Best movies like Kids Return
Last updated March 2024
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Plot Summary:
Shinji and Masaru spend most of their school days harassing fellow classmates and playing pranks. They drop out and Shinji becomes a small-time boxer, while Masaru joins up with a local Yakuza gang. However, the world is a tough place.
IMDB Rating: 7.4
IMDB Votes: 7000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Sport
Country: Japan
Duration: 107 min
Plot tags: serious, realistic, rough, suspense, neo noir, anime, aesthetic, tense, teen comedy
Best tv shows and movies like Kids Return (1996):
Similar in 90%
Crows Zero (2007)
Plot Summary:
The students of Suzuran High compete for the King of School title. An ex-graduate yakuza is sent to kill the son of a criminal group, but he can't make himself to do it as he reminds him of his youth.
IMDB Rating: 7.0
IMDB Votes: 9000
Genere: Action, Comedy, Crime
Country: Japan
Duration: 130 min
Plot tags: exciting, suspenseful, captivating, semi serious, dorama, epic, manga, anime, action packed, serious
Similar in 88%
Sonatine (1993)
Plot Summary:
Kitano plays Murakawa, a Tokyo yakuza tiring of gangster life. Along with a few of his henchmen, he is sent by his boss to Okinawa to help end a gang war, supposedly to mediate between two warring clans. He finds that the dispute between the clans is insignificant and whilst wondering why he was sent to Okinawa at all, Murakawa's headquarters are bombed and he and his gang are ambushed in a bar.
IMDB Rating: 7.5
IMDB Votes: 23000
Genere: Action, Comedy, Crime, Drama, Romance, Thriller
Country: Japan
Duration: 94 min
Plot tags: bloody, neo noir, art house, stylized, sincere, dark, controversial, hood, crime drama, rough
Similar in 85%
Violent Cop (1989)
Plot Summary:
Detective Azuma is a Dirty-Harry style rogue cop who often uses violence and unethical methods to get results.
IMDB Rating: 7.1
IMDB Votes: 13000
Genere: Action, Crime, Drama, Thriller
Country: Japan
Duration: 103 min
Plot tags: neo noir, bloody, detective, bleak, crime drama, ironic, witty, controversial, hood, suspense thriller
Similar in 85%
Crossing the Line (1990)
Plot Summary:
An unemployed Scottish miner (Liam Neeson) is forced into bare-knuckle boxing to make ends meet.
IMDB Rating: 5.7
IMDB Votes: 1000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Sport
Country: UK
Duration: 116 min
Plot tags: rough, serious, realistic, cult classic, sincere, bleak, gloomy, independent film, cult film
Similar in 90%
Green Street Hooligans 2 (2009)
Plot Summary:
When the top players of the Green Street Elite are imprisoned following a deadly battle with their archenemies Millwall every day becomes a fight for survival. On the inside, rival firms and prison guards will stop at nothing to make their lives a living hell, leaving the lads with no choice but to stand their ground and fight. Find out what happens when the two most fearsome and notorious firms.
IMDB Rating: 4.7
IMDB Votes: 15000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Sport
Country: USA
Duration: 94 min
Plot tags: serious, rough, realistic, tense, suspense, hood
Similar in 76%
Hard Times (1975)
Plot Summary:
In the depression, Chaney, a strong silent streetfighter, joins with Speed, a promoter of no-holds-barred street boxing bouts. They go to New Orleans where Speed borrows money to set up fights for Chaney, but Speed gambles away any winnings.
IMDB Rating: 7.2
IMDB Votes: 12000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Sport
Country: USA
Duration: 93 min
Plot tags: realistic, tense, harsh, serious, neo noir, atmospheric, captivating, cynical, action adventure, exciting
Similar in 77%
A Friend to Die For (1994)
Plot Summary:
Angela Delvecchio, coming from a rather poor family, moves into the rich town Montevista. She admires Stacy, leader of the most prestigeous clique of her high school. Angela wants to be accepted and seeks Stacy's friendship. But when she defends outsider Monica against Stacy, she becomes Stacy's target herself. Mocked, she stabs Stacy with a kitchen's knife. The trial becomes a sensation.
