Best movies like 25th Hour
Last updated March 2024
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Plot Summary:
The filmed adaptation from David Benioff's novel of the same name. Set in New York, a convicted drug dealer named Monty has one day left of freedom before he is sent to prison. Anger, blame, frustration, betrayal, guilt and loneliness are themes on this last day of friends, family, parties, saying goodbye, and setting things straight. A Spike Lee joint.
IMDB Rating: 7.6
IMDB Votes: 183000
Genere: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 135 min
Plot tags: depressing, psychological, emotional, bleak, atmospheric, rough, serious, captivating, contemplative, neo noir
Best tv shows and movies like 25th Hour (2002):
Similar in 75%
I Melt with You (2011)
Plot Summary:
Former college friends meet up for a reunion that leads them to face the apparent disillusionment that defines their lives. After a week of excessive drug and alcohol abuse, events lead them to contemplate fulfilling a self destructive pact they made when they were young.
IMDB Rating: 5.9
IMDB Votes: 6000
Genere: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 122 min
Plot tags: disturbing, serious, talky, depressing, psychological, bleak, art house, cerebral, independent film, realistic
Similar in 87%
Handsome Harry (2009)
Plot Summary:
An ex-Navy man carrying out the last wish of a dying shipmate renews contact with old friends to break the code of silence around a mysterious, long-buried crime.
IMDB Rating: 6.1
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 94 min
Plot tags: realistic, sincere, serious, captivating, emotional, psychological, atmospheric, queer cinema
Similar in 85%
Five Star (2014)
Plot Summary:
After John’s absent father is struck by a stray bullet, Primo takes it upon himself to verse the young boy in the code of the streets—one founded on respect and upheld by fear. A member of the Bloods since the age of twelve—both in the film and in reality—the streets of Brooklyn are all Primo has ever known. While John questions whether or not to enter into this life, Primo must decide whether to leave it all behind as he vows to become a better husband and father. Set during those New York summer weeks where the stifling heat seems to encase everything, Five Star plunges into gang culture with searing intensity. Director Keith Miller observes the lives of these two men with a quiet yet pointed distance, carefully eschewing worn clichés through its unflinching focus. Distinctions between fiction and real life remain intentionally ambiguous, allowing the story of these two men to resonate beyond the streets, as they face the question of what it means to be a man.
IMDB Rating: 5.5
IMDB Votes: 569
Genere: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 83 min
Plot tags: realistic, serious, psychological, captivating, sexy, hood, tense, sincere, rough, bleak
Similar in 82%
Tyrannosaur (2011)
Plot Summary:
The story of Joseph a man plagued by violence and a rage that is driving him to self-destruction. As Joseph's life spirals into turmoil a chance of redemption appears in the form of Hannah, a Christian charity shop worker. Their relationship develops to reveal that Hannah is hiding a secret of her own with devastating results on both of their lives.
IMDB Rating: 7.5
IMDB Votes: 33000
Genere: Drama
Country: UK
Duration: 92 min
Plot tags: bleak, depressing, disturbing, psychological, emotional, realistic, thought provoking, sad, talky, lyrical
Similar in 84%
Bringing Out the Dead (1999)
Plot Summary:
48 hours in the life of a burnt-out paramedic. Once called Father Frank for his efforts to rescue lives, Frank sees the ghosts of those he failed to save around every turn. He has tried everything he can to get fired, calling in sick, delaying taking calls where he might have to face one more victim he couldn't help, yet cannot quit the job on his own.
IMDB Rating: 6.8
IMDB Votes: 75000
Genere: Drama, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 121 min
Plot tags: psychological, bleak, atmospheric, serious, dark comedy, surreal, meditative, disturbing, stylized, suspenseful
Similar in 86%
The Panic in Needle Park (1971)
Plot Summary:
This movie is a stark portrayal of life among a group of heroin addicts who hang out in Needle Park in New York City. Played against this setting is a low-key love story between Bobby, a young addict and small-time hustler, and Helen, a homeless girl who finds in her relationship with Bobby the stability she craves.
