Best movies like El padrino
Last updated March 2024
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Plot Summary:
In the streets of East Los Angeles, Manny is a formidable drug dealer. Impressed by his extravagant lifestyle and prowess, his young son, Kilo, yearns to follow in his footsteps. Kilo resolves to learn how to prosper in the drug world, and his new life as a dealer begins. In a world where a man wants everything, he may end up with nothing.
IMDB Rating: 4.7
IMDB Votes: 762
Genere: Action, Crime, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 128 min
Plot tags: rough, serious, realistic, suspenseful, exciting
Best tv shows and movies like El padrino (2004):
Similar in 85%
The Outside Man (1972)
Plot Summary:
A French hit man is hired by a crime family to end the life of a rival mobster, but things fall apart when the boss who hired him is killed.
IMDB Rating: 6.5
IMDB Votes: 1000
Genere: Action, Crime, Drama, Thriller
Country: France, Italy, USA
Duration: 104 min
Plot tags: rough, serious, suspenseful, exciting, realistic, poliziottesco, french noir, cult film
Similar in 83%
The Last of the Finest (1990)
Plot Summary:
An elite group of vice cops are fired from the L.A.P.D. for being over-zealous in their war against drugs. It is immediately apparent that some of their superiors are involved in the drug ring. Banded together, four of the banned cops (which quickly becomes three when one is killed early) band together to fight the drug ring undercover. They gain capital for weapons by ripping off minor drug dealers. Then well-armed they go after the kingpin (Boyd).
IMDB Rating: 5.8
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Action, Crime, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 106 min
Plot tags: independent film, exciting, rough, serious, realistic, suspenseful, suspense
Similar in 76%
Northville Cemetery Massacre (1976)
Plot Summary:
The bikers are the heroes and the lawmen are the villains in this vintage action drama. The Spirits are a motorcycle club who ride the highways and country roads of Michigan; while they look rough, wear beat-up denim and favor Harley Davidsons, the Spirits are good guys at heart, more likely to help a stranger change a flat tire than rough him up. Northville Cemetery Massacre is a 1976 motorcycle exploitation film written and directed by William Dear and Thomas L. Dyke. Nick Nolte did an uncredited voice over for the film's lead actor, David Hyry.
IMDB Rating: 6.0
IMDB Votes: 381
Genere: Action, Crime, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 83 min
Plot tags: grindhouse, hood, independent film, exciting, rough, serious, realistic, suspenseful
Similar in 90%
Revenge of the Green Dragons (2014)
Plot Summary:
A true immigrant story set against the vibrant backdrop of Flushing, N.Y. in the 1980s and 1990s.
IMDB Rating: 5.3
IMDB Votes: 4000
Genere: Action, Crime, Drama
Country: Hong Kong, USA
Duration: 94 min
Plot tags: rough, realistic, suspenseful, serious, crime drama, action adventure, surprise ending, twist ending, crying
Similar in 85%
Mob War (1989)
Plot Summary:
When the New York City police disrupt a big cocaine deal, the TV news reporters find John Falcone, a local mobster, nearby. They ask some tough questions, and Falcone decides he needs a public relations man to help burnish his image. He hires Todd Barrett, and he keeps Barrett in line with generous helpings of cocaine. Meanwhile, Falcone's unorthodox, violent, and sadistic methods get him cross-wise with Don Ricci, the boss. A mob war may break out. When Todd's wife is endangered, can the flack attack back at the racketeers?.
IMDB Rating: 2.7
IMDB Votes: 163
Genere: Action, Crime, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 96 min
Plot tags: crime drama, independent film, rough, serious, realistic, surprise ending, neo noir
Similar in 85%
Crazy Six (1997)
Plot Summary:
In a crumbling Europe, powerful mafia families have emerged from the anarchy to vie for control of the lucrative arms trade.
IMDB Rating: 2.7
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Action, Crime
Country: Slovakia, USA
Duration: 94 min
Plot tags: rough, serious, suspenseful, exciting, realistic, independent film, futuristic
Similar in 75%
The Line (2009)
Plot Summary:
The story centers around veteran assassin Mark Shields as he tracks down, Pelon, the elusive head of the Salazar Crime Cartel. Through twists of fate, Shields ends up with a local woman, Olivia who is also fighting her own demons for the sake of her daughter. Set in the rich and atmospheric backdrop of Tijuana, Mexico, La Linea (The Line) is full of action and drama.
