Best movies like Trapped in a Purple Haze
Last updated March 2024
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Plot Summary:
When a charismatic teenager falters under constant pressure from his parents and school, he makes a potentially deadly mistake.
IMDB Rating: 7.0
IMDB Votes: 581
Genere: Crime, Drama, Sport
Country: USA
Duration: 120 min
Plot tags: touching, serious, captivating, suspense
Best tv shows and movies like Trapped in a Purple Haze (2000):
Similar in 86%
Out of Bounds (2020)
Plot Summary:
Travis Elliot, a star high school basketball player from Memphis, Tennessee must save his older brother but is torn between playing the sport that he loves or living a life of crime.
IMDB Rating: 8.5
IMDB Votes: 52
Genere: Crime, Drama, Sport
Country: USA
Duration: 82 min
Plot tags: tense, serious, suspense, realistic, surprise ending, detective, hispanic, twisted
Similar in 77%
Metastases (2009)
Plot Summary:
Eliciting images of cancer, this drama explores the illnesses that plague modern Croatia. Four young junkies in Zagreb maturing in the wake of war reflect the petty hatreds, violence, prejudices and mood hanging over the country like a disease that spreads with no cure in sight.
IMDB Rating: 7.7
IMDB Votes: 4000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Sport
Country: Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia
Duration: 82 min
Plot tags: serious, realistic, suspense, suspenseful, exciting, tense, psychedelic, social, deep, cult classic
Similar in 89%
Skating to New York (2013)
Plot Summary:
The coming-of-age journey of 5 teenage boys who leave their small, Canadian town behind and risk skating across Lake Ontario to New York on the coldest day of the year.
IMDB Rating: 5.6
IMDB Votes: 508
Genere: Drama, Sport
Country: Canada, USA
Duration: 93 min
Plot tags: captivating, psychological, light, sincere, feel good, unusual plot structure
Similar in 85%
Net Worth (1995)
Plot Summary:
The story of the NHL's early years, focusing on the battle between the players, led by Hall of Famer Ted Lindsay, and the owners, over issues of benefits, pensions and the like.
IMDB Rating: 7.2
IMDB Votes: 253
Genere: Drama, Sport
Country: Canada
Duration: 120 min
Plot tags:
Similar in 90%
75 (2017)
Plot Summary:
A car crash victim, humiliated housewife and two repressed teens are connected by their relationships with hard-working therapist Viola, who helps them battle their addictions while two disillusioned detectives struggle with the mounting war against heroin distribution in the Cincinnati area.
IMDB Rating: 7.0
IMDB Votes: 58
Genere: Crime, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 97 min
Plot tags: suspense, psychological, tense, depressing, dark, sad, ambiguous ending, crying, tragic ending, independent film
Similar in 77%
Iskariot (2008)
Plot Summary:
A doctor is pulled into Stockholm's underbelly after his brother gets caught up in a botched drug deal.
IMDB Rating: 5.2
IMDB Votes: 418
Genere: Crime, Drama, Thriller
Country: Sweden
Duration: 80 min
Plot tags: tense, suspense, captivating, psychological, bleak, serious, realistic, suspenseful
Similar in 77%
Perfect High (2015)
Plot Summary:
Star high school dancer Amanda's life spirals out of control when she starts abusing painkillers with her new friends.
IMDB Rating: 5.9
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Crime, Drama
Country: Canada
Duration: 87 min
Plot tags: tense, thought provoking, psychological, sentimental, captivating, dark
Similar in 81%
Anesthesia (2015)
Plot Summary:
Multiple lives intersect in the aftermath of the violent mugging of a Columbia University philosophy professor.
IMDB Rating: 6.1
IMDB Votes: 5000
Genere: Crime, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 90 min
Plot tags: captivating, suspense, psychological, tense, existential, crime drama, crying, independent film
Similar in 90%
The Rally (2010)
Plot Summary:
"The Rally" is a gritty drama which follows several families living in a town riddled with crime and corruption. As the local church works to bring positive change to the town, they are confronted at every turn by those that desire to keep the city in bondage...until today.
IMDB Rating: 6.0
IMDB Votes: 109
Genere: Crime, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 90 min
Plot tags: realistic, serious, captivating, psychological, rough, christian film
Similar in 88%
Toxic Love (1983)
Plot Summary:
The alienating and repetitive life of a group of heroin junkies in the 1980s Rome.
IMDB Rating: 7.3
IMDB Votes: 1000
Genere: Crime, Drama
Country: Italy
Duration: 90 min
Plot tags: rough, bleak, serious, realistic, gloomy, black comedy, dark comedy
Similar in 75%
Youngblood (1986)
Plot Summary:
A skilled young hockey prospect hoping to attract the attention of professional scouts is pressured to show that he can fight if challenged during his stay in a Canadian minor hockey town. His on-ice activities are complicated by his relationship with the coach's daughter.
