prisoners, relocate them to a high-security 'escape-proof' camp to sit out the remainder of the war. Undaunted, the prisoners plan one of the most ambitious escape attempts of World War II. Based on a true story.

7.9

MagicScore

We're No Angels

1955

Three convicts escape from prison on Devil's Island just before Christmas and arrive at a nearby French colonial town. They go to the store of the Ducotels, the only store that gives supplies on credit. They initially intend to take advantage of them but have a change of heart after they find the family is in financial troubles.

7.2

MagicScore

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

I Escaped from Devil's Island

1973

In 1916, a group of prisoners plot their escape from the notorious fortress located in French Guiana.

4.8

MagicScore

Papillon

2017

Henri “Papillon” Charrière, a safecracker from the Parisian underworld, is wrongfully convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment in the penal colony of French Guiana, where he forges a strong friendship with Louis Dega, a counterfeiter who needs his protection.

7.3

MagicScore

Breakout

1975

A bush pilot is hired for $50,000 to go to Mexico to free an innocent prisoner.

6.3

MagicScore

Public Enemies

2009

Depression-era bank robber John Dillinger's charm and audacity endear him to much of America's downtrodden public, but he's also a thorn in the side of J. Edgar Hoover and the fledgling FBI. Desperate to capture the elusive outlaw, Hoover makes Dillinger his first Public Enemy Number One and assigns his top agent, Melvin Purvis, the task of bringing him in dead or alive.

6.7

MagicScore

Down by Law

1986

A disc jockey, a pimp and an Italian tourist escape from jail in New Orleans.

7.3

MagicScore

Jackson County Jail

1976

A young woman stumbles into a nightmare land of hijacking and humiliation while driving cross-country from California to New York.

5.5

MagicScore

#10

Escape from Hell

1980

A women's prison camp is located deep in the tropical rain forest. Sadistic guards and a warden from hell make life almost unbearable for the inmates, and any infraction of the rules is dealt with swiftly and savagely. The camp doctor is horrified at what he sees happening, and drinks heavily to push the horror away. Finally the inmates have had had enough, and they enlist the help of the doctor to try and escape.

4.5

MagicScore

#11

A Man Escaped

1956

A captured French Resistance fighter during World War II engineers a daunting escape from prison.

7.9

MagicScore

#12

Escape from Alcatraz

1979

San Francisco Bay, January 18, 1960. Frank Lee Morris is transferred to Alcatraz, a maximum security prison located on a rocky island. Although no one has ever managed to escape from there, Frank and other inmates begin to carefully prepare an escape plan.

7.5

MagicScore

#13

Next Friday

2000

A streetwise man flees South Central Los Angeles, heading to the suburbs and his lottery-winner uncle and cousin, to avoid a neighborhood thug with a grudge who has just escaped from prison.

6.4

MagicScore

#14

No Escape

1994

In the year 2022, a ruthless prison warden has created the ultimate solution for his most troublesome and violent inmates: Absolom, a secret jungle island where prisoners are abandoned and left to die. But Marine Captain John Robbins, convicted of murdering a commanding officer, is determined to escape the island in order to reveal the truth behind his murderous actions and clear his name.

6.3

MagicScore

#15

The White Diamond

2004

This 2004 documentary by Werner Herzog diaries the struggle of a passionate English inventor to design and test a unique airship during its maiden flight above the jungle canopy.

6.9

MagicScore

#16

A Sense of Freedom

1985

The true story of Jimmy Boyle, who was reputed to be Scotland's most violent man.

6.4

MagicScore

#17

The Confession

1970

The vice-minister of Foreign Affairs of Czechoslovakia, knowing he's being watched and followed, is one day arrested and put into solitary confinement.

7.3

MagicScore

#18

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

#19

Red Dust

1932

Dennis, owner of a rubber plantation in Cochinchina, is involved with Vantine, who left Saigon to evade the police. When his new surveyor arrives along with his refined wife Dennis is quickly infatuated by her.

6.9

MagicScore

#20

Diên Biên Phu

1992

Vietnam, 1954. An American reporter finds himself in the middle of the battle of Điện Biên Phủ, between the French army and the Vietminh.

6.4

MagicScore

Frequently asked

What are the best movies like Papillon?

The top films similar to Papillon by MovieMagicScore are The Great Escape (7.9), We're No Angels (7.2), Midnight Express (7.5). Each shares crime/drama themes and is ranked by real viewer ratings, not critics or studios.

Is Papillon worth watching?

Papillon holds a MovieMagicScore of 7.8/10 from 2,024 viewer ratings, putting it among the better-reviewed titles in its genre.

What kind of movie is Papillon?

Papillon (1973) is a crime, drama film directed by Franklin J. Schaffner, starring Steve McQueen, Dustin Hoffman, Victor Jory.

Where can I find more recommendations like Papillon?

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 The Great Escape Movies like We're No Angels Movies like Midnight Express Movies like I Escaped from Devil's Island Movies like Papillon Movies like Breakout

About movies like Papillon

This ranked list pairs Papillon (1973), a crime and drama film from Franklin J. Schaffner, with similar titles by genre, theme and cast overlap (fans of Steve McQueen 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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