IMDB Rating: 5.1
IMDB Votes: 4000
Genere: Action, Crime, Drama, Thriller
Country: Mexico, USA
Duration: 95 min
Plot tags: serious, suspenseful, exciting, rough, realistic, crime drama, surprise ending
Similar in 76%
Chains of Gold (1990)
Plot Summary:
Scott Barnes is an alcoholic turned social worker hellbent on saving a young boy named Tommy from self-destructing when he finds out he has begun selling crack in an organization called YIP, run by Carlos.
IMDB Rating: 5.1
IMDB Votes: 1000
Genere: Action, Crime, Drama, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 95 min
Plot tags: tense, serious, realistic, psychotronic
Similar in 86%
Beyond the Trophy (2012)
Plot Summary:
Two rival gangs in Los Angeles and Las Vegas, led by Gino (Robert Miano) and Cole (Michael Madsen), are vying for control. Danny (Michael Masini), an LAPD undercover police detective, goes deep into gangland to infiltrate one gang to bring down both.
IMDB Rating: 3.8
IMDB Votes: 362
Genere: Action, Crime, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 99 min
Plot tags: exciting, serious, realistic, suspenseful, independent film
Similar in 81%
L.A.P.D.: To Protect and to Serve (2001)
Plot Summary:
LA's finest have crossed the line between Cop and Criminal.
IMDB Rating: 3.6
IMDB Votes: 531
Genere: Crime, Drama, Action
Country: USA
Duration: 94 min
Plot tags: rough, suspenseful, serious, realistic, fast
Similar in 80%
Mexican Gangster (2008)
Plot Summary:
Johnny Sun is a Mexican American with a white mother and Mexican dad. He witnesses his parents murder and gets his revenge years later, leading to a hard life as a gangster in drugs and smuggling. He tries to keep his borther from the life and finds himself fending for his own life.
IMDB Rating: 3.8
IMDB Votes: 154
Genere: Action
Country: USA
Duration: 89 min
Plot tags: exciting, captivating, tense, suspense, rough, serious, realistic, suspenseful
Similar in 76%
Back in the Day (2005)
Plot Summary:
A young man slides back into a life of crime after reuniting with a shady acquaintance from his past.
IMDB Rating: 4.4
IMDB Votes: 800
Genere: Action, Crime, Drama, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 103 min
Plot tags: rough, suspenseful, serious, realistic, hood, neo noir
Similar in 85%
The Street King (2002)
Plot Summary:
In life, there's silver, and there's lead, says Rikki Ortega, as he moves to be king of the street in "Ánglio," L.A.'s east side. Older brothers and a brother-in-law are in his way. While they think they are driving out the Rojas, a local gang that runs the meth trade for bosses in Cabo San Lucas, Rikki is running an elaborate double-cross on his own family. He's not happy just to run this fratricidal con, he also wants to cash in as much as he can of one hundred kilos of crystal meth that he stole from the Rojas (and the Mexicans), seduce the girlfriend of one of his victims, and stay ahead of a cop who was a childhood friend. Will he end up with the silver?.
IMDB Rating: 4.6
IMDB Votes: 219
Genere: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 91 min
Plot tags: exciting, rough, serious, realistic, suspenseful
Similar in 88%
Three (2002)
Plot Summary:
The final installment in director Lucas Belvaux's trilogy follows Pascal, a cop who sees a return to credibility in the capture of escaped convict Bruno--who in turn is harbored by Pascal's morphine-addicted wife Agnes. Pascal's already precarious ties to Agnes are strained further when he meets and falls for her fellow schoolteacher friend Cecile. With Pascal focused on Bruno and Cecile, Agnes is forced to find a fix on her own.
IMDB Rating: 7.0
IMDB Votes: 926
Genere: Crime, Drama
Country: France, Belgium
Duration: 124 min
Plot tags: psychological, serious, realistic, contemplative, bleak, art house, thought provoking
Similar in 83%
Bullet (1996)
Plot Summary:
A tough, Jewish ex-con just released from prison crosses a powerful drug dealer and former prison rival in his return to a life of crime.
