
Angels with Dirty Faces(1938)
Childhood chums Rocky Sullivan and Jerry Connelly grow up on opposite sides of the fence: Rocky matures into a prominent gangster, while Jerry becomes a priest, tending to the needs of his old tenement neighborhood.


“MEN without WOMEN...MEN without HOPE! smash their lives to pieces against their STEEL CHAINS!”
Brash hoodlum Tom Connors enters Sing Sing cocksure of himself and disrespectful toward authority, but his tough but compassionate warden changes him.

Spencer Tracy
Tommy Connors

Bette Davis
Fay Wilson

Arthur Byron
Warden Paul Long

Lyle Talbot
Bud Saunders

Warren Hymer
Hype

Louis Calhern
Joe Finn

Spencer Charters
Officer Daniels (uncredited)

G. Pat Collins
Death Row Convict Mike (uncredited)
Lucille Collins
Girl with Friend Helping Tommy (uncredited)

James Donlan
First Reporter (uncredited)
20,000 Years in Sing Sing is a crime, drama film released in 1932 exploring themes of prison, based on novel or book, gangster, death row, jail guard, self-defense. Directed by Michael Curtiz, it stars Spencer Tracy, Bette Davis, Arthur Byron. Brash hoodlum Tom Connors enters Sing Sing cocksure of himself and disrespectful toward authority, but his tough but compassionate warden changes him.
Discover titles like 20,000 Years in Sing Sing — ranked by similarity and community votes
We found 15 movies similar to 20,000 Years in Sing Sing
If you enjoyed 20,000 Years in Sing Sing, you'll love these handpicked recommendations. Each title below shares similar themes, tone, and storytelling style. Our algorithm analyzes genres, keywords, director filmography, and cast connections to find the closest matches. Whether you're looking for the same emotional depth, narrative structure, or visual style, these picks are curated to deliver the best viewing experience for fans of 20,000 Years in Sing Sing.

Childhood chums Rocky Sullivan and Jerry Connelly grow up on opposite sides of the fence: Rocky matures into a prominent gangster, while Jerry becomes a priest, tending to the needs of his old tenement neighborhood.

A World War I veteran’s dreams of becoming a master architect evaporate in the cold light of economic realities. Things get even worse when he’s falsely convicted of a crime and sent to work on a chain gang.

Convicted of manslaughter for a drunken driving accident, Kent Marlowe is sent to prison, where he meets vicious incarcerated figures who are planning an escape from the brutal conditions.

The true story of Henry Hill, a half-Irish, half-Sicilian Brooklyn kid who is adopted by neighbourhood gangsters at an early age and climbs the ranks of a Mafia family under the guidance of Jimmy Conway.

Two young Chicago hoodlums, Tom Powers and Matt Doyle, rise up from their poverty-stricken slum life to become petty thieves, bootleggers and cold-blooded killers. But with street notoriety and newfound wealth, the duo feels the heat from the cops and rival gangsters both. Despite his ruthless criminal reputation, Tom tries to remain connected to his family, however, gang warfare and the need for revenge eventually pull him away.

The coquettish granddaughter of a respected small-town judge is stranded at a bootleggers’ hide-out, subjected to an act of nightmarish sexual violence, and plunged into a criminal underworld that threatens to swallow her up completely.

Imprisoned in the 1940s for the double murder of his wife and her lover, upstanding banker Andy Dufresne begins a new life at the Shawshank prison, where he puts his accounting skills to work for an amoral warden. During his long stretch in prison, Dufresne comes to be admired by the other inmates -- including an older prisoner named Red -- for his integrity and unquenchable sense of hope.

A single mistake puts a 19-year old girl behind bars, where she experiences the terrors and torments of women in prison.

A young, inexperienced public defender is assigned to defend an inmate accused of committing murder while behind bars.

Locked in her cell, a murderer reflects on the events that have led her to death row.

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.

A small-time hood shoots his way to the top, but how long can he stay there?

A hugely successful DA goes into private practice after sending a man to the chair -- only to find out later he was innocent. Now the drunken attorney only seems to represent criminals and low lifes.

The lives of a young man and woman, an infamous gangster and a group of street kids converge one day in a volatile New York City slum.

In the continuing saga of the Corleone crime family, a young Vito Corleone grows up in Sicily and in 1910s New York. In the 1950s, Michael Corleone attempts to expand the family business into Las Vegas, Hollywood and Cuba.