IMDB Rating: 6.0
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Crime, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 91 min
Plot tags: slasher, teen, rough, serious, captivating, realistic, ridiculous
Similar in 81%
Friend (2001)
Plot Summary:
The film follows the lives of four childhood friends: Joon-seok, the leader, whose father is a powerful mob boss; Dong-su, whose father is an undertaker; class clown Jung-ho; and Sang-taek, an exemplary student. The story is the director's experience about his friends, a semi-autobiography set in his hometown, Busan. When it was released it was the highest-grossing Korean movie of all time.
IMDB Rating: 7.2
IMDB Votes: 5000
Genere: Action, Crime, Drama
Country: South Korea
Duration: 113 min
Plot tags: rough, serious, captivating, suspenseful, inspirational, crime drama, bleak, realistic
Similar in 77%
Home Room (2002)
Plot Summary:
A high school shooting has repercussions on the town and students.
IMDB Rating: 7.1
IMDB Votes: 3000
Genere: Crime, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 133 min
Plot tags: touching, serious, emotional, gothic, intense, cerebral, independent film, realistic, contemplative, psychological
Similar in 77%
Home of the Giants (2007)
Plot Summary:
A story about basketball and befriending. Gar is a High School journalist who, while covering the team to the state championship, is best friends with the teams' main "Star" Matt Dunbar. Matt's older brother persuades him to steal money from a drug dealers' home. Gar tags along, but soon things go horribly wrong. One question to ask is "Will the Giants win the big game?.
IMDB Rating: 5.9
IMDB Votes: 706
Genere: Crime, Drama, Sport
Country: USA
Duration: 104 min
Plot tags: serious, captivating, realistic, suspenseful
Similar in 84%
Cock & Bull Story (2002)
Plot Summary:
Two friends are torn apart by passion and ambition in the violent world of amateur boxing.
IMDB Rating: 5.4
IMDB Votes: 232
Genere: Crime, Drama, Sport
Country: USA
Duration: 106 min
Plot tags: rough, serious, realistic, captivating, talky, crying, independent film, detective
Similar in 78%
Dans les cordes (2007)
Plot Summary:
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IMDB Rating: 5.9
IMDB Votes: 109
Genere: Drama, Sport
Country: France
Duration: 93 min
Plot tags: touching, serious, realistic, suspense
Similar in 80%
A Fighting Man (2014)
Plot Summary:
Two men meet in the ring for a fight that will change their lives.
IMDB Rating: 5.5
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Drama, Sport
Country: Canada
Duration: 88 min
Plot tags: serious, realistic, suspense, disturbing, exciting, sincere, touching
Similar in 78%
Tough Enough (2006)
Plot Summary:
From the youth directed novel of the same name by Greogor Tressnow comes a film by Detlev Buck that is a realistic portrait of life in the section of Berlin called Neukölln. It’s about power and weakness, delinquents and victims, and the difficulties a 15-year-old faces in a poor and criminal environment.
IMDB Rating: 7.1
IMDB Votes: 4000
Genere: Crime, Drama
Country: Germany
Duration: 98 min
Plot tags: realistic, suspenseful, tense, rough, bleak, serious, gloomy
Similar in 79%
Mean Creek (2004)
Plot Summary:
Teenagers living in small-town Oregon take a boat trip for a birthday celebration. When they get an idea to play a mean trick on the town bully, it suddenly goes too far. Soon they're forced to deal with the unexpected consequences of their actions.
