Best movies like Gringo
Last updated March 2024
Looking for movies like Gringo? Contribute your expertise to lead others toward films and tv series you've viewed before that may also consume them. Help enlarge the circle of people referring videos between each other. We welcome your engagement!
Plot Summary:
Filmed in documentary-style, the film follows the character of Gringo, a young man looking for fortune in New York, only to fall into heroin addiction.
IMDB Rating: 6.1
IMDB Votes: 312
Genere: Documentary
Country: USA
Duration: 95 min
Plot tags: disturbing, controversial, sincere, rough, thought provoking, bleak, serious, realistic, independent film, fake documentary
Best tv shows and movies like Gringo (1985):
Similar in 80%
Paul McCartney Really Is Dead: The Last Testament of George Harrison (2010)
Plot Summary:
In the summer of 2005, a package arrived at the Hollywood offices of Highway 61 Entertainment from London with no return address. Inside were two mini-cassette audio tapes dated December 30, 1999 and labeled "The Last Testament of George Harrison". A voice eerily similar to Harrison's tells a shocking story: Paul McCartney was killed in a car crash in November of 1966 and replaced with a double!.
IMDB Rating: 4.4
IMDB Votes: 760
Genere: Documentary, Fantasy
Country: USA
Duration: 95 min
Plot tags: serious, thought provoking, captivating, realistic, contemplative, independent film, mockumentary
Similar in 81%
I Don't Hate Las Vegas Anymore (1994)
Plot Summary:
A real-life comedy about a filmmaker who takes a road trip to Las Vegas -- with his real-life father and 16-year-old half-brother, plus a crew of two -- in the hopes of proving the existence of God.
IMDB Rating: 6.9
IMDB Votes: 94
Genere: Documentary
Country: USA
Duration: 70 min
Plot tags: offbeat, humorous, realistic, talky, semi serious, independent film, mockumentary
Similar in 84%
Oxy-Morons (2010)
Plot Summary:
It's an action-packed thriller that borders on horror centered around the effects of the opioid Oxycontin.
IMDB Rating: 5.5
IMDB Votes: 474
Genere: Action, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 111 min
Plot tags: rough, serious, realistic, bleak, suspense, disturbing, independent film
Similar in 88%
Peace One Day (2004)
Plot Summary:
The story of Jeremy Gilley's attempts to persuade the global community via the United Nations to sanction officially a day without conflict; a ceasefire day; a global day of Peace.
IMDB Rating: 7.6
IMDB Votes: 148
Genere: Documentary
Country: UK
Duration: 80 min
Plot tags: sincere, serious, realistic, uplifting, spiritual, political
Similar in 83%
The Pervert's Guide to Cinema (2006)
Plot Summary:
The Pervert's Guide to Cinema offers an introduction into some of Žižek's most exciting ideas on fantasy, reality, sexuality, subjectivity, desire, materiality and cinematic form. Whether he is untangling the famously baffling films of David Lynch, or overturning everything you thought you knew about Hitchcock, Žižek illuminates the screen with his passion, intellect, and unfailing sense of humour.
IMDB Rating: 7.8
IMDB Votes: 7000
Genere: Documentary
Country: UK, Austria, Netherlands
Duration: 150 min
Plot tags: intellectual, psychological, philosophical, humorous, captivating, cerebral, clever, talky, thought provoking, psychedelic
Similar in 85%
The Buried Secret of M. Night Shyamalan (2004)
Plot Summary:
Everyone has a skeleton or two in his or her closet, but what about the director behind some of the most successful thrillers ever to hit the silver screen? Could M. Night Shyamalan be hiding a deep, dark secret that drives his macabre cinematic vision? Now viewers will be able to find out firsthand what fuels The Sixth Sense director's seemingly supernatural creativity as filmmakers interview Shyamalan as well as the cast and crew members who have worked most closely with him over the years. Discover the early events that shaped the mind of a future master of suspense in a documentary that is as fascinating as it is revealing.
IMDB Rating: 4.8
IMDB Votes: 894
Genere: Documentary
Country: USA
Duration: 125 min
Plot tags: mockumentary, serious, cult classic, fake documentary
Similar in 85%
Project Nim (2011)
Plot Summary:
From the team behind Man on Wire comes the story of Nim, the chimpanzee who in the 1970s became the focus of a landmark experiment which aimed to show that an ape could learn to communicate with language if raised and nurtured like a human child. Following Nim's extraordinary journey through human society, and the enduring impact he makes on the people he meets along the way, the film is an unflinching and unsentimental biography of an animal we tried to make human. What we learn about his true nature - and indeed our own - is comic, revealing and profoundly unsettling.
IMDB Rating: 7.4
IMDB Votes: 9000
Genere: Documentary
Country: UK, USA
Duration: 93 min
Plot tags: touching, psychological, sad, heartbreaking, suspenseful, thought provoking, captivating, realistic, light, educational
Similar in 89%
Dumb: The Story of Big Brother Magazine (2017)
Plot Summary:
A look at the rise and fall of the subversive skateboarding magazine Big Brother, which rose to prominence in the mid-1990s and had a profound effect on the skating subculture with its unfiltered approach.
