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The 12 Best Superhero Movies Ever Made

What’s the best superhero movie ever made? For our money, it’s one of the following — presented in no particular order.

The Dark Knight (2008)

Heath Ledger as The Joker in The Dark Knight. Warner Bros. – Credit: C/O

This is the most obvious choice — a jittery, chilling morality play in which everyone does everything right, anchored by Christian Bale as the best Batman and Heath Ledger in an Oscar-winning role as one of the best-ever screen villains, a mastermind posing as a clown.

One could argue this doesn’t belong on a list of superhero movies, since no one has super powers… but that’s part of what we love about The Dark Knight.

Avengers: Infinity War (2018)

Disney – Credit: C/O

After an astonishing opening that promises anything could happen, Infinity War invests in character development as much as action before ending on a cliffhanger to end all cliffhangers.

Its sequel, Avengers: Endgame, not only resolves that cliffhanger but also pays off more than a decade of Marvel superhero movie storylines.

Watching Infinity War and Endgame back to back, it’s hard not to feel like you’re revisiting the high water mark of the MCU. Hopefully Kevin Feige and company can recapture the greatness of the late 2010s with Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars, which will bring back some of our old favorites.

Spider-Man 2 (2004)

Sony – Credit: C/O

Peter Parker (Tobey Maguire) learns that with great power comes not just great responsibility, but great sacrifice, as he realizes that his role as Spider-Man endangers the love of his life, Mary Jane Watson (Kirsten Dunst).

Doc Ock (Alfred Molina) is one of the all-time best spider villains, and the highlight of the whole film comes in a truly marvelous sequence in which New York City saves Spidey, for a change. The most romantic of all superhero movies, except for the last one on our list.

Sony made an inspired choice when they hired Sam Raimi to land this one, and he nailed it — he brought the very Peter Parkeresque scrappiness of his Evil Dead franchise to an at-the-time unproven property, recognizing that Spider-Man is as much about heart as heroics. And sometimes heart and heroics are the same thing.

X2: X-Men United (2003)

Fox – Credit: C/O

2003’s X-Men 2 far improves on the original from the first scene: It starts with Nightcrawler (Alan Cumming) operatically invading the Oval Office, and never slows.

The fight between Wolverine (Hugh Jackman) and Lady Deathstryke (Kelly Hu) feels far more grounded and high-stakes than terrible CGI fights that would ruin so many superhero movies in the years to come, and Brian Cox is menacingly flawless as Col. William Stryker, a very believable nemesis to our favorite band of mutants.

Fox seemed timid about the first X-Men, since superhero movies seemed a little niche at the time of its release. But X2 stays truer to the Chris Claremont X-Men comics, and soars as a result.

Logan (2017)

Hugh Jackman in Logan. Fox – Credit: C/O

A break-all-the-rules story of sacrifice, loss, and one loner’s struggle to get through centuries on this planet doing more good than harm.

Director James Mangold proved once and for all that comic book movies aren’t just for kids with a metaphorical story of aging as gracefully as you can.

Mangold returned to the theme of an aging action hero, meanwhile, in the recent Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny. But honestly, we prefer Logan.

Deadpool (2016)

Deadpool (Ryan Reynolds) in Deadpool. Fox – Credit: C/O

The most flat-out funny comic-book movie ever made, which made it to the screen through Ryan Reynold’s stubborn insistence that one of Marvel’s weirdest, least likely screen stars could be one of its greatest.

And yes, we enjoyed last year’s megahit Deadpool vs. Wolverine — but not as much as we enjoyed their solo adventures.

Black Panther (2018)

Disney – Credit: C/O

The world-building is stellar and acting top-notch throughout. Michael B. Jordan plays perhaps the MCU’s best villain ever, and Chadwick Boseman delivered a beautiful turn as a king torn between his people and the people of the world in this Best Picture nominee from Ryan Coogler.

It’s kind of stunning that both Black Panther and Infinity War were released just months apart — 2018 was quite a year for Marvel, and superhero movies in general.

And that’s before we even get to the next super movie on our list.

