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Scarface poster

Movies that feel likeScarface (1983)

After getting a green card in exchange for assassinating a Cuban government official, Tony Montana stakes a claim on the drug trade in Miami. Viciously murdering anyone who stands in his way, Tony eventually becomes the biggest drug lord in the state, controlling nearly all the cocaine that comes through Miami. But increased pressure from the police, wars with Colombian drug cartels and his own drug-fueled paranoia serve to fuel the flames of his eventual downfall.

If you loved Scarface, the closest films we have are The Way of the Dragon (1972), Brother (1997) and Iron Monkey (1993). All three share Scarface's kinetic and gritty feel, which is what we rank on before quality.

Seen the big three already? The under-the-radar pick below is Battles Without Honor and Humanity (1973).

πŸ… 77% Rotten Tomatoesβ˜… 8.3 IMDb β†—TMDB β†—dir. Brian De Palmakineticgrittycontemplative
10 of 12 streaming nowNetflix Β· HBO Max Β· Amazon Prime Video

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If Scarface hit the spot, these will too

The Way of the Dragon poster
The Way of the Dragon
1972 Β· dir. Bruce Lee
πŸ… 88%β˜… 7.1action Β· crime

Both are built on the same subject: gangster

The difference: Trades the stillness of Scarface for an angle of its own

After a Chinese restaurant in Rome is threatened by the mafia, who will stop at nothing to acquire the property, the owner recruits a family friend in Hong Kong, kung fu expert Tang Lung, to help them defend their business.

Brother poster
Brother
1997 Β· dir. Aleksei Balabanov
πŸ… 100%β˜… 7.7crime Β· drama Β· action

Common ground: gangster

Danila goes to his successful brother, Victor, in Petersburg to start a new life. Unknown to Danila, Victor is a contract killer, but is in hiding after asking for too much money to assassinate a Chechen mob boss. To avoid exposure, Victor convinces Danila to kill the boss instead.

Iron Monkey poster
Iron Monkey
1993 Β· dir. Yuen Woo-ping
πŸ… 91%β˜… 7.5action Β· crime Β· drama

Kinetic where it counts, gritty underneath

In this Hong Kong variation of Robin Hood, corrupt officials of a Chinese village are robbed by a masked bandit known as "Iron Monkey", named after a benevolent deity. When all else fails, the Governor forces a traveling physician into finding the bandit.

Battles Without Honor and Humanity poster
Battles Without Honor and Humanity
1973 Β· dir. Kinji Fukasaku
β˜… 7.4crime Β· action Β· drama

Action with a pulse of stillness, in both cases

In the teeming black markets of postwar Japan, Shozo Hirono and his buddies find themselves in a new war between factious and ambitious yakuza.

Magnum Force poster
Magnum Force
1973 Β· dir. Ted Post
πŸ… 69%β˜… 7.2drama Β· crime Β· action

Both lean on momentum more than on crime

"Dirty" Harry Callahan is a San Francisco Police Inspector on the trail of a group of rogue cops who have taken justice into their own hands. When shady characters are murdered one after another in grisly fashion, only Dirty Harry can stop them.

Training Day poster
Training Day
2001 Β· dir. Antoine Fuqua
πŸ… 74%β˜… 7.8action Β· crime Β· drama

Charisma and menace living in the same man, pulling you along all day

The difference: Compressed to a single day at street level β€” no empire, no rise

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.

Tombstone poster
Tombstone
1993 Β· dir. George P. Cosmatos
πŸ… 76%β˜… 7.8western Β· action

Gritty drama in both cases

The difference: Leans harder into western than Scarface does

Legendary marshal Wyatt Earp, now a weary gunfighter, joins his brothers Morgan and Virgil to pursue their collective fortune in the thriving mining town of Tombstone. But Earp is forced to don a badge again and get help from his notorious pal Doc Holliday when a gang of renegade brigands and rustlers begins terrorizing the town.

Elite Squad poster
Elite Squad
2007 Β· dir. JosΓ© Padilha
πŸ… 53%β˜… 8drama Β· action Β· crime

Contemplative action, and it commits to that

The difference: Made in the 2000s, in a different era of the craft

In 1997, before the visit of the pope to Rio de Janeiro, Captain Nascimento from BOPE (Special Police Operations Battalion) is assigned to eliminate the risks of the drug dealers in a dangerous slum nearby where the pope intends to be lodged.

Chocolate poster
Chocolate
2008 Β· dir. Prachya Pinkaew
πŸ… 71%β˜… 6.9action Β· crime

Crime built on momentum, twice over

Zen, an autistic teenage girl with powerful martial arts skills, gets money to pay for her sick mother Zin's treatment by seeking out all the people who owe Zin money and making them pay.

Infernal Affairs III poster
Infernal Affairs III
2003 Β· dir. Andrew Lau Wai-Keung
β˜… 6.8crime Β· drama Β· actionMax

Drama built on grit, twice over

Triad gangster turned corrupt cop Lau Kin-ming goes to dangerous lengths to avoid detection.

True Romance poster
True Romance
1993 Β· dir. Tony Scott
πŸ… 93%β˜… 7.9action Β· crime Β· romanceNetflix

Both are working the same pair: cocaine, mafia

The difference: Sits closer to romance than Scarface does

Clarence marries hooker Alabama, steals cocaine from her pimp, and tries to sell it in Hollywood, while the owners of the coke try to reclaim it.

Carlito's Way poster
Carlito's Way
1993 Β· dir. Brian De Palma
πŸ… 84%β˜… 7.9crime Β· drama Β· thrillerPrime VideoStarz

De Palma's other side of the coin β€” a gangster trying to get out

The difference: Regret instead of appetite β€” mournful where Tony is hungry

Free after years in prison, Carlito Brigante intends to give up his criminal ways, but it's not long before the ex-con is sucked back into the New York City underworld.

In the mood for more kinetic?

all kinetic movies β†’

The best-reviewed films that share Scarface’s defining feeling.