IMDB Rating: 7.1
IMDB Votes: 20000
Genere: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 110 min
Plot tags: depressing, disturbing, bleak, rough, serious, controversial, grim, cult classic, realistic, dark
Similar in 78%
The Kite Runner (2007)
Plot Summary:
After spending years in California, Amir returns to his homeland in Afghanistan to help his old friend Hassan, whose son is in trouble.
IMDB Rating: 7.6
IMDB Votes: 82000
Genere: Drama
Country: UK, China, USA
Duration: 128 min
Plot tags: emotional, disturbing, inspirational, sincere, psychological, touching, realistic, educational, sad, motivational
Similar in 85%
Precious (2009)
Plot Summary:
Set in Harlem in 1987, Claireece "Precious" Jones is a 16-year-old African American girl born into a life no one would want. She's pregnant for the second time by her absent father; at home, she must wait hand and foot on her mother, an angry woman who abuses her emotionally and physically. School is chaotic and Precious has reached the ninth grade with good marks and a secret--she can't read.
IMDB Rating: 7.3
IMDB Votes: 115000
Genere: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 110 min
Plot tags: bleak, depressing, emotional, rough, sad, inspirational, disturbing, touching, independent film, harsh
Similar in 90%
Half Nelson (2006)
Plot Summary:
Despite his dedication to the junior-high students who fill his classroom, idealistic teacher Dan Dunne leads a secret life of addiction that the majority of his students will never know. But things change when a troubled student Drey makes a startling discovery of his secret life, causing a tenuous bond between the two that could either end disastrously or provide a catalyst of hope.
IMDB Rating: 7.1
IMDB Votes: 91000
Genere: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 106 min
Plot tags: depressing, independent film, talky, emotional, serious, inspirational, feel good, melancholic, intense, indie film
Similar in 82%
September (1987)
Plot Summary:
At a summer house in Vermont, neighbor Howard falls in love with Lane, who's in a relationship with Peter, who's falling for Stephanie, who's married with children.
IMDB Rating: 6.5
IMDB Votes: 10000
Genere: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 83 min
Plot tags: talky, emotional, sentimental, serious, realistic, philosophical, independent film, psychological, clever, light
Similar in 83%
Sling Blade (1996)
Plot Summary:
Karl Childers is a mentally disabled man who has been in the custody of the state mental hospital since the age of 12 for killing his mother and her lover. Although thoroughly institutionalized, Karl is deemed fit to be released into the outside world.
IMDB Rating: 8.0
IMDB Votes: 98000
Genere: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 135 min
Plot tags: independent film, southern gothic, neo noir, serious, sincere, touching, bleak, depressing, emotional, sad
Similar in 90%
Before the Devil Knows You're Dead (2007)
Plot Summary:
When two brothers organize the robbery of their parents' jewelry store, the job goes horribly wrong, triggering a series of events that send them and their family hurtling towards a shattering climax.
IMDB Rating: 7.3
IMDB Votes: 110000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 117 min
Plot tags: neo noir, suspense, realistic, disturbing, psychological, depressing, bleak, non-linear, emotional, serious
Similar in 89%
Thirteen Conversations About One Thing (2001)
Plot Summary:
The lives of a lawyer, an actuary, a housecleaner, a professor, and the people around them intersect as they ponder order and happiness in the face of life's cold unpredictability.
IMDB Rating: 7.0
IMDB Votes: 11000
Genere: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 104 min
Plot tags: philosophical, psychological, bleak, meditative, depressing, touching, serious, contemplative, existential, cerebral
Similar in 84%
The United States of Leland (2003)
Plot Summary:
A withdrawn young man, Leland Fitzgerald is imprisoned for the murder of a mentally disabled boy, who also happened to be the brother of his girlfriend, Becky. As the community struggles to deal with the killing, Pearl Madison, a teacher at the prison, decides to write about Leland's case. Meanwhile, others affected by the murder, including Becky and her sister, Julie, must contend with their own problems.
IMDB Rating: 7.0
IMDB Votes: 24000
Genere: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 108 min
Plot tags: depressing, meditative, psychological, bleak, emotional, rough, serious, realistic, touching, melancholic
Similar in 78%
Babel (2006)
Plot Summary:
Tragedy strikes a married couple on vacation in the Moroccan desert, touching off an interlocking story involving four different families.
