Stuff's 25 Best Prison Movies Ever

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The greatest caged classics of all time – all boxed into one list

Sam Kieldsen
8 August 2013 / 14:45 BST

Choky. The pen. The can. The cooler. The clink. The nick. The big house. And, indeed, the slammer.

Just some of the many slang terms we have prison, and the concept of a life behind bars has proven a rich seam for filmmakers to mine – whether they’re making a comedy, an action romp, a crusading morality tale, a musical, a sports film (yes, there’s actually quite a few of these) or simply a piece of good old-fashioned entertainment.

Since people have made movies, movies have been set in jails, and there’s an absolutely brilliant stack of must-see prison flicks that should be on any self-respecting cineaste’s watch list. In between sips of (surprisingly potent) ‘wine’ lovingly fermented in our toilet cistern, we’ve racked our collective brains and compiled this line-up of our 25 favourite films about life in the joint. All you need to do is bring the popcorn – and the shiv.

Note: List does not appear to be ranked.