20 of the Most Entertaining Escape Films Ever!
The hopelessness of confinement, coupled with the constant tensions that surround escape, entertains many movie fans. Whether it is from a war camp, prison, dungeon, kidnapper, a gang, cult, or other relentless tormentor, the suspense is intensified by the desire for freedom that resonates in us all. Viewers are fully committed to the protagonist(s), as they visually and emotionally share the confinement experience. Participation is enhanced as moviegoers internalize or discuss what they would or wouldn’t do in this or that situation. Since personal freedom is at the foundation of every human’s will, it is easy to understand how the escape story has become one of the most successful and powerful plot lines to “capture” audiences.
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- DirectorJohn SturgesStarsSteve McQueenJames GarnerRichard AttenboroughAllied prisoners of war plan for several hundred of their number to escape from a German camp during World War II.The Commander in Chief of all escape films!
- DirectorBilly WilderStarsWilliam HoldenDon TaylorOtto PremingerAfter two Americans are killed while escaping from a German P.O.W. camp in World War II, the barracks black marketeer, J.J. Sefton, is suspected of being an informer.Excellent mystery to solve in this war camp experience.
- DirectorDon SiegelStarsClint EastwoodPatrick McGoohanRoberts BlossomAlcatraz is the most secure prison of its time. It is believed that no one can ever escape from it, until three daring men make a possibly successful attempt at escaping from one of the most infamous prisons in the world.Dark, cold, and edgy!
- DirectorMartin CampbellStarsRay LiottaLance HenriksenStuart WilsonA soldier convicted for murdering his commanding officer is dumped and left to die on a prison island inhabited by two camps of convicts.Fully entertaining!
- DirectorMichael BayStarsScarlett JohanssonEwan McGregorDjimon HounsouA man living in a futuristic sterile colony begins to question his circumscribed existence when his friend is chosen to go to the Island, the last uncontaminated place on earth.A very creative rush!
- DirectorJack SmightStarsPaul NewmanSylva KoscinaAndrew DugganIn 1943, a group of captured Allied brigadier generals cannot agree on an escape plan. Allied headquarters develops a plan to send in an escape artist to be captured himself so he can coordinate the generals escape.Fun, funny, and feel good. A lighthearted approach to the seriousness of confinement...until a joker is played.
- DirectorPeter LordNick ParkStarsMel GibsonJulia SawalhaPhil DanielsWhen a cockerel apparently flies into a chicken farm, the chickens see him as an opportunity to escape their evil owners.Great entertainment!
- DirectorJohn HustonStarsMichael CaineSylvester StallonePeléAs allied P.O.W.s prepare for a soccer game against the German National Team to be played in Nazi-occupied Paris, the French Resistance and British officers are making plans for the team's escape.An escape no one saw coming.
- DirectorWerner HerzogStarsChristian BaleSteve ZahnJeremy DaviesA U.S. fighter pilot's epic struggle of survival after being shot down on a mission over Laos during the Vietnam War.You wouldn't want to be there!
- DirectorJohn CarpenterStarsKurt RussellLee Van CleefErnest BorgnineIn 1997, when the U.S. president crashes into Manhattan, now a giant maximum security prison, a convicted bank robber is sent in to rescue him.Great concept delivered through 80s' edginess.
- DirectorPaul Michael GlaserStarsArnold SchwarzeneggerMaria Conchita AlonsoYaphet KottoIn a dystopian America, a falsely convicted policeman gets his shot at freedom when he must forcibly participate in a TV game show where convicts, runners, must battle killers for their freedom.A great ride!
- DirectorRob ReinerStarsJames CaanKathy BatesRichard FarnsworthAfter a famous author is rescued from a car crash by a fan of his novels, he comes to realize that the care he is receiving is only the beginning of a nightmare of captivity and abuse.The title says it all.
- DirectorDavid L. CunninghamStarsRobert CarlyleKiefer SutherlandCiarán McMenaminDuring World War II, four Allied POWs endure harsh treatment from their Japanese captors while being forced to build a railroad through the Burmese jungle.From patriotism to humanism, a powerful story of character in confinement.
- DirectorKevin ReynoldsStarsJim CaviezelGuy PearceChristopher AdamsonA young man, falsely imprisoned by his jealous "friend", escapes and uses a hidden treasure to exact his revenge.Rich with intensity!
- DirectorDuncan GibbinsStarsCraig ShefferVirginia MadsenJon PolitoA young woman from a Catholic school and a young man from a nearby prison camp fall in love and must run away together to escape the law, the church and their parents.A lost gem!
- DirectorStuart RosenbergStarsPaul NewmanGeorge KennedyStrother MartinA laid-back Southern man is sentenced to two years in a rural prison, but refuses to conform.It's in the name.
- DirectorDelbert MannStarsJohn HurtJane AlexanderDoug McKeonTrue tale about two men planning to escape from communist East Germany in a hot air balloon, but only if they can take their families with them.Arguably the greatest escape from East Berlin.
- DirectorGregory HoblitStarsBruce WillisColin FarrellTerrence HowardA law student becomes a lieutenant during World War II, is captured and asked to defend a black prisoner of war falsely accused of murder.Another tense war camp thrill-ride.
- DirectorRupert WyattStarsBrian CoxDamian LewisJoseph FiennesFrank is 14 years into a life sentence when he decides to break out of the London prison to set things right with his ill junkie daughter. He plans an ingenious escape requiring 4 inmates with different skills.Wonderful Brit film. Non-linear storytelling suspends the viewer till the end.
- DirectorRonald NeameStarsGene HackmanErnest BorgnineShelley WintersA group of passengers must embark on a harrowing struggle for survival after a rogue wave capsizes their cruise ship at sea.Man against a trap-ridden maze.