Best movies like Paper Dragons
Last updated March 2024
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Plot Summary:
A small-time hood, left for dead after double-crossing drug dealers, is taken in by a monastery and taught the art of kung fu.
IMDB Rating: 4.9
IMDB Votes: 102
Genere: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 95 min
Plot tags:
Best tv shows and movies like Paper Dragons (1996):
Similar in 88%
South of Reno (1988)
Plot Summary:
In a drab desert town, some 200 miles south of Reno, an indecisive man with an unfaithful wife dreams of someday, someday, taking charge of his drifting life.
IMDB Rating: 5.7
IMDB Votes: 227
Genere: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 97 min
Plot tags: independent film
Similar in 80%
The Last of the Mobile Hot Shots (1970)
Plot Summary:
A new bride gets caught between her decadent husband and his black half-brother.
IMDB Rating: 5.1
IMDB Votes: 416
Genere: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 100 min
Plot tags: independent film
Similar in 85%
The Secrets of Comfort House (2006)
Plot Summary:
A multiple murder investigation in a small hunting town focuses on one suspect, Wendy Sinclair, who operates a battered women's shelter where each of the victims' wives have sought shelter.
IMDB Rating: 4.7
IMDB Votes: 138
Genere: Drama
Country: Canada
Duration: 90 min
Plot tags:
Similar in 84%
Painted Faces (1988)
Plot Summary:
The story of Peking Opera School, its teacher Master Yu and his students.
IMDB Rating: 7.2
IMDB Votes: 555
Genere: Drama
Country: Hong Kong
Duration: 112 min
Plot tags: cult classic
Similar in 81%
Brookside: Friday the 13th (1998)
Plot Summary:
There is trouble a-plenty in store for the Corkhill clan in this video-only special. Series creator Phil Redmond has returned to pen a dramatic script which follows on from a weekend special.
IMDB Rating: 6.9
IMDB Votes: 31
Genere: Drama
Country: UK
Duration: 90 min
Plot tags:
Similar in 85%
Hunting of Man (2003)
Plot Summary:
A universal story with Latino characters told in an unconventional way (like Forrest Gump and Amadeus) about a man who's trying to keep his hot-headed younger brother from carrying out revenge.
IMDB Rating: 2.8
IMDB Votes: 706
Genere: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 88 min
Plot tags: crime drama, independent film, serious, realistic, detective, hispanic
Similar in 90%
Night-Flowers (1979)
Plot Summary:
Two Vietnam vets, Tom and Nordi, live sad lives in a crumbling New Jersey town. Sharing a one room apartment, they talk about their inability to hold down real work, struggle to get noticed at the VA and fail to connect with women. This changes for Tom when he meets Marcella and they begin a relationship. However, he can't escape his past with Nordi and the co- dependent, toxic relationship soon takes a gruesome turn.
IMDB Rating: 6.1
IMDB Votes: 97
Genere: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 92 min
Plot tags: independent film
Similar in 86%
Burning Shadow (2018)
Plot Summary:
Charlie, a down-on-his-luck loner, crosses paths with a blind homeless man who is his exact double. Perplexed and intrigued by the discovery, Charlie invites the man into his life.
IMDB Rating: 4.5
IMDB Votes: 313
Genere: Drama
Country: USA, France
Duration: 88 min
Plot tags: enigmatic, captivating, suspense, suspenseful
Similar in 79%
Painted Horses (2017)
Plot Summary:
A young teacher with a storied past must win over an impossible collection of kids and become a balm in a troubled town in need of healing.
IMDB Rating: 6.9
IMDB Votes: 330
Genere: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 91 min
Plot tags:
Similar in 86%
Ilegales (2010)
Plot Summary:
Tells the stories of a group of people in Ciudad de Juarez with one thing in common: they are all looking for a better life for them and their families. For many, that better life waits just a short walk away in the United States.
IMDB Rating: 7.2
IMDB Votes: 96
Genere: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 107 min
Plot tags: suspense, touching, suspenseful, independent film, exciting, contemplative
Similar in 88%
Hollow (2011)
Plot Summary:
In the outskirts of the city, where crime is a way of life, the paths of four desperate people collide. Jordan Coleman, a local drug dealer, finds himself at a crossroads when his friend and mentor gets in too deep with a ruthless gangster and club owner. Chelsea Hammond, an exotic dancer, finds herself being pushed into the dark world of adult entertainment as she fights to regain control of her life. Narcotics detective Sam Riley struggles with an online addiction he has tried to keep hidden from his wife. Reformed street thug Harrison Green goes back to his old neighborhood to try and connect with a street brother he left behind. These four will face their ultimate test at the hands of Copernicus Jones, a ruthless gangster who will let nothing stand in his way.
