Movies like City of God: 20 to watch next
If you loved City of God (2002) — a drama and crime film directed by Fernando Meirelles — these 20 movies are the closest matches.
The first picks are what fans of City of God most often go on to watch; the rest share its genres and themes like police brutality, street gang and photographer. 2 of them are streaming in India right now — each entry shows where.
Where to watch City of God →·Get picks for your whole taste →
- 1
Vitória 2025★ 7.8
Shares: Drama, Crime
Nina is an elderly woman who lives alone and feels distressed by the increasing violence in her neighborhood. Amidst conflicts with her neighbors, she decides to film the movement of drug traffickers from her window, hoping to assist the police. After months of recording suspicious activities, her initiative attracts the attention of a journalist, who approaches Nina and offers to support her in her mission.
Not on subscription streaming in India right now
- 2
City of Men 2007★ 7.0
Shares: Drama
Best buddies Acerola and Laranjinha, about to turn 18, discover things about their missing fathers' pasts which will shatter their solid friendship, in the middle of a war between rival drug gangs from Rio's favelas.
Not on subscription streaming in India right now
- 3
Paid in Full 2002★ 6.9
Shares: Crime, Drama
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.
Not on subscription streaming in India right now
- 4
Elite Squad 2007★ 8.1
Shares: Drama, Crime
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.
Not on subscription streaming in India right now
- 5
My Name Ain't Johnny 2008★ 7.1
Shares: Crime, Drama
The true story of João Guilherme Estrella ("Johnny"), a young middle-class bon vivant who became a big-time cocaine dealer in Rio de Janeiro in the early 1990s.
Not on subscription streaming in India right now
- 6
Code of Silence 1985★ 5.9
Shares: Crime
A Chicago cop is caught in the middle of a gang war while his own comrades shun him because he wants to take an irresponsible cop down.
Not on subscription streaming in India right now
- 7
Bound by Honor 1993★ 8.2
Shares: Crime, Drama
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.
Not on subscription streaming in India right now
- 8
End of Watch 2012★ 7.4
Shares: Crime, Drama
Two young officers are marked for death after confiscating a small cache of money and firearms from the members of a notorious cartel during a routine traffic stop.
Stream in India on Zee5, Lionsgate Play, Lionsgate Play Apple TV Channel
- 9
The Bikeriders 2024★ 6.7
Shares: Crime, Drama
After a chance encounter, headstrong Kathy is drawn to Benny, member of Midwestern motorcycle club the Vandals. As the club transforms into a dangerous underworld of violence, Benny must choose between Kathy and his loyalty to the club.
Not on subscription streaming in India right now
- 10
Belly 1998★ 6.4
Shares: Crime, Drama
Tommy Bundy and Sincere are best friends as well as infamous and ruthless criminals and shot-callers in the hood. Respected by many but feared by all. As the police are closing in on them and new players are looking for a come up, will their reign last?
Not on subscription streaming in India right now
- 11
Trespass 1992★ 6.3
Shares: Crime
Two Arkansas firemen, Vince and Don, get hold of a map that leads to a cache of stolen gold in an abandoned factory in East St. Louis. What they don't know is that the factory is on the turf of a local gang, who come by to execute one of their enemies. Vince sees the shooting, the gang spots Vince, and extended mayhem ensues. As Vince and Don try to escape, gang leader King James argues with his subordinate Savon about how to get rid of the trespassers.
Not on subscription streaming in India right now
- 12
Hard Target 1993★ 6.5
Shares: Crime
When a woman's father goes missing, she enlists a local to aid in her search. The pair soon discover that her father has died at the hands of a wealthy sportsman who hunts homeless men as a form of recreation.
Not on subscription streaming in India right now
- 13
The General 1998★ 6.7
Shares: Crime, Drama
The real-life story of Dublin folk hero and criminal Martin Cahill, who pulled off two daring robberies in Ireland with his team, but attracted unwanted attention from the police, the I.R.A., the U.V.F., and members of his own team.
Not on subscription streaming in India right now
- 14
American Gangster 2007★ 7.6
Shares: Drama, Crime
Loosely based on the criminal career of Frank Lucas, a gangster from La Grange, North Carolina, who smuggled heroin into the United States on American service planes returning from the Vietnam War, before being detained by a task force led by Newark Detective Richie Roberts.
Stream in India on JioHotstar
- 15
The Big Heat 1953★ 7.7
Shares: Crime
After the suspicious suicide of a fellow cop, tough homicide detective Dave Bannion takes the law into his own hands when he sets out to smash a vicious crime syndicate.
Not on subscription streaming in India right now
- 16
Shottas 2002★ 7.7
Shares: Crime, Drama
A raw urban drama about two friends raised on the dangerous streets of Kingston, Jamaica. Biggs and Wayne take on the "Shotta" way of life to survive. As young boys, they begin a life of crime, eventually moving to the US where they begin a ruthless climb from the bottom. They remain bound to each other by their shottas loyalty as they aggressively take control of the Jamaican underworld.
Not on subscription streaming in India right now
- 17
The Grissom Gang 1971★ 6.7
Shares: Crime, Drama
Violent crime caper set in 1930s Kansas in which a gang kidnap an heiress and attempt to recover a ransom. However, the scheme is jeopardised when the leader falls in love with their beautiful captive.
Not on subscription streaming in India right now
- 18
Al Capone 1959★ 6.6
Shares: Crime, Drama
In this unusually accurate biography, small-time hood Al Capone comes to Chicago at the dawn of Prohibition to be the bodyguard of racketeer Johnny Torrio. Capone's rise in Chicago gangdom is followed through murder, extortion, and political fraud. He becomes head of Chicago's biggest "business," but moves inexorably toward his downfall and ignominious end.
Not on subscription streaming in India right now
- 19
Colombiana 2011★ 6.7
Shares: Crime, Drama
After witnessing her parents’ murder as a child in Bogota, Cataleya Restrepo grows up to be a stone-cold assassin. She works for her uncle as a hitman by day, but her personal time is spent engaging in vigilante murders that she hopes will lead her to her ultimate target: the mobster responsible for her parents' death.
Not on subscription streaming in India right now
- 20
Shaft 1971★ 6.4
Shares: Crime, Drama
Cool Black private eye John Shaft is hired by a crime lord to find and retrieve his kidnapped daughter.
Not on subscription streaming in India right now