Spider-Man: Into the Spider Verse (2018)

Sony – Credit: C/O

Breaking with every kind of staid tradition, this boldly experimental, utterly gorgeous animated film is a loving, awe-inspiring homage to decades of Spider-mythology and an optimistic look ahead at what comic book movies — and their young fans — can aspire to be.

It’s incredible how many spider friends — and villains — the movie fits in, making it all look effortless. It’s a movie you can watch dozens of times, catching something new on each viewing.

We just wish its often-fantastic sequel, Across the Spider-Verse, hadn’t ended on such a tough cliffhanger.

X-Men: Days of Future Past (2014)

Jennifer Lawrence as Mystique in X-Men: Days of Future Past. Fox – Credit: C/O

A fairly faithful screen adaptation of one of Christopher Claremont’s most iconic storylines from the comics, though it puts Logan (Hugh Jackman) center stage instead of Kitty Pryde and ambitiously melds the X-Men movies of the 2000s and their prequels of the 2010s.

Long before the many movie metaverses made time travel or alternate realities feel exhausting, this X-Men film had what was then a fresh and thrilling take.

Blade (1998)

New Line Cinema – Credit: C/O

Blade isn’t perfect, but it expanded everyone’s idea of what a superhero movie could be by pulling from one of Marvel’s lesser-known heroes: a vampire hunter who wears a leather jacket instead of a cape or tights.

Blade opened the door to the reality that Marvel could have as much or even more success with its second-tier or forgotten characters, like Ant-Man or the Guardians of the Galaxy, than it could with heroes we had seen onscreen before.

And of course Wesley Snipes is awesome in the lead role, and delivers the classic line, Some mother—-er’s are always trying to ice skate uphill.”

The Incredibles (2004)

Pixar – Credit: C/O

Pixar’s The Incredibles is both a great family superhero movie and a dark deconstruction of superhero tropes — note that Mr. Incredible bails out on the business because of legal threats, not because of bad guys.

The animation is groundbreaking and stellar, combining dynamic character design with Art Deco touches that harken back to the days of Batman and Superman. It’s funny, it’s sweeping, it’s curiously dark. The grainy black-and-white rescue segment takes it to a daring new level. It’s a super movie in every way.

Superman (1978)

Warner Bros. – Credit: C/O

The film that started it all. Its earnestness and total reliance on practical effects — as well as stellar performances and moving love story between Lois Lane (Margot Kidder) and Supes make it feel more charming and inspiring with each passing year.

Christopher Reeve will always be our Superman, and, as we mentioned, it’s the most romantic superhero movie.

We have high hopes for the upcoming James Gunn take on Superman — and are especially excited to meet Krypto, Superman’s dog.

Liked This List of the Best Superhero Movies?

Vinegar Syndrome

You might also like this list of 1970s Movies That Don’t Care About Your Respect.

Main image: Jennifer Lawrence as Mystique in X-Men: Days of Future Past.

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01/06/2025
Why Staff Training Matters More Than Ever — Every Movie Has a Lesson

In an increasingly competitive and fast-paced world, businesses that invest in continuous learning are the ones that thrive. Whether it’s staying compliant with regulations, developing leadership, or building communication confidence, upskilling your team can make a measurable difference to performance and success.

From legal essentials to industry standards and personal development, the right training opens doors. It reduces risk, boosts morale, and helps create a culture of growth and adaptability. Here are three key areas where expanding your team’s knowledge can directly strengthen your business from the inside out.

1. Mastering Compliance: Data Protection is Everyone’s Business

In today’s data-driven world, businesses are held to high standards when it comes to the handling and safeguarding of personal information. While IT teams play a significant role, every employee has a responsibility to uphold best practices in data protection.

That’s why data protection training courses are becoming essential in modern workplaces. These courses provide staff with the knowledge they need to navigate complex legal requirements such as GDPR, prevent costly breaches, and maintain the trust of clients and partners.