IMDB Rating: 6.4
IMDB Votes: 9000
Genere: Action, Crime, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 96 min
Plot tags: realistic, rough, hood, disturbing, harsh, stylized, serious, cult classic, independent film, bleak
Similar in 82%
Crack House (1989)
Plot Summary:
Rick and Melissa are a pair of young lovers hoping to get out of the slums for good and escape the poverty and crime their families and friends have gotten involved in. All this comes to an end when Rick feels he must rejoin his old gang to avenge the killing of his brother by a rival gang. In the course of getting even, Rick is arrested, leaving Melissa without anyone to protect her. She falls in with a crack dealer and quickly becomes addicted to the drug. When she gets sold to a drug kingpin by a minor dealer to pay off a debt, only Rick can save her.
IMDB Rating: 5.5
IMDB Votes: 464
Genere: Action, Crime, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 90 min
Plot tags: grindhouse, crime drama, independent film, hispanic, rough, serious, realistic, suspenseful, neo noir, poliziottesco
Similar in 78%
Blood In, Blood Out (1993)
Plot Summary:
Based on the true life experiences of poet Jimmy Santiago Baca, the film focuses on half-brothers Paco and Cruz, and their bi-racial cousin Miklo. It opens in 1972, as the three are members of an East L.A. gang known as the "Vatos Locos", and the story focuses on how a violent crime and the influence of narcotics alter their lives. Miklo is incarcerated and sent to San Quentin, where he makes a "home" for himself. Cruz becomes an exceptional artist, but a heroin addiction overcomes him with tragic results. Paco becomes a cop and an enemy to his "carnal", Miklo.
IMDB Rating: 7.9
IMDB Votes: 33000
Genere: Crime, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 180 min
Plot tags: intense, bad ending, entertaining, rough, serious, realistic, disturbing, cult classic, inspirational, retro
Similar in 85%
Consignment (2007)
Plot Summary:
Consignment is the authentic and brutal story of an East Coast drug dealer forced to flee to California only to realize state lines don't erase past sins.
IMDB Rating: 6.1
IMDB Votes: 99
Genere: Action, Crime, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 87 min
Plot tags: rough, serious, realistic, suspenseful, independent film
Similar in 83%
Sinatra Club (2010)
Plot Summary:
Brutal and celebrated Mafia gangster John Gotti (Danny Nucci) schemes, shoves and murders his way to the top of that world in this gritty biography told from the perspective of Salvatore Polisi (Jason Gedrick), who owns the Sinatra Club, where Gotti's crew hangs out. Determined to make his name, the young Gotti plans a daring armored-car robbery that he expects to get him noticed by the bosses of each of New York's five major crime families.
IMDB Rating: 4.7
IMDB Votes: 877
Genere: Action, Biography, Crime, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 88 min
Plot tags: tense, rough, serious, suspenseful, realistic
Similar in 77%
The Wrecking Crew (2000)
Plot Summary:
A high-level government hit squad is sent into the streets in order to complete a deadly mission.
IMDB Rating: 2.2
IMDB Votes: 1000
Genere: Action, Crime, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 80 min
Plot tags: rough, realistic, suspenseful, serious, stylized, hood, crime drama, independent film
Similar in 90%
Laws of Gravity (1992)
Plot Summary:
Jimmy and Jon are a couple of Brooklyn guys who somehow never found their way into workaday society; they never found their way into big-time crime, either.
IMDB Rating: 6.7
IMDB Votes: 1000
Genere: Crime, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 100 min
Plot tags: neo noir, independent film, tense, rough, bleak, serious, realistic, suspenseful, neorealism, cult film
Similar in 77%
Snitch'd (2003)
Plot Summary:
When the South Side Gang and the Cut Throat Mafia start a drug war at a local high school in Santa Ana, CA, detective McClure goes undercover to investigate the brutal murder of a young Latina student. The gang members are the key suspects but nobody is talking. And as McClure continues to dig for answers, it becomes clear that the two gangs are fighting for territory - and nobody is getting in their way.
IMDB Rating: 2.1
IMDB Votes: 205
Genere: Action, Adventure, Thriller, Crime, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 86 min
Plot tags: rough, serious, realistic, suspenseful, independent film, bleak
Similar in 83%
Corrupt (1999)
Plot Summary:
After decades of terror, two deadly street gangs reach a delicate truce and young MJ (Silkk the Shocker) sees a way out of the hood once and for all. Only Corrupt (Ice-T) stands in MJ's way, resulting into a violent and brutal roller coaster ride of action!.