IMDB Rating: 7.5
IMDB Votes: 314000
Genere: Drama
Country: USA, Mexico, France
Duration: 143 min
Plot tags: emotional, atmospheric, non-linear, sincere, bleak, depressing, art house, touching, breathtaking, melancholic
Similar in 82%
The Master (2012)
Plot Summary:
Freddie, a volatile, heavy-drinking veteran who suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder, finds some semblance of a family when he stumbles onto the ship of Lancaster Dodd, the charismatic leader of a new "religion" he forms after World War II.
IMDB Rating: 7.1
IMDB Votes: 184000
Genere: Drama, History
Country: USA
Duration: 138 min
Plot tags: art house, psychological, stylized, atmospheric, philosophical, surreal, disturbing, artsy, cynical, cerebral
Similar in 82%
Oslo, August 31st (2011)
Plot Summary:
Anders is a recovering drug addict in an Oslo rehab clinic. On the 30th August, he is given a day’s leave to attend a job interview in the city centre.
IMDB Rating: 7.6
IMDB Votes: 29000
Genere: Drama
Country: Norway, Denmark, Sweden
Duration: 95 min
Plot tags: depressing, touching, gloomy, melancholic, bleak, heartbreaking, emotional, disturbing, stylized, independent film
Similar in 87%
Reign Over Me (2007)
Plot Summary:
A man who lost his family in the September 11 attack on New York City runs into his old college roommate. Rekindling the friendship is the one thing that appears able to help the man recover from his grief.
IMDB Rating: 7.4
IMDB Votes: 99000
Genere: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 124 min
Plot tags: emotional, touching, depressing, sincere, inspirational, heartbreaking, compassionate, feel good, tear jerker, psychological
Similar in 88%
The Woodsman (2004)
Plot Summary:
A paedophile returns to his hometown after 12 years in prison and attempts to start a new life.
IMDB Rating: 7.2
IMDB Votes: 35000
Genere: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 87 min
Plot tags: disturbing, independent film, psychological, emotional, harsh, controversial, intense, rough, bleak, heartbreaking
Similar in 75%
Easy Rider (1969)
Plot Summary:
A cross-country trip to sell drugs puts two hippie bikers on a collision course with small-town prejudices.
IMDB Rating: 7.3
IMDB Votes: 116000
Genere: Adventure, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 95 min
Plot tags: road movie, psychedelic, avant garde, cult classic, offbeat, independent film, atmospheric, surreal, dark comedy, realistic
Similar in 82%
Trainspotting (1996)
Plot Summary:
Renton, deeply immersed in the Edinburgh drug scene, tries to clean up and get out, despite the allure of the drugs and influence of friends.
IMDB Rating: 8.1
IMDB Votes: 715000
Genere: Drama
Country: UK, USA
Duration: 93 min
Plot tags: dark comedy, disturbing, psychedelic, black comedy, captivating, cult classic, stylized, controversial, depressing, clever
Similar in 82%
City of God (2002)
Plot Summary:
Cidade de Deus is a shantytown that started during the 1960s and became one of Rio de Janeiro’s most dangerous places in the beginning of the 1980s. To tell the story of this place, the movie describes the life of various characters, all seen by the point of view of the narrator, Buscapé. Buscapé was raised in a very violent environment. Despite the feeling that all odds were against him, he finds out that life can be seen with other eyes.
IMDB Rating: 8.6
IMDB Votes: 788000
Genere: Crime, Drama
Country: Brazil, France, Germany
Duration: 130 min
Plot tags: disturbing, rough, bleak, hood, stylized, visual, cult classic, visually stunning, captivating, emotional
Similar in 77%
Blow (2001)
Plot Summary:
A boy named George Jung grows up in a struggling family in the 1950's. His mother nags at her husband as he is trying to make a living for the family. It is finally revealed that George's father cannot make a living and the family goes bankrupt. George does not want the same thing to happen to him, and his friend Tuna, in the 1960's, suggests that he deal marijuana. He is a big hit in California in the 1960's, yet he goes to jail, where he finds out about the wonders of cocaine. As a result, when released, he gets rich by bringing cocaine to America. However, he soon pays the price.
