What qualities about prisoners make them ideal candidates for storytelling? Maybe it’s the way they long for freedom, how they’re put in situations where they’re constantly in survivor mode, or establishing humanity in a place designed to take away humanity. Regardless, the prison movie genre has been an artistic study in film and television for decades. They won Academy Awards and became fan favorites.
These scripts are a must-read for anyone who wants to write a prison movie or wants to understand how a professional screenwriter creates an ensemble work with a cast of unique and exciting characters.
Script for this article
Bridge on the River Kwai (1957)
screenwriter: Pierre Boulle
During World War II, a group of British prisoners of war were used by Japanese captors as slave labor to build a bridge across a river. Strategic railroad bridges could help the Japanese continue the fight. The prisoners naturally wanted to sabotage these efforts. However, one colonel is eager to use this opportunity to boost the morale of the other prisoners through hard work and successful completion of the project. But as he works to accommodate his enemies, his men wonder what the true motives are and whether they should continue to help their captors.
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Cool Hand Luke (1967)
screenwriter: Don Pierce and Frank Pearson
Luke (Paul Newman) is a man who doesn’t like authority, so throwing him in jail for a few years on vandalism charges doesn’t do him justice. From day one, he was eager to show that he was not someone who just lay back and took orders. The Warden’s goal is to break Luke and make him abide by society’s rules, but that’s easier said than done. Whether it’s to prove he can eat 50 hard-boiled eggs, or to make the chain gang work quickly so guards have no reason to abuse prisoners, Luke refuses to break – and that doesn’t stop authorities from trying.
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Read more: Movies about persistence in men
longest code (1974)
screenwriter: Tracy Keenan Wayne
Former professional quarterback Paul (Burt Reynolds) had a run-in with the law and was forced to serve 18 months in state prison. When the warden had a semi-pro football team made up of prison guards, he pretty much ordered the quarterback to build a prison team to play against them, he was forced to build a team out of the best players he could find . Paul slowly brings the prisoners aboard, but he realizes that the criminals are not the most trustworthy or easy-going of the bunch. Nonetheless, the multi-part movie became a hit in the 1970s and spawned several sequels.
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The Shawshank Redemption (1994)
screenwriter: Frank Darabont
For a movie so beloved by so many, it’s hard to imagine The Shawshank Redemption (1994) barely reached $30 million at the global box office. The film tells the story of Andy (played by Tim Robbins) who is sent to prison for murdering his wife, causing a huge stir afterwards. Inside, he met a mentor and turned the dreary prison life into a tolerable place. He and his prison friends gain new freedom as he assists guards and even the warden with accounting tasks (his specialty on the outside). But because he’s innocent, he knows he doesn’t belong here and bides his time until he can redeem himself within the walls of Shawshank Prison.
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rock (1996)
screenwriter: David Weisberg, Douglas Cook and Mark Rosner
Want a high-concept story idea? A group of mercenaries have taken over Alcatraz and threaten to launch biological weapons if their ransom is released Unpaid. rock (1996) changed the action genre, and Michael Bay went all out in his second film, showing off his ability to direct a $100 million summer blockbuster.
Nearly 30 years later, its action scenes through San Francisco and Alcatraz are still jaw-dropping. rock Tells the story of an unlikely duo: the only person to escape Alcatraz and a bumbling scientist, played by Sean Connery and Nicolas Cage, respectively, who must break into a prison and stop the launch of a biological weapon .
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United Airlines (1997)
screenwriter: Scott Rosenberg
Okay, here’s another high concept idea. The country’s most dangerous criminals take over the plane and transport them to a maximum security prison. Nicolas Cage stars as Cameron, a paroled prisoner on a doomed flight home as a group of highly intelligent, capable, ruthless criminals hatch a plan to regain his freedom. As an Army Ranger, Cameron’s consciousness gets the better of him and he decides to take back control of his plane and save the world.
The movie is fun, action-packed, and filled with a killer line-up of amazing actors.
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ki4haFrqSrw
Green Mile Avenue (1999)
screenwriter: Frank Darabont
Breaking away from home video and cable TV success The Shawshank RedemptionDarabont attempted another Stephen King short story set in a prison.
green mile (1999) tells the behind-the-scenes story of life on death row for a group of prison guards and inmates destined for the electric chair. When a tall, gentle prisoner enters their lives, they realize he has the supernatural ability to heal people with just the touch of his hand. Now, for the guards, it’s less of a job and more of something more.
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Brother, where are you? (2000)
screenwriter: Joel and Ethan Coen
Based on Homer’s epic poem, three bumbling idiots embark on a wild adventure that begins in prison and continues in an odyssey in search of treasure and a way home.
After escaping from prison, the three escaped legal sanctions, but encountered several prisoners. Odyssey-Some characters including Sirens and Cyclops. Ulysses (played by George Clooney) Team leaderhis goal is to get his estranged wife back and regain his role as patriarch while trying to keep the other two in line. The film is as Coen Brothers-esque as can be.
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Read more: Why has there never been a true Shakespeare biopic?
the last castle (2001)
screenwriter: David Scarpa and Graham Yost
When a former general enters a military prison, he just wants to do his best and move on. Unfortunately, a fearful and brutal warden wants to prove that he is the leader of the prison and will do whatever is necessary to maintain control. The General agrees until he can no longer resist the warden’s corrupt and manipulative ways of keeping the prisoners in line. The general is persuaded to raise an army of disgraced, imprisoned soldiers and decides to rise up against the cruel warden.
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i love you philip morris (2009)
screenwriter: John Requa and Glenn Ficarra
Creating movies based on true stories often relies on finding stories that are stranger than fiction. i love you philip morris (2009) is a story based on true events about a police officer who re-evaluates his life after a car accident. This involved coming out as gay (he married a woman) and continuing his criminal/liar tendencies. This landed him in prison, where he met the new love of his life.
This movie is about the lies people tell and the deceptions they are willing to commit when it comes to Love and freedom. The film wasn’t a huge hit at the box office, but the script was worth a read, especially since it cast Jim Carrey and Ewan McGregor as the two lovers.
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Perhaps the most intriguing concept behind most prison movies is the idea that many characters dream of being somewhere else, but there are always forces at work that keep them where they are. These prison films reveal the dark corners of human nature as well as inspiring moments of hope and optimism. In many ways, it’s like being trapped inside a writer’s mind.
Read more: Screenwriting 101: How to Write a Compelling Crime Story