IMDB Rating: 2.6
IMDB Votes: 1000
Genere: Action, Crime, Drama, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 69 min
Plot tags: hood, independent film, rough, bleak, serious, realistic, suspenseful
Similar in 76%
State Property: Blood on the Streets (2005)
Plot Summary:
Three gangsters vie for control of the streets of Philadelphia.
IMDB Rating: 4.5
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Musical, Action, Crime, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 94 min
Plot tags: hood, tense, serious, realistic, suspenseful, bleak, rough
Similar in 86%
Madso's War (2010)
Plot Summary:
A power vacuum develops when the top mob boss flees a federal indictment.
IMDB Rating: 3.8
IMDB Votes: 269
Genere: Action, Crime, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 86 min
Plot tags: exciting, serious, realistic, suspenseful, erotic, independent film, rough
Similar in 84%
Shottas (2002)
Plot Summary:
A raw urban drama about two friends raised on the dangerous streets of Kingston, Jamaica. Biggs and Wayne take on the "Shotta" way of life to survive. As young boys, they begin a life of crime, eventually moving to the US where they begin a ruthless climb from the bottom. They remain bound to each other by their shottas loyalty as they aggressively take control of the Jamaican underworld.
IMDB Rating: 6.0
IMDB Votes: 5000
Genere: Action, Crime, Drama
Country: USA, Jamaica
Duration: 95 min
Plot tags: hood, rough, serious, realistic, suspenseful, bleak, exciting, epic, crime drama
Similar in 85%
Illtown (1996)
Plot Summary:
Dante and his girlfrend Micky run a very profitable drug operation in a seaside town, aided and abetted by a host of teens who sell the smack at discos around town, as well as by Lucas, a corrupt cop who's on the take. Their downfall comes when they suspect one of the boys, Pep, of ripping them off, and his accidental death causes disloyalty among the teens, who suspect Dante offed them. All of this is perfect for the return of Gabriel, a one-time partner of Dante, who has just been released from jail, and has an almost angelic demeanor and the certainty that he can fix everyone's lives.
IMDB Rating: 5.4
IMDB Votes: 487
Genere: Crime, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 103 min
Plot tags: independent film, rough, bleak, serious, realistic, surreal, gloomy
Similar in 82%
American Me (1992)
Plot Summary:
Edward J. Olmos made his directorial bow with the powerhouse crime saga American Me. Olmos stars as street-gang leader Santana, who during his 18 years in Folsom Prison rules over all the drug-and-murder activities behind bars. Upon his release, Santana goes back to his old neighborhood, intending to lead a peaceful, crime-free life. But his old gang buddies force him back into his old habits. The.
IMDB Rating: 7.1
IMDB Votes: 10000
Genere: Biography, Crime, Drama, Romance
Country: USA
Duration: 125 min
Plot tags: disturbing, realistic, talky, emotional, intense, rough, serious, suspenseful, tense, suspense
Similar in 81%
Animal (2005)
Plot Summary:
His name: infamous. His reputation: ruthless. But when James "Animal"Allen is locked up in a maximum security prison, he meets a revolutionary who changes his life. Now a reformed man, James is released only to find that his own son has assumed a life of crime and violence. Can a father haunted by his past redeem his family from the very streets he created, or will he be forced to make the ultimate sacrifice?.
IMDB Rating: 5.7
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Drama, Action
Country: USA
Duration: 93 min
Plot tags: psychological, rough, serious, realistic, crime drama, bleak
Similar in 80%
Turn It Up (2000)
Plot Summary:
Trying to bootstrap his way out of Brooklyn's mean streets is Diamond, a rap musician. With his long-time pal Gage acting as his manager, he's trying to lay down a demo tape with cut-rate studio time. To pay the bills, he and Gage run drugs for "Mr. B." Inside a week, Diamond's beloved mother dies suddenly, his father appears after an absence of 12 years and wants a relationship, and his girlfriend Kia tells him she's pregnant, asking him if he's ready to be a father. Gage steals $100,000 in a multiple-felony robbery so that Diamond can record a full album, not knowing it's Mr. B's money he's taken. B wants his money, Diamond wants his music, Tia wants an answer.
IMDB Rating: 4.1
IMDB Votes: 1000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Action, Music
Country: USA
Duration: 86 min
Plot tags: disturbing, rough, serious, realistic, hood, crime drama