Far from being a tick-box exercise, data training helps embed a culture of accountability. When your team understands what personal data is, how to store it securely, and what to do in the event of a breach, you significantly reduce the risk of fines and reputational damage. It also ensures you stay on the right side of ever-evolving regulations.

By making data literacy part of your core business operations, you equip staff with the tools to act responsibly and confidently in a digital age.

2. Site Safety and Leadership in Construction Environments

For businesses in construction or site management, safety is not just a legal obligation—it’s a moral one. Creating secure, efficient, and compliant worksites is fundamental to the success of any project, and this begins with knowledgeable, well-trained leadership.

Undertaking an SMSTS training course (Site Management Safety Training Scheme) is a powerful way to ensure that managers, supervisors, and foremen are fully equipped to lead with safety in mind. These courses cover risk assessments, legal responsibilities, and on-site safety practices—offering a comprehensive approach to managing people and processes in hazardous environments.

Not only does this training protect workers and reduce accidents, but it also improves efficiency and fosters a culture of professionalism and accountability. For any company operating in construction or site-based sectors, it’s an investment that directly affects operational excellence and reputation.

3. Communication Confidence Through Presentation Skills

Even the most knowledgeable team members can struggle to make an impact if they can’t communicate their ideas effectively. Whether pitching to clients, leading internal meetings, or representing the business at events, strong public speaking skills can set individuals—and businesses—apart.

This is where presentation training becomes invaluable. These sessions help employees develop clarity, confidence, and control in their delivery. They tackle everything from voice projection and body language to slide design and storytelling techniques, ensuring that each message is delivered with impact.

Effective presenters don’t just share information—they inspire, motivate, and build trust. That’s why presentation skills are useful across every department, from marketing and sales to HR and leadership. A well-delivered message can be the difference between winning new business and losing it, between leading change and facing resistance.

By developing confident communicators within your team, you empower your staff to represent your brand with professionalism and persuasion.

Why Ongoing Learning Matters

These examples highlight just how diverse business training can be. Whether it’s through data protection training courses, leadership development in construction, or enhancing presentation skills, the benefits go beyond ticking boxes—they influence everything from compliance and safety to brand perception and staff retention.

When employees are offered the chance to learn and grow, they feel more valued. This leads to higher engagement, lower turnover, and a stronger team ethos. It also prepares your business to adapt to change, whether through regulation shifts, technological advancements, or evolving client expectations.

The Competitive Advantage of Training

The most successful businesses are those that see training not as a cost, but as an opportunity. They understand that developing the capability of their people is the most reliable way to future-proof their organisation.

By investing in specialist courses that align with your industry and values, you’re actively strengthening your operations from the ground up. This approach ensures your staff aren’t just meeting standards—they’re exceeding them.

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14/05/2025
The 15 Funniest TV Shows We’ve Ever Seen

Here are the funniest TV shows we’ve ever seen. Here we go.

But First

Screenshot – Credit: NBC

Your list is probably different — so please share your own choices. Comedy is subjective, after all.

Also, you’ll notice some bias here toward more recent shows. Since comedy is so much about breaking rules, it’s hard for older shows to stay funny as the rules change. A risky joke in 1960 might not even feel like a joke today.

And finally, this isn’t a list of the “best” or “most beloved” comedy shows, or comedies with the characters we like the most, or whatever — these are shows that made us laugh, uncontrollably.

With that explained, on to the funniest TV shows we’ve ever seen.

The Righteous Gemstones

HBO

The Righteous Gemstones just wrapped its fourth and final season of combining comedy and drama — as well as shocking violence — better than any show we’ve seen.

The series about a family mega-ministry has an outstanding core cast, but everyone shines. Benjamin Jason Barnes (Tim Baltz) made us laugh harder than anyone else on the show with his reaction to Baby Billy (Walton Goggins) overturning a trailer full of remedies for “covids” and other ailments.

You could make a case for all three of Danny McBride’s HBO shows — the others are Eastbound and Down and Vice Principals — to be on this list of funniest TV shows.

