Back to trending
Riot in Cell Block 11

Riot in Cell Block 11

Crime · Drama · 1954

A prisoner leads his counterparts in a protest for better living conditions which turns violent and ugly.

Movie details

Riot in Cell Block 11

“FILMED ON THE SPOT BEHIND PRISON WALLS!”

1954 Crime · Drama 1h 20m

Critical arithmetic

One number, for now.

TMDB

7.1 / 10

Community rating

A prisoner leads his counterparts in a protest for better living conditions which turns violent and ugly.

CriticWise case file

What this film says about your taste.

Not a recommendation score. A measure of how closely the film’s taste signals resemble yours.

The archetype split

Who fights over Riot in Cell Block 11?

The split comes from the same five-axis model used by the test, not audience ratings or review sentiment.

Taste neighbourhood

Nearby on the taste map.

TMDB supplies the candidates. CriticWise reorders them by craft, strangeness, prestige, emotion, and pace.

The Big Combo

The Big Combo

Drama · 1955

Police Lt. Leonard Diamond vies to bring a clever, well connected, and sadistic gangster to justice all the while obsessing over the gangster's girlfriend.

The Asphalt Jungle

The Asphalt Jungle

Crime · 1950

Recently paroled from prison, legendary burglar "Doc" Riedenschneider, with funding from Alonzo Emmerich, a crooked lawyer, gathers a small group of veteran criminals together in the Midwest for a big jewel heist.

Cry of the City

Cry of the City

Crime · 1948

Petty crook and cop-killer Martin Rome, in bad shape from wounds in the hospital prison ward, still refuses to help slimy lawyer Niles clear his client by confessing to another crime. Police Lt. Candella must check Niles' allegation; a friend of the Rome family, he walks a tightrope between sentiment and cynicism. When Martin fears Candella will implicate his girlfriend Teena, he'll do anything to protect her. How many others will he drag down to disaster with him?

Sergeant Rutledge

Sergeant Rutledge

Western · 1960

Respected black cavalry Sergeant Brax Rutledge stands court-martial for raping and killing a white woman and murdering her father, his superior officer.

What Maisie Knew

What Maisie Knew

Drama · 2013

In New York City, a young girl is caught in the middle of her parents' bitter custody battle.

Levity

Levity

Crime · 2003

Manuel Jordan is a man who is free after serving 23 years for killing a teenager during an attempted robbery. After nearly two decades of staring at his victim's face on a newspaper clipping in his cell, the newly paroled man seeks redemption. Instead, redemption—in the form of a mysterious minister and two needy women— finds him.

The Night of the Hunter

The Night of the Hunter

Crime · 1955

In Depression-era West Virginia, a serial-killing preacher hunts two young children who know the whereabouts of a stash of money.

White Heat

White Heat

Crime · 1949

A psychopathic criminal with a mother complex makes a daring break from prison and then leads his old gang in a chemical plant payroll heist. After the heist, events take a crazy turn.

Let Him Have It

Let Him Have It

Drama · 1991

In 1950s England, slow-witted Derek Bentley falls in with a group of petty criminals led by Chris Craig, a teenager with a fondness for American gangster films. Chris and Derek's friendship leads to their involvement in the true case which would forever shake England's belief in capital punishment.

Kiss of Death

Kiss of Death

Crime · 1947

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

Where it lives

Watch in your region.

Cinema release signals and current streaming, rental, and purchase options for your region.

Streaming availability data supplied by JustWatch.

Names above the title

The people responsible.

Directed by

Don Siegel

Written by

Richard Collins

Neville Brand

Neville Brand

James V. Dunn

Emile Meyer

Emile Meyer

Warden Reynolds

Frank Faylen

Frank Faylen

Commissioner Haskell

Leo Gordon

Leo Gordon

Crazy Mike Carne

Robert Osterloh

Robert Osterloh

The Colonel

Paul Frees

Paul Frees

Guard Monroe

Don Keefer

Don Keefer

Reporter

Court is in session

Put Riot in Cell Block 11 on trial.

Two incompatible taste archetypes. One film. Read the arguments, then issue a completely binding cultural ruling.

The defence The Auteur Devotee

“Form is the argument.”

Every composed frame and deliberate cut is evidence that control can be thrilling in its own right.

The prosecution The Popcorn Loyalist

“Technique in search of a pulse.”

Immaculate construction is still construction. The film may be too busy proving its craft to feel alive.