IMDB Rating: 6.2
IMDB Votes: 16000
Genere: Drama, Romance, Sport
Country: USA
Duration: 110 min
Plot tags: exciting, retro, spiritual, epic, sex comedy, sentimental, sincere, serious, realistic, stylized
Similar in 82%
Once in the Life (2000)
Plot Summary:
Once in the life (of drug dealing and organized crime), can anyone get out? During a brief jail stay, two half-brothers, who have rarely seen each other while growing up, connect. One of them, called 20/20 Mike because he can sense people nearby, concocts a scheme in which the two of them will steal some dope from young couriers. The heist goes awry when Billy, the junkie brother, shoots the victims of the theft. The brothers hole up in an abandoned building, and 20/20 Mike seeks help from an old cell mate, Tony, whom he thinks is out of the life. It turns out that they have stolen Tony's dope, and Tony's boss wants the two thieves dead. Is there any way out? Written by.
IMDB Rating: 5.2
IMDB Votes: 796
Genere: Crime, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 107 min
Plot tags: realistic, suspenseful, disturbing, rough, serious, tense, captivating, neo noir, crime drama, independent film
Similar in 82%
Heaven Knows What (2014)
Plot Summary:
A young heroin addict roams the streets of New York to panhandle and get her next fix, while her unstable boyfriend drifts in and out of her life at random.
IMDB Rating: 6.8
IMDB Votes: 9000
Genere: Crime, Drama
Country: France, USA
Duration: 97 min
Plot tags: psychological, captivating, suspenseful, thrilling, erotic, retro, social, controversial, cynical, art house
Similar in 76%
Another Day in Paradise (1998)
Plot Summary:
A vending machine robbery by small time thief and drug addict Bobbie (Vincent Kartheiser) goes badly awry, and his friends contact street-wise thief and part-time druggie Mel (James Woods) to patch him up.Recognizing a kindred spirit, Mel befriends Bobbie and his girlfriend Rosie (Natasha Gregson Wagner), inviting them to join him and his long-suffering girlfriend Sid (Melanie Griffith) on a drug robbery which should set them up for life. The seemingly simple robbery is a great success, but the sale of the drugs afterward fails badly, and Mel and Bobbie are shot.The four take refuge with the Reverend, who charges them half of their haul from the robbery to care for them. In a desperate attempt to recover their losses, Mel involves the crew in a disastrous, ill-advised jewellery robbery, and they become caught up in a web of violence that rapidly spirals out of control.
IMDB Rating: 6.5
IMDB Votes: 9000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 101 min
Plot tags: tense, realistic, talky, controversial, suspense, erotic, psychedelic, rough, clever, serious
Similar in 90%
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 88%
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 75%
Less Than Zero (1987)
Plot Summary:
A college freshman returns to Los Angeles for the holidays at his ex-girlfriend's request, but discovers that his former best friend has an out-of-control drug habit.
IMDB Rating: 6.4
IMDB Votes: 22000
Genere: Crime, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 98 min
Plot tags: stylized, erotic, inspirational, retro, sad, art house, cerebral, cult classic, visually stunning, erotic drama
Similar in 86%
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 79%
The Miracle Season (2018)
Plot Summary:
After the tragic death of star volleyball player Caroline "Line" Found, a team of dispirited high school girls must band together under the guidance of their tough-love coach in hopes of winning the state championship.
IMDB Rating: 6.5
IMDB Votes: 6000
Genere: Drama, Sport
Country: USA
Duration: 101 min
Plot tags: touching, rough, serious, teen, thought provoking, captivating, sad, crying
Similar in 82%
White Boy Rick (2018)
Plot Summary:
The story of teenager, Richard Wershe Jr., who became an undercover informant for the police during the 1980s and was ultimately arrested for drug-trafficking and sentenced to life in prison.
IMDB Rating: 6.5
IMDB Votes: 42000
Genere: Crime, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 111 min
Plot tags: suspense, hood, disturbing, retro, rough, neo noir, sad, independent film, non fiction, anamorphic
Similar in 84%
Salaam Bombay! (1988)
Plot Summary:
Before Slumdog Millionaire came Salaam Bombay!, Mira Nair’s Oscar-nominated drama tells the moving story of life on the streets of Bombay as seen through the eyes of Chaipu, a twelve-year-old boy living rough in the city.
IMDB Rating: 7.9
IMDB Votes: 10000
Genere: Crime, Drama
Country: India, USA, France, UK
Duration: 113 min
Plot tags: touching, realistic, social, offbeat, depressing, sad, art house, art film, existential, sentimental
Similar in 86%
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 82%
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 84%
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 75%
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 85%
The Hate U Give (2018)
Plot Summary:
Raised in a poverty-stricken slum, a 16-year-old girl named Starr now attends a suburban prep school. After she witnesses a police officer shoot her unarmed best friend, she's torn between her two very different worlds as she tries to speak her truth.
IMDB Rating: 7.5
IMDB Votes: 39000
Genere: Crime, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 133 min
Plot tags: hood, captivating, social, sad, teen, psychological, thought provoking, disturbing, intellectual, brutal
Similar in 75%
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 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 89%
South Central (1992)
Plot Summary:
A man is put to prison for 10 years. Coming out of prison he wants to live a normal life and stop with crime but his son has yet followed the criminal path of his father.
IMDB Rating: 6.8
IMDB Votes: 7000
Genere: Crime, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 98 min
Plot tags: hood, captivating, social, sexual, crime drama, tense, rough, serious, realistic, independent film
Similar in 83%
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