Narcotics Crime backdrop

Narcotics Crime movies

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

Maria Full of Grace

1. Maria Full of Grace

Drama Thriller Crime Narcotics Crime Tragic Drama
7.4
20041h 41min

Overview

A pregnant Colombian teenager becomes a drug mule to make some desperately needed money for her family.

Themes

Economic precarity, Exploitative labor conditions, Migration pressures, Trafficking risk, Pregnancy vulnerability, Family obligation

Available on

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

Once Upon a Time in Mexico

2. Once Upon a Time in Mexico

Action Crime Thriller One-Person Army Narcotics Crime
6.3
20031h 42min

Overview

A corrupt CIA agent Sands hires hitman El Mariachi to assassinate a Mexican general hired by a drug kingpin attempting a coup d'état of the President of Mexico.

Themes

Deception and manipulation, Corruption and state overreach, Vengeance and loyalty, Criminal networks pressuring governance, Power struggles during instability, Justice and pragmatism under duress

Available on

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

Bad Boys II

3. Bad Boys II

Action Crime Comedy Buddy Action Narcotics Crime
6.6
20032h 26min

Overview

Detectives Marcus Burnett and Mike Lowrey of the Miami Narcotics Task Force are tasked with stopping the flow of the drug Ecstasy into Miami. They track the drugs to the whacked-out Cuban drug lord Johnny Tapia, who is also involved in a bloody war with Russian and Haitian mobsters. If that isn't bad enough, there's tension between the two detectives when Marcus discovers that playboy Mike is secretly romancing Marcus’ sister, Syd.

Themes

Loyalty under pressure, Organized crime networks, Undercover deception risk, Interagency collaboration, Double lives and entanglements, Money laundering and drug trafficking

Available on

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

Veronica Guerin

4. Veronica Guerin

Drama Crime Thriller Narcotics Crime Investigation Suspense
6.8
20031h 38min

Overview

In this true story, Veronica Guerin is an investigative reporter for an Irish newspaper. As the drug trade begins to bleed into the mainstream, Guerin decides to take on and expose those responsible. Beginning at the bottom with addicts, Guerin then gets in touch with John Traynor, a paranoid informant. Not without some prodding, Traynor leads her to John Gilligan, the ruthless head of the operation, who does not take kindly to Guerin's nosing.

Themes

Drug trade encroachment, Working-class disruption, Public response and policy change, Media exposure consequences, Investigative risk and retaliation, Trafficker deception

Available on

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

Spun

5. Spun

Crime Drama Comedy Narcotics Crime Relationship Drama
6.7
20031h 41min

Overview

Over the course of three days Ross, a college dropout addicted to crystal-meth, encounters a variety of oddball folks - including a stripper named Nikki and her boyfriend, the local meth producer, The Cook - but all he really wants to do is hook up with his old girlfriend, Amy.

Themes

Surveillance and manipulation, Addiction driven crime, Drug trade under pressure, Deception within networks, Law enforcement improvisation, Unstable relationships under strain

Available on

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

25th Hour

6. 25th Hour

Crime Drama Narcotics Crime Relationship Drama
7.6
20022h 15min

Overview

On the eve of a seven-year prison sentence, a New York drug dealer spends his final day of freedom confronting his past, his relationships, and the choices that led to his downfall in a city still reeling from 9/11.

Themes

Loyalty under pressure, Friendship under strain, American dream critique, Urban disillusionment, Fear and confinement, Memory and regret

Available on

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

Paid in Full

7. Paid in Full

Action Crime Drama Narcotics Crime Coming-of-Age Drama
7.0
20021h 38min

Overview

Ace is an impressionable young man working for a dry cleaning business. His friend, drug dealer Mitch, goes to prison. In an unrelated incident, he finds some cocaine in a pants pocket. Soon, Ace finds himself dealing cocaine for Lulu. Via lucky breaks and solid interpersonal skills, Ace moves to the top of the Harlem drug world. Of course, unfaithful employees and/or rivals conspire to bring about Ace's fall.

Themes

Class inequality, Power dynamics, Social climbing, Loyalty and betrayal, Risk and violence, Urban crime networks, Wealth and corruption

Available on

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

City of God

8. City of God

Drama Crime Narcotics Crime
8.6
20022h 9min

Overview

In the poverty-stricken favelas of Rio de Janeiro in the 1970s, two young men choose different paths. Rocket is a budding photographer who documents the increasing drug-related violence of his neighborhood, while José “Zé” Pequeno is an ambitious drug dealer diving into a dangerous life of crime.

Themes

Class inequality, Poverty and opportunity, Violence cycles, Ambition vs crime, Media exposure ethics, Betrayal and loyalty

Available on

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

Lilya 4-ever

9. Lilya 4-ever

Drama Crime Tragic Drama Narcotics Crime
7.8
20021h 49min

Overview

In a struggling post-Soviet community, Lilya a teenage girl is abandoned when her mother moves to the United States with her boyfriend. Facing neglect and poverty, she meets Andrei, who offers her a job in Sweden, giving her hope for a better life — and a journey that will change everything.

Themes

Economic precarity, Sexual exploitation, Reputation damage, Coercive trafficking, Youth vulnerability, Abandonment and neglect

Available on

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

The Salton Sea

10. The Salton Sea

Crime Drama Mystery Thriller Narcotics Crime
7.0
20021h 43min

Overview

After the murder of his beloved wife, a man in search of redemption is set adrift in a world where nothing is as it seems. On his journey, he befriends slacker Jimmy "The Finn", becomes involved in rescuing his neighbor Colette from her own demons, and gets entangled in a web of deceit full of unexpected twists and turns.

Themes

Deception as strategy, Police corruption, Vengeance and loyalty, Dual identities under pressure, Betrayal within criminal networks, Addiction shaping choices

Available on

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