IMDB Rating: 3.8
IMDB Votes: 104
Genere: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 84 min
Plot tags: tense, unusual plot structure, captivating, suspense, suspenseful, christian film, controversial
Similar in 77%
End of the Line (2016)
Plot Summary:
Andrew has been in hiding ever since his mob boss father, killed his mother. Once his father gains word of his whereabouts he must make a decision to run, or finally confront his father.
IMDB Rating:
IMDB Votes:
Genere: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 49 min
Plot tags: tense, serious, captivating, suspense, realistic
Similar in 85%
Lakeboat (2000)
Plot Summary:
Coming-of-age tale set aboard a shipping freighter traveling America's Great Lakes. Dale is an Ivy League college student who briefly joins a world-weary crew. Exposed to a seafaring lifestyle which falls short of his literary visions, Dale instead finds the experience rich in unexpected ways. The men's bravado and comical posturing gives way as their lively story-telling reveals more about their mythologized view of life than about what actually may have happened.
IMDB Rating: 6.0
IMDB Votes: 734
Genere: Drama
Country: Canada, USA
Duration: 98 min
Plot tags: surreal, melancholic, satirical, stylized, humorous, realistic, clever, talky, witty, semi serious
Similar in 90%
Breaking the Silence (1992)
Plot Summary:
Defending a teen charged with patricide drudges up dark memories for a lawyer.
IMDB Rating: 6.8
IMDB Votes: 97
Genere: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 96 min
Plot tags:
Similar in 80%
A Clear View the Mark Barmore Story (2015)
Plot Summary:
In Rockford, IL and other cities around the nation deal with their share of police killing people, by accident, in defense or sometimes just in cold blood. This is a true story about Mark Barmore a young who became a victim of Rockford Police department. This is a story of a young man just beginning his raise to fame when he was tragically killed by these to officers. When this unfolded everyone who seen, either didn't want to see more, couldn't see more or just won't tell. But every body's view of the shooting brings this gritty, thriller to life as we uncover the truth. The same truth Rev. Jesse Jackson rallied for, from the streets of Rockford all the way to the white house. This is a emotional heart stopping film straight from the national headlines.
IMDB Rating: 7.0
IMDB Votes: 8
Genere: Drama
Country: USA
Duration:
Plot tags:
Similar in 88%
Moment of Truth: Why My Daughter? (1993)
Plot Summary:
After a young prostitute is murdered and left in a rubbish heap, her mother does everything to track down the killer.
IMDB Rating: 5.9
IMDB Votes: 368
Genere: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 96 min
Plot tags: sad
Similar in 90%
American Gun (2002)
Plot Summary:
A brilliant story with an unexpected twist. A father uses the serial number on a hand gun in an attempt to track down his daughter's killer. The truth he uncovers is an unsettling reminder of the dangers of keeping handguns. Stars the legendary James Coburn and the incredibly gifted Virginia Madsen. Written and directed by Alan Jacobs.
IMDB Rating: 6.1
IMDB Votes: 1000
Genere: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 89 min
Plot tags: psychological, serious, emotional, suspenseful, thought provoking, bleak, realistic, stylized, gloomy
Similar in 80%
Loser (1996)
Plot Summary:
23 year old Jame Dean Ray is a small time drug dealer bent on self destruction. The product of a broken home, Jimmy refuses help from those around him and spends his final hours hanging out and selling drugs with of course and occasional robbery.
IMDB Rating: 4.1
IMDB Votes: 181
Genere: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 80 min
Plot tags: independent film
Similar in 90%
Whore 2 (1994)
Plot Summary:
Jack sets himself up in the Hotel St James to work on his book on prostitution in New York. Along the way he meets and grows fond of Mary Lou.
IMDB Rating: 4.7
IMDB Votes: 258
Genere: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 85 min
Plot tags: semi documentary, social documentary, independent film, fake documentary
Similar in 87%
Face in the Mirror (1982)
Plot Summary:
The dramatic story of a group of young people’s response to a desperate teen’s cry for help.