Favorite line: “The elixirs…”

Chappelle’s Show

Comedy Central

Dave Chappelle and Neal Brennan created one of the most jaw-dropping sketch shows of all, one that Comedy Central executives eventually admitted they didn’t understand, as Brennan recently said on the Joe Rogan podcast.

Blind racist Clayton Bigsby — who doesn’t know he’s Black — is maybe the perfect Chappelle’s Show creation: provocative, absurd, but mostly just hysterically funny.

Favorite line: Come on, of course it’s “I’m Rick James, b—-.”

The Simpsons

Fox

The longest-running comedy in TV history is also arguably the best. Yes, its quality has shifted from season to season, but The Simpsons has brought more brilliant characters to the screen than any other show, and plenty of simple wisdom, as well.

And of all these funniest TV shows, it’s also the all-time champion of out-of-nowhere shots at beloved chain restaurants.

Favorite line: “I’m so hungry I could eat at Arby’s!”

In Living Color

Fox

In Living Color would do anything for a laugh, no matter how offensive or grotesque, and for that we happily add it to our list of funniest TV shows.

It leaned hard on big characters and catch phrases, from “Fire Marshall Bill” to the “Men on Film,” but we most loved its weird observational sketches like “Hey Mon,” a sitcom about a hardworking West Indian family.

Favorite line: “How many jobs he got?”

It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia

FX

We have endless respect to Always Sunny for never once, in 16 seasons, trying to make its lead characters smart, likable or admirable. Charlie Day, Glen Howerton, Kaitlin Olsen and Rob McElhenney — and obviously Danny DeVito — may be the funniest people ever to star in a sitcom, even if Emmy voters will never give them their proper due because of their basic-cable status and refusal to play nice.

We love the incredibly daring early episodes, but we also love The Gang trying and failing to virtue signal in these supposedly more socially conscious times. Again, we’re gauging funniest TV shows by how hard they make us laugh — and almost no show makes us laugh harder than this one.

Favorite line: “Turn the cage so I can see!”

South Park

Comedy Central

When everyone else is scared to say something, South Park says it. It has gone after everyone in its nearly 30-year reign, and we love it — even when it makes fun of people and institutions we hold dear. It’s one of the funniest TV shows and least scared TV shows.

Also, we think about the Mad Max episode every single day.

Favorite line: “Respect my authoritah.”

The Office

NBC

Are you a fan of the British The Office? Or the American The Office? The great news is, you don’t have to choose. Both are brilliant.

We were on a plane yesterday and happened to watch the “Gay Witch Hunt” episode from 2006 – a time when many more people were closeted at work and same-sex marriage wasn’t illegal. And man did it hold up, right up to the horrifying forced kiss between Michael (Steve Carell) and Oscar (Oscar Nuñez).

Favorite line: “That’s what she said. Or he said.”

I Think You Should Leave

Netflix

Created by Tim Robbins, a former Saturday Night Live writer and actor who was simply too weird for the show, I Think You Should Leave is the latest show on our list — and maybe the one that has made us laugh the hardest.

It definitely has the best batting average, given that it has only had three short seasons and would rather do blazing 20-minute episodes than longer ones padded with clunkers. We aren’t even going to try to explain the jokes. Just watch. It’s the funniest new TV shows, but also one of the all-time funniest TV shows.

Favorite line: “What is her job?”

Seinfeld

NBC

Maybe the most obvious pick for any list of the funniest TV shows, Seinfeld did the best job of any network primetime comedy of twisting our brains into appreciating the weirder, more absurdist elements of life.

And it has our respect for its no-hugs, no-learning rejection of sentimentality and the usual cloying sitcom nonsense. It’s trying to be one of the funniest shows, not the most cuddly show. It succeeded.

Favorite line: “I’m out.”

Curb Your Enthusiasm

HBO

We’ll take Curb over Seinfeld. There, we said it. We love everything about Curb — the pettiness of the ultra privileged, the grudges, the long stare downs, even the swan murder.

The recent series finale — a callback to Larry David’s divisive Seinfeld finale — was a perfect Curb conclusion: ridiculous, small-minded, and totally disinterested in what anyone else thinks.