IMDB Rating: 7.1
IMDB Votes: 33000
Genere: Crime, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 90 min
Plot tags: disturbing, psychological, suspenseful, suspense, intense, independent film, captivating, emotional, sad, tense
Similar in 77%
Ping Pong (2002)
Plot Summary:
As children, the introverted Smile was being bullied by a gang of kids until the brash Peco comes by and chases all of them them away. Peco then takes Smile under his wings and teaches him how to play the game of ping pong. From there a life long best friend relationship comes into existence between these two polar opposite kids. Fast forward a decade later, these two best friends try to deal with their own inner turmoils, as they move further and further into the regional ping pong tournament. Peco has to overcome a knee injury while trying to rediscover the fun aspects of the game of Ping Pong. Meanwhile, Smile now seems to have gained the killer instinct by going through a rigorous training regiment instilled by his high school coach. As the tournament progresses it becomes more likely that these two best friends will face off against each in the final match.
IMDB Rating: 7.0
IMDB Votes: 3000
Genere: Comedy, Drama, Sport
Country: Japan
Duration: 114 min
Plot tags: semi serious, touching, humorous, uplifting, disturbing, manga, anime, weird
Similar in 86%
All You've Got (2006)
Plot Summary:
Two Southern California volleyball teams determined to prove their superiority on the court find out that they're not as different as they previously thought after tragedy strikes close to home in director Neema Barnette's affectionate sports drama. The Madonnas and the Phantoms are two volleyball teams with a longstanding grudge. With a bitter rivalry that frequently spills off of the court and into the streets, the Madonnas and the Phantoms appear to have nothing in common until fate forces them to break down the social and cultural barriers that bind them. Now determined to keep it together on the court as they make their way to the championships, these former rivals are about to find out what true sportsmanship is really all about.
IMDB Rating: 4.2
IMDB Votes: 1000
Genere: Drama, Sport
Country: USA
Duration: 95 min
Plot tags: humorous, semi serious, realistic, captivating
Similar in 78%
Girlfight (2000)
Plot Summary:
Diana Guzman begins to train as a boxer and achieves impressive success, blazing new trails for female boxers, all while keeping it a secret from her father.
IMDB Rating: 6.7
IMDB Votes: 11000
Genere: Drama, Sport
Country: USA
Duration: 110 min
Plot tags: uplifting, independent film, captivating, touching, realistic, serious, cult classic, rough, gloomy, sincere
Similar in 83%
Brother (2000)
Plot Summary:
A Japanese Yakuza gangster’s deadly existence in his homeland gets him exiled to Los Angeles, California, where he is taken in by his little brother and his brother’s gang. This is the first English film by Takeshi Kitano.
IMDB Rating: 7.1
IMDB Votes: 24000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Thriller
Country: UK, France, Japan
Duration: 114 min
Plot tags: harsh, intense, rough, serious, exciting, atmospheric, art house, stylized, hood, psychological thriller
Similar in 83%
Undisputed (2002)
Plot Summary:
Monroe Hutchens is the heavyweight champion of Sweetwater, a maximum security prison. He was convicted to a life sentence due to a passionate crime. Iceman Chambers is the heavyweight champion, who lost his title due to a rape conviction to ten years in Sweetwater. WHen these two giants collide in the same prison, they fight against each other disputing who is the real champion.
IMDB Rating: 6.1
IMDB Votes: 34000
Genere: Action, Crime, Drama, Sport
Country: USA, Germany, Japan
Duration: 96 min
Plot tags: suspense, talky, stylized, intense, exciting, tense, rough, serious, realistic, suspenseful
Similar in 84%
Blue Spring (2001)
Plot Summary:
Soon after being named the new leader of his high school's gang system, Kujo grows bored with the violence and hatred that surround him. He wants desperately to abandon his post… but his once-enviable position of power has a strange way of making him feel powerless.
IMDB Rating: 7.2
IMDB Votes: 4000
Genere: Drama
Country: Japan
Duration: 83 min
Plot tags: bleak, realistic, disturbing, serious, manga
Similar in 84%
Triad (2012)
Plot Summary:
Three childhood friends join the Hong Kong Triads only to discover that fame and fortune will ultimately break them apart as only one can become the leader of the gang.
