smoky backdrop

Movies with smoky vibe

One Hundred Steps

1. One Hundred Steps

Drama History Historical Drama Political History
7.5
20001h 54min

Overview

Peppino Impastato is a quick-witted lad growing up in 1970s Sicily. Despite hailing from a family with Mafia ties and living just one hundred steps from the house of local boss Tano Badalamenti, Peppino decides to expose the Mafia by using a pirate radio station to broadcast his political pronouncements in the form of ironic humour.

Themes

Anti-mafia resistance, Political radicalization, Media exposure of crime, Family complicity with crime, Public protest and memory, Activism under threat

Available on

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

Gangster No. 1

2. Gangster No. 1

Action Drama Thriller Crime Organized Crime
6.7
20001h 43min

Overview

An old gangster is advised that Freddie Mays would leave jail after thirty years in prison. His mood changes and he recalls when he was a young punk and who joined Freddie's gang—a man he both envied and ultimately betrayed.

Themes

Revenge and consequences, Loyalty under pressure, Betrayal within crime networks, Rise and fall of crime, Leadership through violence, Prison as turning point

Available on

YouTube
Data provided by JustWatch.Availability may vary by region.

Gladiator

3. Gladiator

Action Drama Adventure Epic Action Historical Drama
8.5
20002h 35min

Overview

After the death of Emperor Marcus Aurelius, his devious son takes power and demotes Maximus, one of Rome's most capable generals who Marcus preferred. Eventually, Maximus is forced to become a gladiator and battle to the death against other men for the amusement of paying audiences.

Themes

Spectacle as control, Military power legitimacy, Loyalty under duress, Emperor succession tensions

Available on

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

Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels

4. Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels

Comedy Crime Heist Dark Comedy
8.1
19981h 45min

Overview

Four mates stake everything on a card shark’s big poker night, but a rigged game leaves them owing a brutal debt collector half a million in a week, forcing them to rob the gang next door and setting off a chain of double-crosses that spins their small-time hustle into all-out criminal chaos.

Themes

Loyalty under strain, High stakes deception, Debt pressure in crime, Escalation of violence, Value of weaponry, Rival gang pressure

Available on

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

L.A. Confidential

5. L.A. Confidential

Crime Mystery Thriller Drama Detective Mystery Crime
8.2
19972h 18min

Overview

In 1950s Los Angeles, a clean-cut lieutenant digs into a late-night diner massacre and uncovers a trail that links his father’s unsolved murder to the city’s dirtiest power brokers. Now every clue he exposes turns fellow cops into enemies, and the department he serves quietly moves to erase him.

Themes

Prostitution networks and profiteering, Legacy of police corruption, Media manipulation and publicity, Femme fatale and deceit, Neo-noir aesthetics, Image vs legitimacy in policing

Available on

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

El Mariachi

6. El Mariachi

Action Crime Thriller One-Person Army Narcotics Crime
6.8
19931h 21min

Overview

El Mariachi just wants to play his guitar and carry on the family tradition. Unfortunately, the town he tries to find work in has another visitor, a killer who carries his guns in a guitar case. The drug lord and his henchmen mistake el Mariachi for the killer, Azul, and chase him around town trying to kill him and get his guitar case.

Themes

Loyalty under pressure, Romance under threat, Deception and appearances, Mistaken identity risk, Survival amid crime, Performing as shelter

Available on

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

Porco Rosso

7. Porco Rosso

Family Comedy Animation Adventure Fantasy
7.7
19921h 33min

Overview

In Italy in the 1930s, sky pirates in biplanes terrorize wealthy cruise ships as they sail the Adriatic Sea. The only pilot brave enough to stop the scourge is the mysterious Porco Rosso, a former World War I flying ace who was somehow turned into a pig during the war. As he prepares to battle the pirate crew's American ace, Porco Rosso enlists the help of spunky girl mechanic Fio Piccolo and his longtime friend Madame Gina.

Themes

Appearance vs reality, Duty vs loyalty, Transformation and identity, Rivalry and romance, State pressure on crime, Legacy through leadership

Available on

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

Gladiator

8. Gladiator

Drama Underdog Sports
6.5
19921h 41min

Overview

Tommy Riley has moved with his dad to Chicago from a 'nice place'. He keeps to himself, goes to school. However, after a street fight he is noticed and quickly falls into the world of illegal underground boxing - where punches can kill.

Themes

Racial tension, Underground boxing, Boxing promoter, Tournament pressure, Gambling debts, Sports ethics

Available on

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