IMDB Rating: 7.4
IMDB Votes: 628
Genere: Documentary
Country: USA
Duration: 79 min
Plot tags:
Similar in 79%
Roman Polanski: Wanted and Desired (2008)
Plot Summary:
Examines the public scandal and private tragedy which led to legendary director Roman Polanski's sudden flight from the United States.
IMDB Rating: 7.2
IMDB Votes: 5000
Genere: Documentary, Crime
Country: USA, UK
Duration: 99 min
Plot tags: psychological, disturbing, factual, suspense, talky, thought provoking, serious, realistic, controversial, tense
Similar in 76%
The Unraveling (2015)
Plot Summary:
Michael is a basically decent guy with a pregnant girlfriend, great friends - and one massive drug problem. Because he missed his own Las Vegas bachelor party being too stoned, his four besties decide to kidnap him for a weekend of roughing it in the California wilderness. Caught off guard by this surprise camping trip and his nose candy supply dwindling, Michael is shocked when his buddies start being ritually murdered one by one. Suspecting it’s the vicious drug dealer he cheated getting bloody revenge, Michael’s life swirls out of all control as the real truth is revealed.
IMDB Rating: 5.0
IMDB Votes: 382
Genere: Drama, Horror, Thriller
Country: Denmark, USA
Duration: 85 min
Plot tags: scary, thought provoking, unusual plot structure, suspense, disturbing, psychological horror, spooky
Similar in 87%
Obscene (2007)
Plot Summary:
A look at the life and work of American publisher Barney Rosset, who struggled to bring controversial works like "Tropic of Cancer" and "Naked Lunch" to publication.
IMDB Rating: 7.2
IMDB Votes: 258
Genere: Documentary, Biography
Country: USA
Duration: 97 min
Plot tags: serious, realistic, captivating, experimental, controversial
Similar in 86%
Fighting for Life (2008)
Plot Summary:
Fighting for Life is a very different movie about war and medicine, a real-life "M*A*S*H" for our times about the doctors and nurses fighting on the front lines. The film interweaves stories of military doctors, nurses, and medics who are working with skill, compassion, and dedication amid the vortex of the Iraq War; wounded soldiers and marines reacting with courage, dignity, and determination to survive and to heal; and students at Uniformed Services University, the "West Point" of military medicine, on their journey toward becoming career military physicians. The film also follows 21-year-old Army Specialist Crystal Davis from Iraq to Germany to Walter Reed Hospital in Washington DC as she fights to recover and "bounce back" from the loss of a leg.
IMDB Rating: 8.1
IMDB Votes: 155
Genere: Documentary, War
Country: USA
Duration: 89 min
Plot tags: uplifting, thought provoking, serious, realistic, contemplative, documentary filmmaking
Similar in 85%
Wasted (2002)
Plot Summary:
A high-school track star (Nick Stahl) watches without judgment as his two best friends (Summer Phoenix, Aaron Paul) abuse heroin.
IMDB Rating: 6.4
IMDB Votes: 652
Genere: Drama
Country: Canada
Duration: 96 min
Plot tags: thought provoking, realistic, rough, serious, gloomy, biting, suspense
Similar in 81%
Courage (1986)
Plot Summary:
A mother in Queens, New York, is so angered when she discovers that her son is a drug addict that she becomes an undercover agent for the DEA to clean up the drug trade in her neighborhood. Based on a true story.
IMDB Rating: 6.4
IMDB Votes: 173
Genere: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 150 min
Plot tags: uplifting, serious, emotional, realistic
Similar in 84%
Iowa (2005)
Plot Summary:
A cautionary tale of love, crime, fantasy and addiction that follows two young Iowan lovers who decide to go into the "batch" business - cooking their own methamphetamine - only to watch it burn a searing hole in their lives.
IMDB Rating: 5.0
IMDB Votes: 425
Genere: Crime, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 104 min
Plot tags: rough, bleak, serious, realistic, suspenseful, disturbing
Similar in 78%
Cocaine Angel (2006)
Plot Summary:
A week in the life of a young drug addict.
IMDB Rating: 5.2
IMDB Votes: 323
Genere: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 75 min
Plot tags: realistic, serious, psychological, captivating, mumblecore, independent film, sincere, witty, gloomy
Similar in 87%
The Boost (1988)
Plot Summary:
Lenny Brown moves to California to find his fortune in tax shelter investments. When the federal government changes the tax laws, poor Lenny finds himself $700,000 in hock with nowhere to turn. His friend, Joel, introduces him to cocaine to give Lenny that needed "boost". What ensues next is a descent into drug addiction and insanity as Lenny tries to regain control of his life, all the while needing that extra "boost".
IMDB Rating: 6.0
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: USA
Duration: 95 min
Plot tags: bleak, independent film, touching, serious, realistic, gloomy, neo noir, psychological, depressing, unusual plot structure
Similar in 86%
I'm Dancing as Fast as I Can (1982)
Plot Summary:
An adaptation of Barbara Gordon's nonfiction account of her addiction to Valium.
