A prison film is a film genre concerned with prison

Prison

A prison is a place in which people are physically confined and, usually, deprived of a range of personal freedoms. Imprisonment or incarceration is a legal penalty that may be imposed by the state for the commission of a crime...

 life and often prison escape

Prison escape

A prison escape or prison break is the act of an inmate leaving prison through unofficial or illegal ways. Normally, when this occurs, an effort is made on the part of authorities to recapture them and return them to their original detainers...

. These films range from acclaimed dramas examining the nature of prisons, like Cool Hand Luke

Cool Hand Luke

Cool Hand Luke is a 1967 American prison drama film directed by Stuart Rosenberg and starring Paul Newman. The screenplay was adapted by Donn Pearce and Frank Pierson from Pearce's 1965 novel of the same name. The film features George Kennedy, Strother Martin, J.D...

, Brubaker

Brubaker

Brubaker is an American 1980 film about a prison in distress and the Warden Henry Brubaker who attempts to reform the system....

, The Shawshank Redemption

The Shawshank Redemption

The Shawshank Redemption is a 1994 American drama film written and directed by Frank Darabont and starring Tim Robbins and Morgan Freeman....

, Kiss of the Spider Woman, and Murder One

Murder One

Murder one is another term for first-degree murder.Murder One may also refer to:*Murder One , a television series in the United States*Murder One , a book store in London...

 to actioners like Lock Up

Lock up

Lock up may refer to:* Lock Up , an American rock band, featuring guitarist Tom Morello during his pre-Rage Against the Machine career* Lock Up , a UK grindcore band* Lock Up , a 1989 movie featuring Sylvester Stallone...

, Undisputed, and Forced to Fight, and even comedies satirizing the genre like Stir Crazy

Stir Crazy (film)

Stir Crazy is a 1980 American comedy film starring Gene Wilder and Richard Pryor as down-on-their-luck friends who are given 125-year prison sentences after being framed for a bank robbery; while in prison they befriend other inmates and ultimately escape. In 2000, Total Film magazine voted it the...

, Life

Life (film)

Life is a 1999 American comedy-drama film directed by Ted Demme, and starring Eddie Murphy and Martin Lawrence. The supporting cast includes Obba Babatundé, Bernie Mac, Anthony Anderson, Miguel A. Núñez Jr. and Bokeem Woodbine...

, and Let's Go To Prison

Let's Go to Prison

Let's Go to Prison is an American comedy that was released in theatres November 17, 2006, starring Dax Shepard, Will Arnett and Chi McBride, and directed by Bob Odenkirk....

.

Themes repeatedly visited in the action films include escape attempts, gang activities inside the prison, and an entire subgenre of films where the toughest prisoners are permitted (or forced) to engage in boxing matches or martial arts bouts, replete with high-stakes wagering on the outcomes. These elements may be meshed together, where for example a prisoner forced to fight uses the occasion to plan an escape.

POW films

Prison films set during war

War film

War films are a film genre concerned with warfare, usually about naval, air or land battles, sometimes focusing instead on prisoners of war, covert operations, military training or other related subjects. At times war films focus on daily military or civilian life in wartime without depicting battles...

 have become a popular subgenre known as prisoner of war

Prisoner of war

A prisoner of war or enemy prisoner of war is a person, whether civilian or combatant, who is held in custody by an enemy power during or immediately after an armed conflict...

film.