IMDB Rating: 5.4
IMDB Votes: 17
Genere: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 65 min
Plot tags: christian film
Similar in 77%
Night at the Golden Eagle (2001)
Plot Summary:
Two elderly criminals spend their final night in Los Angeles, California at the Golden Eagle Hotel prior to their departure to Las Vegas, Nevada, to lead a life without crime. Unfortunately, on the hottest night of the summer, these two ex-criminals seemingly get caught in the malice of prostitutes, pimps, drunken bums, fighting monkeys, and young runaways.
IMDB Rating: 5.8
IMDB Votes: 3000
Genere: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 87 min
Plot tags: tense, rough, serious, realistic, suspenseful, colorful, independent film, bleak
Similar in 75%
Money Kings (1998)
Plot Summary:
Vinnie's a bookie, happily married, running his operation for 30 years out of his bar in Brooklyn. Times change, the boys up the chain want a bigger profit, so Vinnie's expendable He's assigned a hotheaded kid, Tony, the nephew of a local mobster. Vinnie's told to school the lad, use him for collections, and teach him some sense. What Vinnie doesn't know is that once Tony learns the ropes, Vinnie will be out. Tensions mount when Tony goes around Vinnie's paternalistic ways, takes a bet from an unemployed alcoholic, and demands that the loser's wife pay the vig in trade. Is there any way out for Vinnie - with or without his good name?.
IMDB Rating: 5.7
IMDB Votes: 595
Genere: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 90 min
Plot tags: bleak, serious, rough, realistic, suspenseful, gloomy
Similar in 77%
Woman Thou Art Loosed (2004)
Plot Summary:
An adaptation of Bishop T.D. Jakes' self-help novel, chronciling a woman's struggle to come to terms with her legacy of abuse, addiction and poverty.
IMDB Rating: 6.6
IMDB Votes: 1000
Genere: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 94 min
Plot tags: sentimental, touching, serious, captivating, emotional, independent film, realistic
Similar in 83%
Looking for Mr. Goodbar (1977)
Plot Summary:
A dedicated schoolteacher spends her nights cruising bars, looking for abusive men with whom she can engage in progressively violent sexual encounters.
IMDB Rating: 6.7
IMDB Votes: 8000
Genere: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 136 min
Plot tags: erotic, satirical, disturbing, melancholic, harsh, compassionate, realistic, serious, sexy, dark
Similar in 88%
Electra (1990)
Plot Summary:
Born with the beauty of the gods, Electra's lust for sexual gratification is exceeded only by her lust for vengeance. Enter a world of forbidden family love, betrayal and murder.
IMDB Rating: 3.0
IMDB Votes: 83
Genere: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 96 min
Plot tags: independent film
Similar in 88%
The Substitute (1993)
Plot Summary:
A high school substitute English teacher resorts to murder to protect her murderous dark past while seducing a student whom begins to suspect her true identity.
IMDB Rating: 5.2
IMDB Votes: 907
Genere: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 86 min
Plot tags: erotic, neo noir, tense, serious, realistic, suspenseful
Similar in 77%
Bobby G. Can't Swim (1999)
Plot Summary:
Bobby G. lives life on the edge in this real, raw New York street drama. Bobby is a small-time coke dealer, always on the hustle but rarely successful. He lives in Hell's Kitchen with his Puerto Rican girlfriend Lucy, who makes ends meet as a prostitute. A typical day finds Bobby selling $20 bags to neighborhood locals and passing cars. A yuppie kid looking to score a kilo of coke approaches him to broker a deal and Bobby sees the opportunity of a lifetime to make some real money. His rough days may just be over. With the tidy profit he could even leave the business. Playing out of his league, Bobby arranges to get the kilo from Astro, a fearsome, high-level drug dealer. Though Lucy announces that she's decided to go back to Puerto Rico and pleads with him to make a fresh start too, Bobby is sticking to his deal and isn't going anywhere now, convinced he'll be 'livin' large in a matter a' days.
IMDB Rating: 6.4
IMDB Votes: 393
Genere: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 89 min
Plot tags: independent film, psychological, tense, rough, bleak, serious, realistic, suspenseful
Similar in 76%
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 78%
12 and Holding (2005)
Plot Summary:
Three pre-adolescents with virginal and eager-of-signals naivety, hit headlong against monstrous and inhospitable loneliness, in the incandescent fire among the ashes of their own inocence.
IMDB Rating: 7.4
IMDB Votes: 7000
Genere: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 95 min
Plot tags: touching, realistic, emotional, heartbreaking, sad, sentimental, serious, depressing, harsh, art house
Similar in 78%
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