Favorite line: “I love my sewing machine.”

30 Rock

NBC

30 Rock‘s reputation as one of the funniest TV shows only grows with rewatches.

We’re still catching jokes from our third, fourth or fifth watches of old 30 Rock episodes. Tina Fey’s Emmy-magnet masterwork was almost as quick with a joke as Airplane, with a perfect smart-silly sensibility toward race, gender and all variety of sacred cows.

We love an out-of-nowhere insult, and we still laugh at its weird shot at LinkedIn — every time we log into LinkedIn.

Favorite line: “This corporation has a very strict bros before h–s policy.”

Silicon Valley

HBO

Mike Judge has made so many wonderful things, from Beavis and Butthead to King of the Hill to Office Space, but the TV show that made us laugh the hardest was Silicon Valley, a satire of pompous tech bros and excess that was also stocked with Game of Thrones-style twists.

Our favorite episode was the one where Dinesh (Kumail Nanjiani) tried to up his cool quotient with a thin gold chain he couldn’t quite pull off.

Favorite line: “Hey Dinesh, nice chain. Do you c—- your mother with it when you put your p—- in her b——-?

Saturday Night Live

SNL/NBC

Everyone likes to make the same joke about Saturday Night Dead — and that joke is about 45 years old, folks — but try to imagine the comedy landscape without the Lorne Michaels series that brought us far, far, far too many comedic icons to list.

The SNL sketches we can barely even find anymore — “The Whipmaster”? “The Five Beatles”? — are funnier than most shows will ever produce. And even people who think its best days are behind it have to respect that every few weeks someone — usually Mikey Day — will break out with a brilliant sketch as funny as anything SNL has ever done.

His Matt Schatt sketches, with their perfect misdirection, are among the best SNL sketches ever. (That’s Matt with his wife Alexandra Kennedy Schatt, played by Margot Robbie.)

Favorite line: Too many to list, but let’s go with: “I live in a van down by the river.”

Key & Peele

Comedy Central

Almost every episode of this five-season series is hilarious, thanks to the relentless commitment of Jordan Peele and Keegan-Michael Key. Whether playing Latino gangsters Liam Neeson-fixated valets or scared boyfriends or, of course, Obama and his anger translator, Luther, they were the most solid and consistently creative sketch duo of all… except for the next two guys on our list.

Our favorite of all their sketches is “Turbulence,” in which an uptight passenger (Key) argues with a passive-aggressive flight attendant (Peele) for the right to go to the bathroom.

Favorite line: Too many to list, but we’ll go with “But is it against the law, though?” from “Turbulence.”

Mr. Show With Bob and David

HBO

We know. Many people reading this have never heard of Mr. Show. But future Better Call Saul star Bob Odenkirk wrote the “Van Down by the River” Matt Foley sketch for his friend Chris Farley — and many other brilliant sketches — before going on to partner with David Cross, one of the best standups and most underrated actors in the business.

Mr. Show, made for approximately zero dollars in the mid-90s, with a series of terrible time slots on HBO, has proven to be not only one of the funniest TV shows, but one of the most influential. “The Story of Everest” is, on paper, a horrible, horrible sketch — but somehow it’s one of our favorite things ever made. “The Audition” is another perfect Mr. Show sketch.

Favorite line: “No! No one help him!”

Liked This List of the 15 Funniest TV Shows We’ve Ever Seen?

New Line Cinema – Credit: C/O

You may also enjoy this list of Shameless New Comedies That Don’t Care If You’re Offended.

Main image: Sydney Sweeney on SNL. NBC.

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14/05/2025
The 12 Most Captivating Prison Movies We’ve Ever Seen

These prison movies are captivating. Get it?

Some of the best movies are actually movies about life on the outside, where the prison represents the mental traps imposed on us by society, or our own fears.

Other prison movies are about very real prisons, built for the deserving and innocent alike.

Caged (1950)

Credit: C/O

An early entry in the subgenre of women behind bars prison movies, John Cromwell’s Caged is about a married 19-year-old (Eleanor Parker) who is locked up after a botched bank robbery in which her husband is killed.

