America's Greatest Prison Breaks

How did they do it?

6.0/1020151h 46mReleased

Documentary

A look at the prison breakout of Richard Matt and David Sweat from Clinton Correctional facility, as well as a look back at some of the most daring and ingenious prison breaks in American history.

Released: Dec 27, 2015

Watch Now

Top Cast

Jolene Babyak

Herself

Jolene Babyak

Himself

Daren Donofrio

More Like This

6.2

Movie

The Escapist

Frank Perry is an institutionalized convict twelve years into a life sentence without parole. When his estranged daughter falls ill, he is determined to make peace with her before it's too late. He develops an ingenious escape plan, and recruits a dysfunctional band of escapists - misfits with a mutual dislike for one other but united by their desire to escape their hell hole of an existence.

The Escapist

2008 · Movie

7.3

Movie

Dark Passage

A man convicted of murdering his wife escapes from prison and works with a woman to try and prove his innocence.

Dark Passage

1947 · Movie

6.7

Movie

The Killer Is Loose

A savings-and-loan bank is robbed; later, a police wiretap identifies meek bank teller Leon Poole as the inside man. In capturing him, detective Sam Wagner accidentally kills Poole's young wife, and at his trial Poole swears vengeance against Wagner. Poole begins his plans to get revenge when he escapes his captors.

The Killer Is Loose

1956 · Movie

7.2

Movie

Fast Five

Former cop Brian O'Conner partners with ex-con Dom Toretto on the opposite side of the law. Since Brian and Mia Toretto broke Dom out of custody, they've blown across many borders to elude authorities. Now backed into a corner in Rio de Janeiro, they must pull one last job in order to gain their freedom.

Fast Five

2011 · Movie

7.1

Movie

Kiss of Death

An ex-con trying to go straight must face a crazed criminal out for revenge.

Kiss of Death

1947 · Movie

7.4

Movie

I Am Heath Ledger

The life and career of an actor, artist, and icon. His own journey through his own camera.

I Am Heath Ledger

2017 · Movie

7.4

Movie

For the Love of Spock

The life of Mr. Spock, as well as that of Leonard Nimoy, the actor who played him for almost fifty years, written and directed by his son: Adam.

For the Love of Spock

2016 · Movie

7.9

Movie

John Candy: I Like Me

Those who knew iconic funnyman John Candy best share his story, in their own words, through never-before-seen archival footage, imagery, and interviews.

John Candy: I Like Me

2025 · Movie

Scotty and the Secret History of Hollywood

6.0

Movie

Scotty and the Secret History of Hollywood

A deliciously scandalous portrait of unsung Hollywood legend Scotty Bowers, whose bestselling memoir chronicled his decades spent as sexual procurer to the stars.

Scotty and the Secret History of Hollywood

2018 · Movie

6.5

Movie

Superheroes

A journey inside the world of real life caped crusaders. From all over America, these self-proclaimed crime fighters, don masks, homemade costumes and elaborate utility belts in an attempt to bring justice to evildoers everywhere.

Superheroes

2011 · Movie

7.1

Movie

Deliver Us from Evil

Documentary filmmaker Amy Berg investigates the life of 30-year pedophile Father Oliver O'Grady and exposes the corruption inside the Catholic Church that allowed him to abuse countless children. Victims' stories and a disturbing interview with O'Grady offer a view into the troubled mind of the spiritual leader who moved from parish to parish gaining trust ... all the while betraying so many.

Deliver Us from Evil

2006 · Movie

7.6

Movie

Hawking

The extraordinary story of the planet’s most famous contemporary scientist, told in his own words and by those closest to him. Made with unique access to Hawking’s private life, this is an intimate and moving journey into Stephen's world, both past and present.

Hawking

2013 · Movie

7.3

Movie

Whitney

Examines the life and career of singer Whitney Houston. Features never-before-seen archival footage, exclusive recordings, rare performances and interviews with the people who knew her best.

Whitney

2018 · Movie

6.9

Movie

Ministry of Fear

Stephen Neale is released into WWII England after two years in an asylum, but it doesn't seem so sane outside either. On his way back to London to rejoin civilization, he stumbles across a murderous spy ring and doesn't quite know to whom to turn.

Ministry of Fear

1944 · Movie

7.4

Movie

Supersonic

Supersonic charts the meteoric rise of Oasis from the council estates of Manchester to some of the biggest concerts of all time in just three short years. This palpable, raw and moving film shines a light on one of the most genre and generation-defining British bands that has ever existed and features candid new interviews with Noel and Liam Gallagher, their mother, and members of the band and road crew.

