Movies like Strangeways: Britain's Toughest Prison Riot (2015)
The best movies like Strangeways: Britain's Toughest Prison Riot (2015) are Voyeur (2017), Out of Thin Air (2017) and Maternal Instinct (2026). If Strangeways: Britain's Toughest Prison Riot hooked you with its documentary and crime, these 30 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
Quick picks
- Highest ratedThe Hate U Give (2018)8.1/10 from 2,266 votes
- NewestA Toxic Love Story (2026)Released 2026
Voyeur (2017)
Legendary journalist Gay Talese unmasks a motel owner who spied on his guests for decades. But his bombshell story soon becomes a scandal of its own.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary & crime
SnoozefestMovies like thisOut of Thin Air (2017)
Set within the stark Icelandic landscape, OUT OF THIN AIR examines the 1976 police investigation into the disappearance of two men in the early 1970s.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary & crime
SnoozefestMovies like thisMaternal Instinct (2026)
Police pull over a woman who claims she just gave birth. But the baby — and the blood — aren't hers. Twisted lies unravel in this true-crime documentary.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary & crime
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Mystery of D.B. Cooper (2020)
This documentary brings to life the stories of four people believed by their family and friends to be “DB Cooper,” a man who hijacked a 727 flying out of Seattle and jumped from the plane over the wilds of Washington State with a parachute and $200,000, never to be heard from again.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary & crime
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisLong Shot (2017)
When Juan Catalan is arrested for a murder he insists he didn't commit, he builds his case for innocence around unexpected raw footage.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both crime & documentary
Worth the HypeMovies like thisDeliver Us from Evil (2006)
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.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both crime & documentary
Worth the HypeMovies like thisCon Mum (2025)
A chef's life is upended when a jet-setting, champagne-sipping, hotel-hopping woman claims to be his long-lost mother.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary & crime
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Crash (2026)
A teen slams her car into a building, killing her boyfriend and his friend. What seems like a tragic accident becomes a murder case.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary & crime
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisAttica (2021)
Follows the largest prison uprising in US history, conducting dozens of new interviews with inmates, journalists, and other witnesses.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Big One (1997)
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.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisFour Hours at the Capitol (2021)
The documentary is an immersive chronicle of the insurrection at the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021, when thousands of American citizens from across the country gathered in Washington D.C. to protest the results of the 2020 presidential election, many with the intent of disrupting the certification of Joe Biden's presidency.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Worth the HypeMovies like thisA Toxic Love Story (2026)
A string of threatening emails escalates into a revenge plot involving a newly married US marshal and his ex-girlfriend.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisEvil Influencer: The Jodi Hildebrandt Story (2025)
Unravel the case of Utah therapist Jodi Hildebrandt, whose child abuse arrest with parenting YouTuber Ruby Franke exposed a twisted tale of manipulation.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Alabama Solution (2025)
Incarcerated men defy the odds to expose a cover-up in one of America’s deadliest prison systems.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisTime (2020)
Fox Rich, indomitable matriarch and modern-day abolitionist, strives to keep her family together while fighting for the release of her incarcerated husband. An intimate, epic, and unconventional love story, filmed over two decades.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisMurder to Mercy: The Cyntoia Brown Story (2020)
After 16-year-old Cyntoia Brown is sentenced to life in prison, questions about her past, physiology and the law itself call her guilt into question.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Popcorn FlickMovies like this13th (2016)
An in-depth look at the prison system in the United States and how it reveals the nation's history of racial inequality.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Worth the HypeMovies like thisFuck (2006)
A documentary on the expletive's origin, why it offends some people so deeply, and what can be gained from its use.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisCrips and Bloods: Made in America (2009)
With a first-person look at the notorious Crips and Bloods, this film examines the conditions that have lead to decades of devastating gang violence among young African Americans growing up in South Los Angeles.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisRoman Polanski: A Film Memoir (2012)
An interview with film director Roman Polanski conducted during his period of house arrest, discussing his life and work.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisPublic Hero Number 1 (1935)
G-Man Jeff Crane poses as a crook to infiltrate the notorious Purple Gang, a band of hoodlums which preys upon other hoodlums. Orchestrating the jailbreak of the gang's leader, Crane joins him in a Dillinger-like flight across the country.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both crime
Disobedience (2016)
Disobedience tells the David vs. Goliath tale of front line leaders battling for a livable world. Filmed in the Philippines, Turkey, Germany, Canada, Cambodia and the United States, it weaves together these riveting stories with insights from the most renowned voices on social justice and climate. Disobedience is personal, passionate and powerful - the stakes could not be higher, nor the mission more critical.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary
From Liberation to Trans Militancy - Documents from Queer Struggles in Sweden (TBA)
This film programme highlights queer struggles and the history of the Pride movement in Sweden, from 1981 until today. Features 8 short films: Gay Liberation Week, Stockholm (1981); Gay Liberation Week, Gothenburg (1984); A Year of Sisterhood – Interview with Fitt 4 Fight & Queer Feminist March, Stockholm (2005); Lesbian festival, Gothenburg (2005); Anti-marriage Action, Gothenburg (2010); Candle-manifestation, Gothenburg (2012); Actions from Queersvall, Sundvall (2019); Sápmi Pride, Gironis (2014).
