a list: locked up

in honour of jim morrison's recent pardon, this week's "a list" is must see prison movies:

cool hand luke

the 1967 paul newman classic sees luke, a decorated war hero, struggle to come to terms with civilian life. incarcerated for a petty crime his anti-establishment sentiments and self belief make him a hero to his fellow inmates and as such a danger to the status quo. 

escape from alcatraz

a group of inmates, led by clint eastwood, attempt to escape from the notorious alcatraz; an island prison from which no-one had managed to escape before. based on a true story.

shawshank redemption

there is a good reason this is consistently in the top ten greatest films of all time; it is truly stunning. exploring humanity, hope courage and redemption. there are not many films that can take you on such a journey as this.

frank darapont's interpretation of stephen king's short story "rita hayworth and shawshank redemption" became bigger than anyone could have imagined.

green mile

this touching drama sees frank darabont return to the prison setting (and another stephen king adaptation) to further explore the human condition. this time with a supernatural twist.

papillon

based on the french novel by henri charrière, this movie sees steve mcqueen take on the role of an innocent man sent to a french penal colony in south america. conditions on the crossing are deadly and they don't get much better upon arrival. papillon gets to work planning his escape immediately and over the course of 13 years he attempts 9 escapes. another showcase of human endurance and unbreakable spirit. 

alien 3

the original alien movie was a horror film in space; a monster movie in a sci-fi setting. it was pretty ground breaking in this regard. it is fitting then that the third installment should be in keeping with this mash up ethos by placing a sc-fi monster movie in a prison setting! i think it works, but it is not as immediate as the other movies in the series. the darkness and the shadows help make the corridors and tunnels on the penal colony the perfect hunting ground for the new alien creature; he could be anywhere. it's almost like the environment itself is the enemy. oppressive darkness and a strange sense of claustrophobia? what else would you expect from a david fincher movie.

stir crazy

a little light relief with all this seriousness. pryor and wilder at their double act best. a case of mistaken identity sees the pair sent to prison. hilarity ensues.

the great escape

an all time great. popular at christmas.

a clockwork orange

based on the book by anthony burgess, this is an interesting investigation into violence begetting violence and how sometimes the cure is not always better than the disease. 

american history x

ok so a lot of this is set outside of the prison. but it is the main character's time inside and the decisions it forces him to make and the realities it forces him to see that are at the very heart of this movie. brutal yet moving, this film should be shown to all kids before they leave school. i can't think of a better modern illustration of how bigotry, racism and segregation can ruin lives.