[crzylgs]

I’d say Zero Dark Thirty is substantially better than the other two JC films mentioned, which are both good, but ZDT is just amazing. Won’t miss a chance to shout out Hurt Locker, also directed by Bigelow

I'd say that The Hurt Locker is one of the best war movies ever made.

Can't argue with any of those films being highly praised. It's not at all connected to JC or Bigelow but under the topic of war movies my personal favourite is The Thin Red Line. I'm an absolute sucker for Terrence Malick's directorial style and that film really works for me.

[Hydraulic Man]

Got round to watching Titane last night...Chrome injury French Wierdness...

[TobyD]

I’d say Zero Dark Thirty is substantially better than the other two JC films mentioned, which are both good, but ZDT is just amazing. Won’t miss a chance to shout out Hurt Locker, also directed by Bigelow

I'd say that The Hurt Locker is one of the best war movies ever made.

Can't argue with any of those films being highly praised. It's not at all connected to JC or Bigelow but under the topic of war movies my personal favourite is The Thin Red Line. I'm an absolute sucker for Terrence Malick's directorial style and that film really works for me.

That one would also be high on my list of better war movies

[TobyD]

The Gray Man
On Netflix. If you want to use your brain, or are after quality acting, screenplay etc, do not under any circumstances watch this.

If on the other hand, you want to see Ryan Gosling beating people up, and an awful lot of guns, explosions, fast cars and stupid stunts for a couple of hours with a minimum of actual plot, then get it on.
To employ a cliché as terrible as many of those in the film, this does exactly what it says on the tin. I enjoyed it, because it's more or less what I wanted at the time.

[Wellsy]

Went to see Nope yesterday

Was bloody brilliant. Definitely worth a cinema ticket for. Don't want to spoil a thing and the less you know the better but I 100% recommend it!

[TobyD]

Rewatching guardians of the galaxy last night (iplayer) it has a great prison riot scene. It occurred to me that quite a few classic movies have memorable prison scenes; the riot in natural born killers is possibly my favourite,  along with the scene in goodfellas where the gangsters are slicing garlic with a razor blade. 

[SA Chris]

And Goldmember

[Paul B]

and "The Raid 2".

[steveri]

Nominate Cool Hand Luke egg eating scene for the wider 'things in prison' category. And the end of One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (more or less a prison).

[Will Hunt]

Cool Hand Luke egg eating scene

Two dads of kids in my year at school were drinking together and one of them bet the other that he could eat 50 eggs as in Cool Hand Luke. The stake was the family summer holiday. Needless to say, the egg-eating dad stayed at home that year.

[SA Chris]

You guys are overlooking Shawshank. As good as a prison film can get IMO. And Papillon (the original, didn't know it was remade).

[Moo]

Erm..... the green mile, pretty much start to finish.

[steveri]

Papillon, excellent choice. Shawshank but everyone knows that. Bloke flipping out in Midnight Express
And from this century, The Platform!

[SA Chris]

Erm..... the green mile, pretty much start to finish.

Good story, but a wee bit far fetched. The Rock is more realistic

[Moo]

 

[TobyD]

You guys are overlooking Shawshank. As good as a prison film can get IMO. And Papillon (the original, didn't know it was remade).

I wasn't overlooking it, I just think it's pretty mawkish and sentimental personally. I feel pretty much the same about the Green Mile.
I've only read Papillon but that was amazing, I'd like to see it.

Frankly they all look underwhelming compared to the racoon thing machine gunning the prison in guardians of the galaxy!

[cowboyhat]

Papillion obviously. Apologies for stating this but you never know; Its steve mcqueen and dustin hoffman. One of those movies a bit like The Good the bad and the ugly that i'd find myself drawn into late at night, every time it was on which seemed to be a lot, why do they have three hour movies starting at 10pm, 14" tv in my bedroom with the volume on 1 or 2, parents ye be deaf.

For modern the prison section with Rorschach in The Watchmen is great, as are the prison parts in the two wes anderson movies The Grand Budapest and The French Dispatch.

Although my overall review of the french despatch is, mixed. I can see that wes anderson isn't for everyone.