Supersonic

2016 · Movie

7.2

Movie

He Ran All the Way

A crook on the run hides out in an innocent girl's apartment.

He Ran All the Way

1951 · Movie

The Internet's Own Boy: The Story of Aaron Swartz

7.9

Movie

The Internet's Own Boy: The Story of Aaron Swartz

Programming prodigy and information activist Aaron Swartz achieved groundbreaking work in social justice and political organizing. His passion for open access ensnared him in a legal nightmare that ended with the taking of his own life at the age of 26.

The Internet's Own Boy: The Story of Aaron Swartz

2014 · Movie

7.4

Movie

That's Entertainment!

Various MGM stars from yesterday present their favorite musical moments from the studio's 50 year history.

That's Entertainment!

1974 · Movie

5.9

Movie

Anastasia: Once Upon a Time

Anastasia Romanov escapes through a portal when her family is threatened by Vladimir Lenin, and she finds herself in the year 1988, befriended by a young American girl.

Anastasia: Once Upon a Time

2020 · Movie

6.3

Movie

Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker

The surviving Resistance faces the First Order once again as the journey of Rey, Finn and Poe Dameron continues. With the power and knowledge of generations behind them, the final battle begins.

Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker

2019 · Movie

Similar Movies

Movie

A Hero's Death

It was the biggest escape in the history of the Berlin Wall: in one historic night of October 1964, 57 East-Berliners try their luck through a tunnel into West Berlin. Just before the last few reach the other side, the East German border guards notice the escape and open fire. Remarkably, all the refugees and their escape agents make it out of the tunnel unscathed, but one border guard is dead: 21-year-old officer Egon Schultz.

A Hero's Death

2001 · Movie

8.0

Movie

Dancing in A-Yard

In prisons ruled by toxic masculinity, dancing is an absolute taboo. But at Lancaster’s A-Yard, near Los Angeles, a group of young men, willing to take a chance to be mocked in the yard, start a dance class led by French choreographer Dimitri Chamblas. This class quickly becomes an intoxicating escape from their grim reality so they decide to create a dance show. In this exceptional context, the inmates engage with overwhelming sincerity, evoking their childhood, ganglife, the crimes, the prison, and their desire for transformation. Beyond damaged lives and a prison system on the edge of the abyss, DANCING IN A-YARD explores redemption and the capacity of human beings to reinvent themselves, when given a chance. And more importantly, how art and introspection can help see the light.

Dancing in A-Yard

2023 · Movie

6.6

Movie

The Big One

The Big One is an investigative documentary from director Michael Moore who goes around the country asking why big American corporations produce their product abroad where labor is cheaper while so many Americans are unemployed, losing their jobs, and would happily be hired by such companies as Nike.

The Big One

1997 · Movie

6.0

Movie

Prisoners of the War on Drugs

From its beginning during the Reagan years through current times, the War on Drugs has left many victims stranded in the prison system. PRISONERS OF THE WAR ON DRUGS reveals life behind bars in the nation’s prisons. Each prisoner has his or her own story, but for most, the story is predictably similar; they have been criminalized for drugs or drug related offenses, locked up with easy access to substances, and given little opportunity for rehabilitation. This film provides an inside look at the prison system, its prisoners and a war on drugs we do not seem to be winning.

Prisoners of the War on Drugs

1996 · Movie

6.8

Movie

Standard Operating Procedure

Errol Morris examines the incidents of abuse and torture of suspected terrorists at the hands of U.S. forces at the Abu Ghraib prison.

Standard Operating Procedure

2008 · Movie

Movie

Insight Prison Project

Insight Prison Project, winner of the San Francisco Foundation 2005 Community Leadership Awards (John R. May Award) - for its dedication to breaking the cycle of incarceration through effective in-prison rehabilitation programming, and for being a model for catalyzing statewide prison reform.

Insight Prison Project

2009 · Movie

4.4

Movie

The American Matrix - Age Of Deception

A shocking new 2 hour film by B.A. Brooks. This 2010 release is a follow up to "The Decline And Fall Of America" which was released in 2008. "The American Matrix - Age Of Deception" details news items that all people should be aware of such as the economic collapse of The United States and the formation of the a New World Order. See what has really been going on in America today.

The American Matrix - Age Of Deception

2010 · Movie

6.3

Movie

Lost for Life

A documentary about juveniles who are serving life in prison without parole and their victims' families.

Lost for Life

2013 · Movie

Mr. Death: The Rise and Fall of Fred A. Leuchter, Jr.

6.9

Movie

Mr. Death: The Rise and Fall of Fred A. Leuchter, Jr.