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary
The Term. Beginning of a Big Story (2014)
The documentary project The Term was conceived in May 2012. When the directing trio commenced mapping the Russian sociopolitical landscape, Vladimir Putin had just settled into the Kremlin for his third term. The original experimental format of “documentary bulletins,” which were published daily online, allowed for wide-ranging content; in the feature film version, however, the filmmakers focused solely on the members of various opposition groups. Nevertheless, the work’s neutral position remains and viewers have to interpret the objectively presented situations for themselves. The main characteristics of this strongly authentic movie include close contact with the protagonists, precise editing, and an effectively controlled release of information.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary
Eddington (2025)
In May of 2020, a standoff between a small-town sheriff and mayor sparks a powder keg as neighbor is pitted against neighbor in Eddington, New Mexico.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both crime
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisRed Forest (2026)
A poetic David and Goliath tale, where David is an eco-activist with shields, helmets and Molotov cocktails in the backpack. Director Laurie Lassalle documents the spirit and atmosphere with loyalty and an extraordinarily confident cinematic vision.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary
The Prostitutes of Lyon Speak (1975)
Documentary about the Lyon sex workers who occupied the church of St. Nizier on June 3, 1975.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary
Persecution Blues: the Battle for the Tote! (2011)
In 2010, the iconic Tote Hotel – last bastion of Melbourne’s vibrant music counterculture – was forced to close by unfair laws. Filmed over 7 years, “Persecution Blues” depicts the struggle of more than 20,000 fans – and the bands who inspire them – to preserve their history and protect their future, and puts the audience on the front line of an epic-scale culture war.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary
The Hate U Give (2018)
Raised in a poverty-stricken slum, a 16-year-old girl named Starr now attends a suburban prep school. After she witnesses a police officer shoot her unarmed best friend, she's torn between her two very different worlds as she tries to speak her truth.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both crime
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisBoll Mo: Sexism in Kosova (2023)
A documentary exploring sexism and patriarchy in Kosova.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary
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Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like Strangeways: Britain's Toughest Prison Riot?
The closest matches to Strangeways: Britain's Toughest Prison Riot are Voyeur (2017), Out of Thin Air (2017) and Maternal Instinct (2026). Below are 27 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after Strangeways: Britain's Toughest Prison Riot?
Start with Voyeur (2017), the closest match to Strangeways: Britain's Toughest Prison Riot.
What is the highest-rated movie like Strangeways: Britain's Toughest Prison Riot?
The Hate U Give (2018), rated 8.1/10 by 2,266 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like Strangeways: Britain's Toughest Prison Riot?
A Toxic Love Story (2026) is the most recent release on this list.
Are there English movies like Strangeways: Britain's Toughest Prison Riot?
Yes: Voyeur (2017), Out of Thin Air (2017) and Maternal Instinct (2026).
How are movies similar to Strangeways: Britain's Toughest Prison Riot chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside Strangeways: Britain's Toughest Prison Riot, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.