Narcotics Crime backdrop

Narcotics Crime movies

Drug-trade crime about networks, enforcement pressure, violence economics, and survival inside the pipeline.

Changeling

1. Changeling

Crime Drama Mystery Narcotics Crime Psychological Drama
7.7
20082h 21min

Overview

Los Angeles, 1928. When single mother Christine Collins leaves for work, her son vanishes without a trace. Five months later, the police reunite mother and son. But when Christine suspects that the boy returned to her isn't her child, her quest for truth exposes a world of corruption.

Themes

Police corruption, Gendered stigma and confinement, Media influence on justice, Institutional power and reform, Child vulnerability and parental resolve, Deception and impersonation

Available on

Amazon Video
Apple TV
Peacock Premium
Data provided by JustWatch.Availability may vary by region.

Pineapple Express

2. Pineapple Express

Action Comedy Crime High-Concept Comedy Narcotics Crime
6.9
20081h 51min

Overview

A stoner and his dealer are forced to go on the run from the police after the pothead witnesses a cop commit a murder.

Themes

Loyalty under threat, Witness under pressure, Drug culture vs law, Crime and pursuit risk, Trust in allies

Available on

Netflix
Amazon Video
Apple TV
Data provided by JustWatch.Availability may vary by region.

No Country for Old Men

3. No Country for Old Men

Crime Thriller Western Narcotics Crime Revisionist Western
8.2
20072h 2min

Overview

Llewelyn Moss stumbles upon dead bodies, $2 million and a hoard of heroin in a Texas desert, but methodical killer Anton Chigurh comes looking for it, with local sheriff Ed Tom Bell hot on his trail. The roles of prey and predator blur as the violent pursuit of money and justice collide.

Themes

Fate vs choice, Money as motive, Moral ambiguity of justice, Violence and inevitability, Solitary pursuit vs institutions

Available on

Amazon Video
Apple TV
fuboTV
Data provided by JustWatch.Availability may vary by region.

Elite Squad

4. Elite Squad

Drama Action Crime Military Action Narcotics Crime
8.0
20071h 55min

Overview

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.

Themes

Class inequality, Corruption vs duty, Trauma of enforcement, Policing under pressure, Violence in slums, Honesty vs ambition

Available on

Amazon Video
Google Play Movies
YouTube
Data provided by JustWatch.Availability may vary by region.

Crank

5. Crank

Action Thriller Crime One-Person Army Narcotics Crime
6.9
20061h 28min

Overview

Chev Chelios, a hit man wanting to go straight, lets his latest target slip away. Then he awakes the next morning to a phone call that informs him he has been poisoned and has only an hour to live unless he keeps adrenaline coursing through his body while he searches for an antidote.

Themes

Betrayal and loyalty, Survival through risk, Pursuit and retaliation, Adrenaline under pressure, Organized crime dynamics, Surveillance and deception

Available on

Amazon Video
Apple TV
Google Play Movies
Data provided by JustWatch.Availability may vary by region.

Get Rich or Die Tryin'

6. Get Rich or Die Tryin'

Drama Crime Music Entertainment Industry Drama Narcotics Crime
5.5
20051h 57min

Overview

A tale of an inner city drug dealer who turns away from crime to pursue his passion, rap music.

Themes

Deception and betrayal, Revenge and survival, Family loyalty under pressure, Identity through music, Crime to artistry, Power struggles within crime networks

Available on

Amazon Video
Apple TV
Google Play Movies
Data provided by JustWatch.Availability may vary by region.

Overview

Professional driver, and former Special Forces officer, Frank Martin is living in Miami, where he is temporarily filling in for a friend as the chauffeur for a government narcotics control policy director and his family. The young boy in the family is targeted for kidnapping, and Frank immediately becomes involved in protecting the child and exposing the kidnappers.

Themes

Trust under threat, Duty under pressure, Power and manipulation, Virus as weapon, Protective instinct vs law, Kidnap for ransom

Available on

Amazon Video
Apple TV
Google Play Movies
Data provided by JustWatch.Availability may vary by region.

Little Fish

8. Little Fish

Drama Crime Narcotics Crime Relationship Drama
6.1
20051h 54min

Overview

Set in the Little Saigon district outside of Sydney, a woman trying to escape her past becomes embroiled in a drug deal.

Themes

Deception as strategy, Addiction and recovery pressure, Debt-driven desperation, Family obligation under crime, Illicit finance risk, Trust compromised by lies

Available on

Amazon Prime Video
Amazon Video
Apple TV
Data provided by JustWatch.Availability may vary by region.

Layer Cake

9. Layer Cake

Drama Thriller Crime Narcotics Crime Investigation Suspense
7.2
20041h 45min

Overview

When a seemingly straight-forward drug deal goes awry, XXXX has to break his die-hard rules and turn up the heat, not only to outwit the old regime and come out on top, but to save his own skin...

Themes

Loyalty under pressure, Betrayal within crime networks, Informant deception, Ambition versus safety, Power dynamics in criminal hierarchies, Deception as business strategy

Available on

Amazon Video
Apple TV
Google Play Movies
Data provided by JustWatch.Availability may vary by region.

Bad Education

10. Bad Education

Drama Crime Historical Drama Narcotics Crime
7.4
20041h 45min

Overview

An examination on the effect of Franco-era religious schooling and sexual abuse on the lives of two longtime friends.

Themes

Institutional abuse in schooling, Sexual identity and performance, Deception within artistic collaboration, Power dynamics in mentorship, Trauma resurfacing and memory, Manipulation and blackmail in relationships

Available on

Amazon Video
Apple TV
Google Play Movies
Data provided by JustWatch.Availability may vary by region.