A portrait of the life and career of the infamous American execution device designer Fred A. Leuchter, Jr. Mr. Leuchter was an engineer who became an expert on execution devices and was later hired by holocaust revisionist historian Ernst Zundel to "prove" that there were no gas chambers at Auschwitz. Leuchter published a controversial report confirming Zundel's position, which ultimately ruined his own career. Most of the footage is of Leuchter, working in and around execution facilities or chipping away at the walls of Auschwitz, but Morris also interviews various historians, associates, and neighbors.

Mr. Death: The Rise and Fall of Fred A. Leuchter, Jr.

1999 · Movie

7.4

Movie

The Iceman and the Psychiatrist

For the third time, HBO cameras go inside Trenton State Maximum Security Prison--and inside the mind of one of the most prolific killers in U.S. history--in this gripping documentary. Mafia hit man Richard Kuklinski freely admits to killing more than 100 people, but in this special, he speaks with top psychiatrist Dr. Park Dietz in an effort to face the truth about his condition. Filled with more never-before-revealed confessions, it's the most chillingly candid Iceman special yet as it combines often-confrontational interview footage between Kuklinski and Dietz with photos, crime reenactments and home movies that add new layers to this evolving and fascinating story.

The Iceman and the Psychiatrist

2004 · Movie

5.5

Movie

The University of Sing Sing

An inside look at the notorious Sing Sing Correctional Facility, where one of the U.S.’s only in-prison college programs, Hudson Link, offers long-time inmates an education – and a new lease on life.

The University of Sing Sing

2011 · Movie

7.4

Movie

Man on Wire

On August 7th 1974, French tightrope walker Philippe Petit stepped out on a high wire, illegally rigged between New York's World Trade Center twin towers, then the world's tallest buildings. After nearly an hour of performing on the wire, 1,350 feet above the sidewalks of Manhattan, he was arrested. This fun and spellbinding documentary chronicles Philippe Petit's "highest" achievement.

Man on Wire

2008 · Movie

7.1

Movie

Inmate #1: The Rise of Danny Trejo

71 years in the making, this feature documentary experience reveals the extraordinary life journey of Hollywood's most unlikely hero, Danny Trejo.

Inmate #1: The Rise of Danny Trejo

2019 · Movie

8.0

Movie

Hard Time: The Making of Prison

Retrospective documentary on the making of the low-budget horror film Prison (1987)

Hard Time: The Making of Prison

2013 · Movie

7.0

Movie

Death and the Judge

The documentary, " Death and the Judge", revolves around Iran's most famous criminal judge, Azizmohammadi. He served as a criminal judge for 45 years and issued about 4500 death sentences; a record in not only Iran, but also the world. This documentary looks into his personal and professional life as he is followed within his home with his family, in the court of law, and in his retirement days. The ultimate purpose of the documentary is to deduce the role of death in the judge's life as he either takes life away from criminals or death comes to his loved ones. During his retirement, he is once again given the choice between the life and death of a person, despite no longer being a judge.

Death and the Judge

2018 · Movie

6.0

Movie

Rikers

This film from Bill Moyers is the first documentary to focus exclusively on people formerly detained in New York City’s notorious Rikers Island Jail. They tell their compelling stories direct to the camera, revealing the violent arc of the Rikers experience – from the trauma of entry to extortion and control by inmates, to oppressive corrections officers, violence and solitary confinement.

Rikers

2016 · Movie

6.7

Movie

Old Thieves: The Legend of Artegio

Is the story of a generation of thieves who achieved their greatest victories in the sixties; their distinctive code of ethics, the various categories of delinquents inhabiting the citys streets, their alliances with high ranking police officials that allowed them to operate, the betrayals that followed, and the price they ended up paying.

Old Thieves: The Legend of Artegio

2007 · Movie

Movie

The Art of Incarceration

Narrated by Uncle Jack Charles and seen through the eyes of Indigenous prisoners at Victoria’s Fulham Correctional Centre, this documentary explores how art and culture can empower Australia's First Nations people to transcend their unjust cycles of imprisonment.

The Art of Incarceration

2021 · Movie

6.4

Movie

Jailbreak: Love on the Run

An Alabama corrections officer falls in love with a man awaiting trial for murder and risks it all to help him escape.

Jailbreak: Love on the Run

2024 · Movie

Movie

Locked Up in America - Solitary Nation and Prison State

For decades, the United States has been fixated on incarceration, building prisons and locking up more and more people. But at what cost, and has it really made a difference? FRONTLINE goes to the epicenter of the raging debate about incarceration in America, focusing on the controversial practice of solitary confinement and on new efforts to reduce the prison population, as officials are rethinking what to do with criminals.

Locked Up in America - Solitary Nation and Prison State

2014 · Movie