IMDB Rating: 7.5
IMDB Votes: 272000
Genere: Biography, Crime, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 124 min
Plot tags: depressing, touching, emotional, serious, epic, atmospheric, captivating, entertaining, dramatic, realistic
Similar in 85%
One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1975)
Plot Summary:
While serving time for insanity at a state mental hospital, implacable rabble-rouser, Randle Patrick McMurphy inspires his fellow patients to rebel against the authoritarian rule of head nurse, Mildred Ratched.
IMDB Rating: 8.7
IMDB Votes: 11000000
Genere: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 133 min
Plot tags: psychological, thought provoking, dramatic, serious, captivating, surprise ending, tragicomedy, bleak, emotional, inspirational
Similar in 77%
Scent of a Woman (1992)
Plot Summary:
Charlie Simms is a student at a private preparatory school who comes from a poor family. To earn the money for his flight home to Gresham, Oregon for Christmas, Charlie takes a job over Thanksgiving looking after retired U.S. Army officer Lieutenant Colonel Frank Slade, a cantankerous middle-aged man who lives with his niece and her family.
IMDB Rating: 8.0
IMDB Votes: 321000
Genere: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 156 min
Plot tags: inspirational, sentimental, dramatic, realistic, touching, feel good, talky, motivational, clever, emotional
Similar in 78%
Pulp Fiction (1994)
Plot Summary:
A burger-loving hit man, his philosophical partner, a drug-addled gangster's moll and a washed-up boxer converge in this sprawling, comedic crime caper. Their adventures unfurl in three stories that ingeniously trip back and forth in time.
IMDB Rating: 8.9
IMDB Votes: 22000000
Genere: Crime, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 154 min
Plot tags: neo noir, cult classic, exciting, witty, clever, black comedy, cerebral, bloody, dark comedy, postmodern
Similar in 88%
American History X (1998)
Plot Summary:
Derek Vineyard is paroled after serving 3 years in prison for killing two thugs who tried to break into/steal his truck. Through his brother, Danny Vineyard's narration, we learn that before going to prison, Derek was a skinhead and the leader of a violent white supremacist gang that committed acts of racial crime throughout L.A. and his actions greatly influenced Danny. Reformed and fresh out of prison, Derek severs contact with the gang and becomes determined to keep Danny from going down the same violent path as he did.
IMDB Rating: 8.5
IMDB Votes: 12000000
Genere: Crime, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 119 min
Plot tags: emotional, dramatic, serious, rough, cerebral, psychological, tense, disturbing, black and white, political
Similar in 77%
Requiem for a Dream (2000)
Plot Summary:
The hopes and dreams of four ambitious people are shattered when their drug addictions begin spiraling out of control. A look into addiction and how it overcomes the mind and body.
IMDB Rating: 8.3
IMDB Votes: 883000
Genere: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 102 min
Plot tags: psychological, disturbing, bleak, depressing, emotional, atmospheric, surreal, heartbreaking, realistic, mind bending
Similar in 87%
Magnolia (1999)
Plot Summary:
An epic mosaic of many interrelated characters in search of happiness, forgiveness, and meaning in the San Fernando Valley.
IMDB Rating: 8.0
IMDB Votes: 325000
Genere: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 188 min
Plot tags: philosophical, cerebral, sincere, depressing, mind bending, clever, non-linear, mindfuck, meditative, mind blowing
Similar in 77%
The Godfather (1972)
Plot Summary:
Spanning the years 1945 to 1955, a chronicle of the fictional Italian-American Corleone crime family. When organized crime family patriarch, Vito Corleone barely survives an attempt on his life, his youngest son, Michael steps in to take care of the would-be killers, launching a campaign of bloody revenge.
IMDB Rating: 9.2
IMDB Votes: 20000000
Genere: Crime, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 175 min
Plot tags: serious, epic, atmospheric, dramatic, captivating, rough, realistic, family saga, entertaining, breathtaking