Movies like American Me
American Me (1992) is a crime movie directed by Edward James Olmos. The list below collects the movies that people who loved it enjoyed most, best known first.
1. Bound by Honor (1993)
★ 8.2 · 1,657 votes · Crime, Drama, Thriller
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.
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2. Colors (1988)
★ 6.5 · 570 votes · Action, Crime, Drama
A confident young cop is shown the ropes by a veteran partner in the dangerous gang-controlled barrios of Los Angeles, where the gang culture is enforced by the colors the members wear.
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3. Sleepers (1996)
★ 7.6 · 4,076 votes · Crime, Drama, Thriller
Two gangsters seek revenge on the state jail worker who during their stay at a youth prison sexually abused them. A sensational court hearing takes place to charge him for the crimes.
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4. Bad Boys (1983)
★ 7.0 · 321 votes · Crime, Drama, Thriller
Mick O'Brien is a young Chicago street thug torn between a life of petty crime and the love of his girlfriend. But when the heist of a local drug dealer goes tragically wrong Mick is sentenced to a brutal juvenile prison where violence is a rite of passage and respect is measured in vengeance.
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5. Shot Caller (2017)
★ 7.0 · 2,318 votes · Crime, Drama, Thriller
A newly-released prison gangster is forced by the leaders of his gang to orchestrate a major crime with a brutal rival gang on the streets of Southern California.
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6. Boyz n the Hood (1991)
★ 7.6 · 2,373 votes · Drama, Crime
Three friends growing up in South Central Los Angeles navigate a neighborhood plagued by violence, unemployment, and crime, each responding differently to the harsh realities of street life. As tragedy strikes close to home, their friendship, choices, and hopes for a better future are put to the ultimate test.
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7. Menace II Society (1993)
★ 7.5 · 963 votes · Drama, Crime, Thriller
A young street hustler attempts to escape the rigors and temptations of the ghetto in a quest for a better life.
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8. Get Rich or Die Tryin' (2005)
★ 6.8 · 1,082 votes · Drama, Crime, Music
A tale of an inner city drug dealer who turns away from crime to pursue his passion, rap music.
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9. Get the Gringo (2012)
★ 6.6 · 1,873 votes · Action, Thriller, Crime
A career criminal nabbed by Mexican authorities is placed in a tough prison where he learns to survive with the help of a 9-year-old boy.
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10. Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile (2019)
★ 7.0 · 3,637 votes · Drama, Crime
A chronicle of the crimes of Ted Bundy, from the perspective of his longtime girlfriend, Elizabeth Kloepfer, who refused to believe the truth about him for years.
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11. Faster (2010)
★ 6.4 · 2,179 votes · Crime, Drama, Action
After 10 years in prison, Driver is now a free man with a single focus - hunting down the people responsible for brutally murdering his brother.
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