Best movies like Traffic
Last updated March 2024
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Plot Summary:
An exploration of the United States of America's war on drugs from multiple perspectives. For the new head of the Office of National Drug Control Policy, the war becomes personal when he discovers his well-educated daughter is abusing cocaine within their comfortable suburban home. In Mexico, a flawed, but noble policeman agrees to testify against a powerful general in league with a cartel, and in San Diego, a drug kingpin's sheltered trophy wife must learn her husband's ruthless business after he is arrested, endangering her luxurious lifestyle.
IMDB Rating: 7.6
IMDB Votes: 217000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Thriller
Country: USA, Germany
Duration: 147 min
Plot tags: suspense, bleak, political, realistic, dramatic, anthology, neo noir, tense, thought provoking, clever
Best tv shows and movies like Traffic (2000):
Similar in 83%
Pride and Glory (2008)
Plot Summary:
A saga centered on a multi-generational family of New York City Police officers. The family's moral codes are tested when Ray Tierney, investigates a case that reveals an incendiary police corruption scandal involving his own brother-in-law. For Ray, the truth is revelatory, a Pandora's Box that threatens to upend not only the Tierney legacy but the entire NYPD.
IMDB Rating: 6.6
IMDB Votes: 63000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Thriller
Country: USA, Germany
Duration: 130 min
Plot tags: suspense, tense, intense, detective, serious, suspenseful, rough, realistic, dark, psychological
Similar in 82%
Prince of the City (1981)
Plot Summary:
New York City detective Daniel Ciello agrees to help the United States Department of Justice help eliminate corruption in the police department, as long as he will not have to turn in any close friends. In doing so, Ciello uncovers a conspiracy within the force to smuggle drugs to street informants.
IMDB Rating: 7.4
IMDB Votes: 9000
Genere: Crime, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 167 min
Plot tags: tense, neo noir, detective, bleak, realistic, epic, political, crime drama, grim, sincere
Similar in 90%
The Counselor (2013)
Plot Summary:
A lawyer finds himself in far over his head when he attempts to get involved in drug trafficking.
IMDB Rating: 5.4
IMDB Votes: 105000
Genere: Action, Adventure, Crime, Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Country: UK, USA
Duration: 117 min
Plot tags: neo noir, talky, bleak, suspense, philosophical, intense, sexy, cynical, tense, serious
Similar in 85%
The French Connection (1971)
Plot Summary:
Tough narcotics detective 'Popeye' Doyle is in hot pursuit of a suave French drug dealer who may be the key to a huge heroin-smuggling operation.
IMDB Rating: 7.7
IMDB Votes: 133000
Genere: Action, Crime, Drama, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 104 min
Plot tags: detective, neo noir, atmospheric, tense, realistic, breathtaking, cerebral, grim, crime drama, exciting
Similar in 76%
Animal Kingdom (2010)
Plot Summary:
Following the death of his mother, J finds himself living with his estranged family, under the watchful eye of his doting grandmother, Smurf, mother to the Cody boys. J quickly comes to believe that he is a player in this world. But, as he soon discovers, this world is far larger and more menacing than he could ever imagine. J finds himself at the center of a cold-blooded revenge plot that turns the family upside down.
IMDB Rating: 7.2
IMDB Votes: 60000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Thriller
Country: Australia
Duration: 113 min
Plot tags: tense, disturbing, bleak, atmospheric, realistic, neo noir, suspense, intense, visually appealing, rough
Similar in 85%
Escobar: Paradise Lost (2014)
Plot Summary:
For Pablo Escobar family is everything. When young surfer Nick falls for Escobar's niece, Maria, he finds his life on the line when he's pulled into the dangerous world of the family business.
