Still on there at the moment but only for a few more days, "Papillon" and "The Ipcress File".

I need to go back and watch the Michael Caine film again so will leave that for now but watched Papillon again at the weekend and it was every bit as good as I recall the very first time around, and yet left me wondering if any studio would have the balls to take the story and give it the same treatment as they did back in 1973.

Based on a true story its two stars, Dustin Hoffman and Steve McQueen were two of the biggest stars of the time and the scriptwriters took what is a huge biographical book of a prisoner who simply refused to be held in a penal colony and turned it into a two and a half hour film with zero use of special effects, no car chases, no spectacular stunts, no "love interest", no CGI (obviously), just damn good dialogue amid limited scenery (most of it is shot inside prisons) and the clever use of darkness as a tool to express the madness of the McQueen character when he is in solitary confinement for six months.

You'll need to be quick to catch it again but I thoroughly recommend those 150 minutes of your life be spent watching it if its passed by your life so far.

I can wholeheartedly agree with your assessment of Papillon - one of my most favouritest movies of all time; worth a couple of hours of anyone's life in my view.

The best prison film of all time without question

"Butterfly" - Steve McQueen insisted on performing the cliff-jump himself.

Here's a question - did you forget about Shawshank Redemption when you said that

No 3, behind 1) Fortress and 2) Green Street 2.

I'd agree.
The grittiness of Papillon would outweigh the fluff of Shawshank (although I am a Tim Robbins fan) every time.

Also love midnight express . It's not the best by a long shot but I love the count of Monty christo (does that count as a prison film ?)

Both great movies as was Scum in it's day.

Totally agree. Classic film. One of my all time favourites.

But Papillon has not really aged whilst Scum has.