IMDB Rating: 5.2
IMDB Votes: 430
Genere: Crime, Drama
Country: Hong Kong
Duration: 91 min
Plot tags: rough, serious, realistic, suspenseful
Similar in 79%
Battles Without Honor and Humanity (1973)
Plot Summary:
In the teeming black markets of postwar Japan, Shozo Hirono and his buddies find themselves in a new war between factious and ambitious yakuza.
IMDB Rating: 7.4
IMDB Votes: 4000
Genere: Crime, Drama
Country: Japan
Duration: 99 min
Plot tags: grindhouse, exciting, rough, serious, captivating, realistic, suspenseful, stylized
Similar in 78%
Outrage Coda (2017)
Plot Summary:
Ôtomo gets involved with new Yakuza battles after he comes back the Yakuza society.
IMDB Rating: 6.4
IMDB Votes: 3000
Genere: Action, Crime, Drama
Country: Japan
Duration: 104 min
Plot tags: exciting, tense, captivating, suspense, disturbing, neo noir, hood
Similar in 87%
My Crazy Life (1993)
Plot Summary:
Mousie and Sad Girl are childhood best friends in a contemporary Los Angeles poor Hispanic neighborhood. But when Sad Girl becomes pregnant by Mousie's boyfriend, a drug dealer named Ernesto, the two become bitter enemies. While their dispute escalates towards violence, the violence of the world around them soon also impacts their lives.
IMDB Rating: 6.5
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Crime, Drama
Country: USA, UK
Duration: 92 min
Plot tags: realistic, talky, serious, hood, cult classic, independent film, bleak, hispanic, crime drama, sincere
Similar in 89%
Above the Rim (1994)
Plot Summary:
Story of a promising high school basketball star and his relationships with two brothers, one a drug dealer and the other a former basketball star fallen on hard times and now employed as a security guard.
IMDB Rating: 6.6
IMDB Votes: 17000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Sport, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 96 min
Plot tags: hood, inspirational, independent film, tense, touching, serious, realistic, suspenseful, gloomy, light
Similar in 90%
Boyz n the Hood (1991)
Plot Summary:
Boyz n the Hood is the popular and successful film and social criticism from John Singleton about the conditions in South Central Los Angeles where teenagers are involved in gun fights and drug dealing on a daily basis.
IMDB Rating: 7.8
IMDB Votes: 151000
Genere: Crime, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 112 min
Plot tags: disturbing, tense, thought provoking, hood, cult classic, brutal, bleak, independent film, rough, suspenseful
Similar in 84%
The Outsiders (1983)
Plot Summary:
When two poor greasers, Johnny, and Ponyboy are assaulted by a vicious gang, the socs, and Johnny kills one of the attackers, tension begins to mount between the two rival gangs, setting off a turbulent chain of events.
IMDB Rating: 7.0
IMDB Votes: 95000
Genere: Crime, Drama
Country: USA, France
Duration: 91 min
Plot tags: cult classic, teen, melancholic, intense, hood, sentimental, stylized, epic, erotic, retro
Similar in 86%
A Bronx Tale (1993)
Plot Summary:
Set in the Bronx during the tumultuous 1960s, an adolescent boy is torn between his honest, working-class father and a violent yet charismatic crime boss. Complicating matters is the youngster's growing attraction - forbidden in his neighborhood - for a beautiful black girl.
IMDB Rating: 7.8
IMDB Votes: 156000
Genere: Crime, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 121 min
Plot tags: sentimental, suspense, intense, hood, touching, realistic, inspirational, crime drama, scary, sincere
Similar in 86%
Last of the Wolves (2021)
Plot Summary:
After Shogo Ogami’s death in Hiroshima, Detective Shuichi Hioka successfully implemented Shogo Ogami’s plan, which was to control the yakuza to prevent further gang wars and save innocent people from getting harmed. Shuichi Hioka manages the criminal organizations, but, due to one evil person who gets released from prison, the situation drastically changes.
IMDB Rating: 6.7
IMDB Votes: 790
Genere: Crime, Drama
Country: Japan
Duration: 139 min
Plot tags: tense, captivating, suspense, disturbing