IMDB Rating: 6.5
IMDB Votes: 23000
Genere: Crime, Drama, History, Romance, Thriller
Country: France, Spain, Belgium, Panama
Duration: 120 min
Plot tags: tense, realistic, suspenseful, touching, serious, captivating, stylized, suspense, social, hood
Similar in 77%
Traffik (1989)
Plot Summary:
Traffik is a 1989 British television serial about the illegal drugs trade. Its three stories are interwoven, with arcs told from the perspectives of Afghan and Pakistani growers and manufacturers, German dealers, and British users. It was nominated for six BAFTA Awards, winning three. It also won an International Emmy Award for best drama. The 2000 crime drama film Traffic, directed by Steven Soderbergh, was based on this television serial. In turn, the 2004 American television miniseries Traffic was based on both versions.
IMDB Rating: 8.4
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Crime, Drama
Country: UK
Duration: 315 min
Plot tags: serious, tense, thought provoking, disturbing, rough, bleak, political, realistic, suspenseful
Similar in 81%
Dark Blue (2002)
Plot Summary:
Set during the Rodney King riots, a robbery homicide investigation triggers a series of events that will cause a corrupt LAPD officer to question his tactics.
IMDB Rating: 6.6
IMDB Votes: 24000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Thriller
Country: USA, UK, Germany
Duration: 118 min
Plot tags: neo noir, tense, detective, harsh, intense, stylized, serious, captivating, suspenseful, disturbing
Similar in 82%
Cop Land (1997)
Plot Summary:
Freddy Heflin is the sheriff of a place everyone calls “Cop Land” — a small and seemingly peaceful town populated by the big city police officers he’s long admired. Yet something ugly is taking place behind the town’s peaceful facade. And when Freddy uncovers a massive, deadly conspiracy among these local residents, he is forced to take action and make a dangerous choice between protecting his idols and upholding the law.
IMDB Rating: 7.0
IMDB Votes: 104000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 105 min
Plot tags: suspenseful, neo noir, talky, intense, realistic, serious, suspense, crime thriller, detective, sexy
Similar in 80%
Broken City (2013)
Plot Summary:
In a broken city rife with injustice, ex-cop Billy Taggart seeks redemption and revenge after being double-crossed and then framed by its most powerful figure, the mayor. Billy's relentless pursuit of justice, matched only by his streetwise toughness, makes him an unstoppable force - and the mayor's worst nightmare.
IMDB Rating: 6.1
IMDB Votes: 83000
Genere: Action, Crime, Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 109 min
Plot tags: neo noir, suspenseful, rough, political, tense, intense, serious, realistic, detective, cult classic
Similar in 75%
Internal Affairs (1990)
Plot Summary:
Keen young Raymold Avila joins the Internal Affairs Department of the Los Angeles police. He and partner Amy Wallace are soon looking closely at the activities of cop Dennis Peck whose financial holdings start to suggest something shady. Indeed Peck is involved in any number of dubious or downright criminal activities. He is also devious, a womaniser, and a clever manipulator, and he starts to turn his attention on Avila.
IMDB Rating: 6.5
IMDB Votes: 22000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Thriller
Country: USA, Canada
Duration: 115 min
Plot tags: tense, suspense, neo noir, suspenseful, erotic, atmospheric, intense, clever, brutal, rough
Similar in 85%
Sicario: Day of the Soldado (2018)
Plot Summary:
FBI agent Matt Graver teams up with operative Alejandro Gillick to prevent Mexican drug cartels from smuggling terrorists across the U.S. border.
IMDB Rating: 7.1
IMDB Votes: 162000
Genere: Action, Crime, Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Country: USA, Mexico
Duration: 122 min
Plot tags: neo noir, suspense, bleak, disturbing, captivating, neo western, tense, retro, noir, political
Similar in 76%
The Infiltrator (2016)
Plot Summary:
A U.S Customs official uncovers a massive money laundering scheme involving Pablo Escobar.
IMDB Rating: 7.0
IMDB Votes: 78000
Genere: Biography, Crime, Drama, Thriller
Country: UK, USA
Duration: 127 min
Plot tags: suspense, tense, realistic, dramatic, factual, clever, political, detective, novela, action adventure
Similar in 79%
Tequila Sunrise (1988)
Plot Summary:
In a seaside California town, best friends Mac and Nick are on opposite sides of the law. Mac is a former drug dealer trying to clean up his act, while Nick is a high-profile detective trying to take down a Mexican drug lord named Carlos. Soon Nick's loyalties are put to the test when he begins an affair with restaurateur Jo Ann -- a love interest of Mac's -- unwittingly leading his friend into a police-orchestrated trap.