[crzylgs]

Rewatching guardians of the galaxy last night (iplayer) it has a great prison riot scene. It occurred to me that quite a few classic movies have memorable prison scenes; the riot in natural born killers is possibly my favourite,  along with the scene in goodfellas where the gangsters are slicing garlic with a razor blade.

A few films based around prisons (rather than a single scene) I can add to the mix

Classic of the genre:
The Great Escape

A personal fave:
Escape From New York - a prison of sorts.

Honourable mentions:
Brawl in Cell Block 99 - a slightly more recent prison based film that I enjoyed for what it is. In a similar vein to Nobody where Bod Odenkirk plays an unlikely capable master of violence in Brawl in Cell block 99 it's Vince Vaughn's turn to kick ass!
Out of Sight - George Clooney has a funny prison break in this as far as i recall.

Totally agree about the prison section of The French Dispatch being the best!

[nik at work]

Paddington 2

Or that Stallone one where they fix a car and play American football in the mud

[moose]

I'm fond of the 70s version of The Longest Yard - Burt Reynolds in an American football version of Escape to Victory.  Bronson, with Tom Hardy as one of Durham Prison's most famous inmates, was really striking.  My overall favourite, for both quality and nostalgia reasons, is probably Cool Hand Luke though - not just for eponymous reasons - so much iconic imagry and that Newman performance. 

I agree with Toby re Shawshank - it's a good film (even better than Escape Plan... and that's got both Stallone and Arnie!) but I'm mystified by its appearances on "Best Film Ever" lists.  To me, it's a sentimental, Sunday matinée potboiler with an added buggery.   YMMV but while I think it is "handsome" and "well-made", I also feel that those are more hallmarks of an artisanal piece of furniture than art.

[nik at work]

Burt Reynolds is a good call Moose

[Bradders]

It's not strictly a film (although only about 3 hours in total so not far off), but I thought Time was excellent. Lots of prison based dramas tend to romanticise the experience; this doesn't!

[SA Chris]

Re Shawshank. When I first watched it I thought it was the best film ever, but agree it doesn't stand up to repeated viewings. Yes, the end is sentimental, and considerably more upbeat than the book, but as a story told, I think it's excellent.

[Rocksteady]

I'm fond of the 70s version of The Longest Yard - Burt Reynolds in an American football version of Escape to Victory.  Bronson, with Tom Hardy as one of Durham Prison's most famous inmates, was really striking.  My overall favourite, for both quality and nostalgia reasons, is probably Cool Hand Luke though - not just for eponymous reasons - so much iconic imagry and that Newman performance. 

I agree with Toby re Shawshank - it's a good film (even better than Escape Plan... and that's got both Stallone and Arnie!) but I'm mystified by its appearances on "Best Film Ever" lists.  To me, it's a sentimental, Sunday matinée potboiler with an added buggery.   YMMV but while I think it is "handsome" and "well-made", I also feel that those are more hallmarks of an artisanal piece of furniture than art.

Good list of prison films. Papillon is excellent. What about 'Scum' with a young Ray Winstone? My memory of it was that it was a very good film albeit super depressing. Good riot scene.

[TobyD]

I'm fond of the 70s version of The Longest Yard - Burt Reynolds in an American football version of Escape to Victory.  Bronson, with Tom Hardy as one of Durham Prison's most famous inmates, was really striking.  My overall favourite, for both quality and nostalgia reasons, is probably Cool Hand Luke though - not just for eponymous reasons - so much iconic imagry and that Newman performance. 

I agree with Toby re Shawshank - it's a good film (even better than Escape Plan... and that's got both Stallone and Arnie!) but I'm mystified by its appearances on "Best Film Ever" lists.  To me, it's a sentimental, Sunday matinée potboiler with an added buggery.   YMMV but while I think it is "handsome" and "well-made", I also feel that those are more hallmarks of an artisanal piece of furniture than art.

Good list of prison films. Papillon is excellent. What about 'Scum' with a young Ray Winstone? My memory of it was that it was a very good film albeit super depressing. Good riot scene.

I think I saw scum a very long time ago, but perhaps I'll have to rewatch it for a good prison riot.
Anyone who hasn't seen it should try to see Natural Born Killers. The prison riot in that with a Dr Dre track playing is brilliant.