IMDB Rating: 6.2
IMDB Votes: 556
Genere: Biography, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 107 min
Plot tags: thought provoking, sincere, serious, realistic, gloomy
Similar in 87%
In My Pocket (2011)
Plot Summary:
A harrowing journey down the dark spiral of drug addiction. As Stephen Jameson's carefully constructed life slowly falls apart, his belief system is shattered when he discovers that he's no longer the functioning addict that he once was.
IMDB Rating: 4.8
IMDB Votes: 234
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: USA
Duration: 94 min
Plot tags: serious, realistic, psychological, atmospheric, captivating, independent film
Similar in 89%
Sweet Nothing (1995)
Plot Summary:
Angel celebrates the birth of his daughter by taking his first hit of crack cocaine. With the hesitant support of his wife, Monika, he joins a friend of his to deal drugs for a short time--enough time to get out of debt and buy some nice things for the family. Three years later, Angel is still dealing, and has not saved any money, instead spending it on crack. His addiction grows, straining his friendship and his family life, and he gradually loses control.
IMDB Rating: 6.1
IMDB Votes: 580
Genere: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 89 min
Plot tags: melancholic, realistic, serious, independent film, crying, bleak, gloomy, weeping, light, road movie
Similar in 83%
Gridlock'd (1997)
Plot Summary:
After a friend overdoses, Spoon and Stretch decide to kick their drug habits and attempt to enroll in a government detox program. Their efforts are hampered by seemingly endless red tape, as they are shuffled from one office to another while being chased by drug dealers and the police.
IMDB Rating: 6.9
IMDB Votes: 16000
Genere: Comedy, Crime, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 91 min
Plot tags: dark comedy, hood, harsh, talky, stylized, realistic, disturbing, rough, humorous, black comedy
Similar in 75%
Drugstore Cowboy (1989)
Plot Summary:
Bob and his friends Dianne, Rick and Nadine have been drug addicts for years and live from one high to the next. Gus Van Sant attempts to show an intimate look into the lives of heroin addicts with his film Drugstore Cowboy.
IMDB Rating: 7.3
IMDB Votes: 40000
Genere: Crime, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 101 min
Plot tags: road movie, independent film, cult classic, depressing, dark, grim, realistic, psychedelic, art house, aesthetic
Similar in 79%
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 85%
Acts of Worship (2001)
Plot Summary:
Alix is taken in by a photographer, Digna, who despite her friends' protests, tries to help Alix piece her life back together and overcome her addictions.
IMDB Rating: 6.1
IMDB Votes: 316
Genere: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 94 min
Plot tags: rough, serious, realistic, disturbing, bleak, gloomy
Similar in 81%
Beneath the Surface (1997)
Plot Summary:
23-year old Sandra has been doing drugs for many years and has realized that she is in need of some kind of treatment. At the clinic she is told that her pimp / boyfriend Roffe has turned his attention to Sandra's younger and well-behaving sister Jannika.
IMDB Rating: 6.1
IMDB Votes: 623
Genere: Crime, Drama
Country: Sweden
Duration: 103 min
Plot tags: rough, serious, emotional, realistic
Similar in 88%
Zooey (2006)
Plot Summary:
Angel and Zooey are not your typical newlyweds. Zooey is a professional prostitute and Angel is a drug dealer. Yet they are not without hopes and dreams, of escaping their life in the streets and starting a new in a fresh painted cottage with picked fence, kid and a dog, in Manitoba, Canada, Life gets in the way however when their best friend gets in trouble with her pimp. They sacrifice everything to save her, including their own dreams.
IMDB Rating: 5.9
IMDB Votes: 70
Genere: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 91 min
Plot tags: rough, serious, realistic, bleak, gloomy
Similar in 90%
Dusty and Sweets McGee (1971)
Plot Summary:
A "straight" couple dabbles in drugs and become heroin addicts.
IMDB Rating: 6.4
IMDB Votes: 289
Genere: Crime, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 92 min
Plot tags: rough, serious, emotional, realistic
Similar in 80%
Christiane F. (1981)
Plot Summary:
This movie portrays the drug scene in Berlin in the 70s, following tape recordings of Christiane F. 14 years old Christiane lives with her mother and little sister in a typical multi-storey apartment building in Berlin. She's fascinated by the 'Sound', a new disco with most modern equipment. Although she's legally too young, she asks a friend to take her. There she meets Detlef, who's in a clique where everybody's on drugs. Step by step she gets drawn deeper into the scene.
IMDB Rating: 7.5
IMDB Votes: 28000
Genere: Biography, Drama
Country: West Germany
Duration: 138 min
Plot tags: disturbing, rough, bleak, depressing, harsh, serious, realistic, gloomy, brutal, atmospheric
Similar in 77%
The Basketball Diaries (1995)
Plot Summary:
Film adaptation of street tough Jim Carroll's epistle about his kaleidoscopic free fall into the harrowing world of drug addiction.
IMDB Rating: 7.3
IMDB Votes: 119000
Genere: Biography, Crime, Drama, Sport
Country: USA
Duration: 102 min
Plot tags: emotional, rough, serious, realistic, bleak, teen, disturbing, depressing, brutal, talky
Similar in 88%
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