IMDB Rating: 6.0
IMDB Votes: 33000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Romance, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 115 min
Plot tags: exciting, suspense, serious, realistic, atmospheric, neo noir, cult classic, sexy, detective, noir
Similar in 89%
Savages (2012)
Plot Summary:
Pot growers Ben and Chon face off against the Mexican drug cartel who kidnapped their shared girlfriend.
IMDB Rating: 6.4
IMDB Votes: 134000
Genere: Action, Crime, Drama, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 131 min
Plot tags: sexy, tense, intense, action packed, crime drama, romantic, rough, erotic, noir, disturbing
Similar in 88%
Killing Them Softly (2012)
Plot Summary:
Jackie Cogan is an enforcer hired to restore order after three dumb guys rob a Mob protected card game, causing the local criminal economy to collapse.
IMDB Rating: 6.2
IMDB Votes: 151000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 97 min
Plot tags: neo noir, suspenseful, tense, intense, bleak, independent film, dark comedy, rough, bloody, political
Similar in 81%
Narc (2002)
Plot Summary:
An undercover narc dies, the investigation stalls, so the Detroit P.D. brings back Nick Tellis, fired 18-months ago when a stray bullet hits a pregnant woman. Tellis teams with Henry Oak, a friend of the dead narc and an aggressive cop constantly under the scrutiny of internal affairs. They follow leads and informants turn up dead.
IMDB Rating: 7.1
IMDB Votes: 43000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Country: Germany, Canada, USA
Duration: 105 min
Plot tags: bleak, suspense, tense, realistic, suspenseful, neo noir, psychological, atmospheric, harsh, disturbing
Similar in 78%
The Place Beyond the Pines (2012)
Plot Summary:
A motorcycle stunt rider considers committing a crime in order to provide for his wife and child, an act that puts him on a collision course with a cop-turned-politician.
IMDB Rating: 7.3
IMDB Votes: 286000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 140 min
Plot tags: harsh, captivating, psychological, stylized, neo noir, suspense, gloomy, melancholic, atmospheric, crime thriller
Similar in 89%
Menace II Society (1993)
Plot Summary:
Menace II Society is a coming of age tale detailing the summer after its protagonist Caine (Tyrin Turner) graduates from high school. This is Caine's story, which details real life in today's tough inner city.
IMDB Rating: 7.5
IMDB Votes: 63000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 97 min
Plot tags: tense, bleak, realistic, stylized, hood, rough, serious, harsh, intense, bloody
Similar in 86%
Sicario (2015)
Plot Summary:
A young female FBI agent joins a secret CIA operation to take down a Mexican cartel boss, a job that ends up pushing her ethical and moral values to the limit.
IMDB Rating: 7.7
IMDB Votes: 462000
Genere: Action, Crime, Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Country: USA, Mexico, Hong Kong
Duration: 121 min
Plot tags: suspense, realistic, serious, tense, neo noir, enigmatic, brutal, harsh, bleak, atmospheric
Similar in 84%
Crash (2004)
Plot Summary:
Los Angeles citizens with vastly separate lives collide in interweaving stories of race, loss and redemption.
IMDB Rating: 7.7
IMDB Votes: 446000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Thriller
Country: USA, Germany, Australia
Duration: 112 min
Plot tags: bleak, touching, thought provoking, sincere, emotional, gloomy, sad, political, intense, disturbing
Similar in 87%
Training Day (2001)
Plot Summary:
On his first day on the job as a narcotics officer, a rookie cop works with a rogue detective who isn't what he appears.
IMDB Rating: 7.7
IMDB Votes: 463000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 122 min
Plot tags: neo noir, tense, realistic, harsh, suspense, hood, detective, crime thriller, psychological, clever
Similar in 76%
The Untouchables (1987)
Plot Summary:
Young Treasury Agent Elliot Ness arrives in Chicago and is determined to take down Al Capone, but it's not going to be easy because Capone has the police in his pocket. Ness meets Jimmy Malone, a veteran patrolman and probably the most honorable one on the force. He asks Malone to help him get Capone, but Malone warns him that if he goes after Capone, he is going to war.
