The Top 10 Best Escape Movies
5. Papillon
While I might have been one of the few who enjoyed the 2018 remake of this film, for the sake of this list I’m going to stick with the 1973 version starring Steve McQueen and Dustin Hoffman. The film follows a Parisian safe cracker sent to prison for a crime he didn’t commit. While any normal prison might not have stood a chance against Papillon, he’s instead sent to an island fortress in French Guiana. Little chance to escape doesn’t phase Papillon though and he tries and tries again, despite being sent to solitary each time he fails. Despite years spent alone in confinement and prohibited to speak, our hero’s spirit remains unbroken until he finally manages to get away. It might have taken him years, but in the end, Papillon has the last laugh.
4. Midnight Express
If you thought American prisons were bad, wait until you get a load of the one in Midnight Express. American tourists have a reputation for being obnoxious, but that doesn’t mean that Billy Hayes deserved to be sentenced to 30 years in prison for trying to smuggle out some hash. The film is absolutely brutal to watch and almost unbearable considering its based on a true story. Of all the movies on this list, the prison break featured in Midnight Express is probably the most underwhelming but considering the conditions that Billy escapes from, it’s one of the most triumphant. If you haven’t seen Midnight Express, I don’t blame you and I certainly won’t hold it against you. But if you’ve got a strong emotional fortitude, it’s well worth the watch.
3. Escape from Alcatraz
Alcatraz is probably one of the most infamous prisons to ever exist. However, infamous doesn’t mean inescapable and a young Clint Eastwood sets out to prove exactly that in Escape from Alcatraz. In the film, he plays a prisoner sent to the dreaded prison where he makes the acquaintance of several colorful characters also serving out sentences there. Of them all though, it’s the warden who proves to be the most heartless. That gives Eastwood more than enough reason to destroy the man’s “flawless record” and he forms an escape play. With the help of two of his former colleagues, he makes a daring escape out of the prison and through the fridged California waters. Guess that just goes to show that no prison is inescapable.
2. The Great Escape
While it’s easy to hate most wardens escape movies, it’s even easier when they’re Nazis. It wouldn’t be much of a list of escape movies unless I included the film that claims to be “the great escape,” and to be honest it’s a pretty well-deserved title. The film follows a group of allied POW’s who refuse to give a bunch of Nazis the satisfaction of keeping them prisoner. What ensues is one of the most daring and impressive escape plans that I’ve seen on the big screen. There are so many moving parts in this film that its a wonder they never got caught before the big break. There’s a reason that this film is such a beloved classic and the best part is that this is based on an actual escape that occurred in WWII.
1. The Shawshank Redemption
It just so happens that the highest rated film on IMDB also happens to be one of the best Stephan King movies of all time as well. Coincidentally, it’s also one hell of an escape movie which means it more than deserves top honors when it comes to escape movies. The film is an absolute masterpiece, so rather than try to sum up the incredible prison break at the end, I’ll let my good buddy Red do it.
“In 1966, Andy Dufresne escaped from Shawshank prison. All they found of him was a muddy set of prison clothes, a bar of soap, and an old rock hammer, damn near worn down to the nub… …Andy crawled to freedom through five hundred yards of shit smelling foulness I can’t even imagine, or maybe I just don’t want to. Five hundred yards… that’s the length of five football fields, just shy of half a mile.”
Those are the top 10 escape movies I’ve seen over the years. Of course, the last doesn’t end there and if you have a favorite that didn’t make the list, be sure to leave a comment below. As always, I’ll be updating this list as movies hit theaters, so be sure to check back from time to time to see how the rankings change and what new films might qualify for this list.