Hope Emerson plays sadistic prison maven, Evelyn Harper, in a story that reveals that prison may be the most corrupting influence of all.

The film was nominated for three Oscars.

The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957)

Credit: C/O

Is it a prison movie? Or a war movie? We would say it’s both — David Lean’s The Bridge on the River Kwai is a movie that never does what you expect.

Set in a Japanese prison camp in Thailand, the film portrays a battle of wills between captured British P.O.W. Colonel Nicholson (Alec Guiness) and his captor, Colonel Saito (Sessue Hayakawa). Saito demands that Nicholson and his troops build a railroad bridge over the River Kwai, which leads to questions of ethics and honor, and how to maintain your humanity while in captivity.

It was the most successful movie at the box office in 1957, and deservedly won seven Oscars, including for Best Picture. It’s one of those 1950s movies that is both a classic and a joy to watch.

Escape From Alcatraz (1979)

Paramount Pictures – Credit: C/O

One of the greatest prison movies, this Clint Eastwood film was the star’s fifth and final collaboration with Dirty Harry director Don Siegel. In fascinating detail, it imagines the circumstances of a real-life escape from the supposedly escape-proof Alcatraz Island in 1962.

Eastwood plays the real-life prisoner Frank Morris, whose whereabouts have been unknown since that chilly night in the early ’60s. He’ll turn 98 this year, if he’s still around.

The FBI’s investigation into the escape remains open.

The Shawshank Redemption (1994)

Columbia Pictures – Credit: C/O

You knew this was coming, so we’re putting it in this gallery nice and early.

One of the most beloved films of recent decades, and pulled from the same Stephen King story collection, Different Seasons, that also spawned Stand by Me and Apt Pupil, The Shawshank Redemption is a story of refusing to surrender your soul.

Tim Robbins stars as Andy Dufresne, a banker sentenced to consecutive life sentences in the killings of his wife and her lover. He befriends Ellis “Red” Redding (Morgan Freeman) — and hatches a plot to dig his way out, while hiding the hole in his cell wall behind a poster of Rita Hayworth.

It’s one of the best prison movies and one of the best movies, period — IMDb ranks it No. 1 on its list of the Top 250 Movies of all.

Cool Hand Luke (1967)

Warner Bros.-Seven Arts – Credit: C/O

Paul Newman is transfixing as the title character, a man of few words (and hardboiled egg gourmand) who refuses to bend to the cruelty of his Florida prison camp.

Strother Martin, as the captain of the camp, earned a place on the American Film Institute’s 100 Years… 100 Movie Quotes for this monologue that begins, “What we’ve got here is failure to communicate.”

Guns N Roses fans will also recognize it from the opening of the band’s “Civil War.”

Penitentiary III (1987)

Cannon Films Distributors – Credit: C/O

The third film in a series of hit independent prison movies written and directed by Jamaa Fanaka, Penitentiary III is extremely worth watching for the Midnight Thud fight alone.

Oh, you don’t know about the Midnight Thud? Thud is the toughest fighter in the prison, a powerful little person (played by Raymond Kessler, aka the WWE’s Haiti Kid) who delivers one of the most captivating fight scenes ever committed to film when he faces off with our protagonist, Too Sweet (Leon Isaac Kennedy).

Also, this is the first of two films on this list to feature the great Danny Trejo. He plays See Veer.

Con Air (1997)

Buena Vista Pictures Distribution – Credit: C/O

Trejo is one of the murderer’s row of stars who turns up in Con Air, a prison-on-a-plane movie in which Cameron Poe (played by Nicolas Cage, looking incredibly cool) takes on a whole plane full of felons when its Cyrus “The Virus” Grissom masterminds a hijacking.

This is one of those movies that — if you haven’t watched it in a while — will have constantly saying, “He’s in this, too?”

The cast includes John Cusack, Steve Buscemi, Ving Rhames, Dave Chappelle, and many, many more.