IMDB Rating: 7.8
IMDB Votes: 326000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 119 min
Plot tags: suspense, suspenseful, stylized, clever, exciting, tense, serious, captivating, rough, neo noir
Similar in 76%
Carlito's Way (1993)
Plot Summary:
A Puerto-Rican ex-con, just released from prison, pledges to stay away from drugs and violence despite the pressure around him and lead on to a better life outside of NYC.
IMDB Rating: 7.9
IMDB Votes: 229000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 144 min
Plot tags: neo noir, suspense, atmospheric, suspenseful, tense, melancholic, intense, rough, bleak, serious
Similar in 75%
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 79%
21 Grams (2003)
Plot Summary:
This is the story of three gentle persons: Paul Rivers an ailing mathematician lovelessly married to an English émigré, Christina Peck, an upper-middle-class suburban housewife, happily married and mother of two little girls, and Jack Jordan, an ex-convict who has found in his Christian faith the strength to raise a family. They will be brought together by a terrible accident that will change their lives. By the final frame, none of them will be the same as they will learn harsh truths about love, faith, courage, desire and guilt, and how chance can change our worlds irretrievably, forever.
IMDB Rating: 7.6
IMDB Votes: 244000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 124 min
Plot tags: mind bending, psychological, emotional, bleak, non-linear, gloomy, depressing, suspense, sincere, sad
Similar in 87%
Gone Baby Gone (2007)
Plot Summary:
When 4 year old Amanda McCready disappears from her home and the police make little headway in solving the case, the girl's aunt, Beatrice McCready hires two private detectives, Patrick Kenzie and Angie Gennaro. The detectives freely admit that they have little experience with this type of case, but the family wants them for two reasons - they're not cops and they know the tough neighborhood in which they all live. As the case progresses, Kenzie and Gennaro face drug dealers, gangs and pedophiles. When they are about to solve the case, they are faced with a moral dilemma that tears them apart.
IMDB Rating: 7.6
IMDB Votes: 285000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 114 min
Plot tags: twist ending, detective, thought provoking, neo noir, surprise ending, suspense, disturbing, psychological, suspenseful, tense
Similar in 78%
Inside Man (2006)
Plot Summary:
Bank robber Dalton Russell enters a Manhattan bank, locks the doors and takes hostages, working methodically and without haste. Detective Frazier is assigned to negotiate, but his mind is occupied with the corruption charges he is facing. With an army of police surrounding the bank, the thief, the cop and a high-profile 'fixer' enter high-stakes negotiations.
IMDB Rating: 7.6
IMDB Votes: 392000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 129 min
Plot tags: clever, detective, tricky, suspense, twisted, surprise ending, tense, suspenseful, enigmatic, neo noir
Similar in 87%
The Informer (2019)
Plot Summary:
In New York, former convict Pete Koslow, related to the Polish mafia, must deal with both Klimek the General, his ruthless boss, and the twisted ambitions of two federal agents, as he tries to survive and protect the lives of his loved ones….
IMDB Rating: 6.6
IMDB Votes: 41000
Genere: Action, Crime, Drama, Thriller
Country: UK, Canada, USA
Duration: 113 min
Plot tags: suspense, suspenseful, psychological, rough, thought provoking, entertaining, crime drama, cult classic, thrilling, surprise ending
Similar in 84%
The Departed (2006)
Plot Summary:
To take down South Boston's Irish Mafia, the police send in one of their own to infiltrate the underworld, not realizing the syndicate has done likewise. While an undercover cop curries favor with the mob kingpin, a career criminal rises through the police ranks. But both sides soon discover there's a mole among them.
IMDB Rating: 8.5
IMDB Votes: 14000000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Thriller
Country: USA, Hong Kong
Duration: 151 min
Plot tags: twist ending, suspense, surprise ending, clever, tense, captivating, serious, neo noir, psychological, mind bending