Some people argue that this doesn’t belong on a list of prison movies because the characters are on a plane. But as anyone who’s ever flown a middle seat in basic economy can attest, planes can be prisons.

The Great Escape (1963)

United Artists – Credit: C/O

Steve McQueen leads an all-star cast playing POWs who heroically escape from a Nazi prison camp in this classic, heavily fictionalized story of British POWs’ escape from Stalag Luft III during World War II.

Among the concessions to commercialism: sprinkling three Americans into the action. Thanks goodness McQueen’s Captain Virgil Hilts was there, or else who could have pulled off that spectacular motorcycle sequence (above)?

Hunger (2008)

Pathé Distribution – Credit: C/O

And now, a prison movie from the other Steve McQueen — the masterful British director whose film 12 Years a Slave won the Best Picture Oscar in 2014.

His directorial debut, however, was Hunger, in which his frequent collaborator, Michael Fassbender, plays Bobby Sands, a real-life member of the Provisional Irish Republican Army who led an IRA hunger strike and took part in a no-wash protest behind bars.

Hunger is a brutal, hypnotic film that skillfully captures the day-to-day dehumanization of the prisoners.

Clemency (2019)

Neon – Credit: C/O

Another grim prison saga that was also the directorial debut of a great filmmaker, Clemency stars Alfre Woodard as a prison ward trying to unemotionally do her job — which includes overseeing the death of a young inmate, Anthony Woods (Aldis Hodge) who maintains his innocence.

Many death-penalty films lecture their audiences (who may have already opposed the death penalty), but Clemency writer-director Chinonye Chukwu does not: She just lays out the facts of the situation, with as much restraint as Woodard’s warden — until emotions eventually make their inevitable break.

This is a wise, patient film that sidesteps preaching and Hollywood hokum in favor of a very chilling, very human story.

The Longest Yard (1974)

Paramount Pictures – Credit: C/O

On the lighter side, The Longest Yard is a sports movie crossed with a prison movie… and a comedy. The film stars Burt Reynolds as a hard-driving, hard-hitting now-incarcerated former NFL quarterback who is tasked by a nasty warden with assembling a team of prisoners to play against the guards.

How do you think that works out?

American History X (1998)

New Line Cinema

Edward Norton stars as a savage white supremacist, Derek Vinyard, who realizes in prison that all of his beliefs are misguided.

‘In one deeply allegorical scene, he learns that a Black fellow inmate, Lamont (Guy Torry) received a harsher sentence (six years) for stealing a TV than he received for killing two Black men (three years).

In another crucial scene, he learns that the prisons Aryan Brotherhood is just using white supremacy as a facade to manipulate hopeless, uneducated people and wrest power for its leaders.

Caged Heat (1974)

New World Pictures – Credit: C/O

A very different look at prison life, released in the same year as The Longest Yard. We aren’t going to claim this low-budget Roger Corman production, also known as Renegade Girls, is a great film. But it is the debut of a very great filmmaker: writer-director Jonathan Demme would go on to make Silence of the Lambs, one of the best films of all time, and to repay Corman for his confidence by casting him in the role of FBI Director Hayden Burke.

Silence of the Lambs was also shot but Demme’s go-to cinematographer, Tak Fujimoto, who also shot Caged Heat.

Caged Heat is a cheap exploitation flick, sure, but it contains some Demme hallmarks: strong female protagonists, a strong sense of empathy for the characters, and social consciousness.

A 1975 New York Times story on the rise of “trashy” midnight movies concluded that it “does not set new standards of cheapness, violence or grossness, as most midnight movies seem determined to do. It is a film about women in prison that offers little more than some zippy music, a lot of bosom shots and a perverted prison doctor.”

High praise from the paper of record.

Liked This List of Captivating Prison Movies?

Paramount Pictures – Credit: C/O

You may also like this list of the 15 Movie Con Artists We Fall for Every Time. Some of them end up in prison.

You might also like this list of Gen X Movie Stars Gone Too Soon.

Main image: Caged Heat. New World Pictures.

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22/04/2025