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American History X poster

Movies that feel likeAmerican History X (1998)

Derek Vineyard is paroled after serving 3 years in prison for killing two African-American men. Through his brother, Danny Vineyard's narration, we learn that before going to prison, Derek was a skinhead and the leader of a violent white supremacist gang that committed acts of racial crime throughout L.A. and his actions greatly influenced Danny. Reformed and fresh out of prison, Derek severs contact with the gang and becomes determined to keep Danny from going down the same violent path as he did.

If you loved American History X, the closest films we have are Silenced (2011), GoodFellas (1990) and Evil (2003). All three share American History X's contemplative and gritty feel, which is what we rank on before quality.

Seen the big three already? The under-the-radar pick below is R (2010).

🍅 84% Rotten Tomatoes★ 8.5 IMDb ↗TMDB ↗dir. Tony Kayecontemplativegritty
6 of 12 streaming nowNetflix · Amazon Prime Video · Apple TV

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See it on the Mood Map

If American History X hit the spot, these will too

Silenced poster
Silenced
2011 · dir. Hwang Dong-hyuk
🍅 100%★ 8dramaNetflix

Confronting an evil that institutions would rather not see

The difference: Harrowing true-story child abuse — almost nothing to relieve it

Based on actual events that took place at Gwangju Inhwa School for the hearing-impaired, where young deaf students were the victims of repeated sexual assaults by faculty members over a period of five years in the early 2000s.

GoodFellas poster
GoodFellas
1990 · dir. Martin Scorsese
🍅 93%★ 8.7drama · crime

The same two preoccupations: prison, and gangster

The difference: Sits closer to crime than American History X does

The true story of Henry Hill, a half-Irish, half-Sicilian Brooklyn kid who is adopted by neighbourhood gangsters at an early age and climbs the ranks of a Mafia family under the guidance of Jimmy Conway.

Evil poster
Evil
2003 · dir. Mikael Håfström
🍅 68%★ 7.7drama

Contemplative and gritty in the same breath

Stockholm, in the 1950s. Erik is expelled from the local school for getting into one brawl too many. To protect Erik from his violent stepfather’s reaction to his expulsion, Erik's mother arranges for Erik to spend a year at Stjärnsberg Boarding School, the only school willing to accept him. This is Erik's last chance to graduate to Upper School and he promises his mother, for his and her sake, to do all he can to stay out of trouble.

A Prophet poster
A Prophet
2009 · dir. Jacques Audiard
🍅 96%★ 7.8crime · drama

Both keep coming back to the same thing: prison

Sentenced to six years in prison, Malik El Djebena is alone in the world and can neither read nor write. On his arrival at the prison, he seems younger and more brittle than the others detained there. At once he falls under the sway of a group of Corsicans who enforce their rule in the prison. As the 'missions' go by, he toughens himself and wins the confidence of the Corsican group.

A Short Film About Killing poster
A Short Film About Killing
1988 · dir. Krzysztof Kieślowski
🍅 91%★ 7.9crime · drama

Contemplative drama in both cases

Jacek climbs into the taxi driven by Waldemar, tells him to drive to a remote location, then brutally strangles him, seemingly without motive.

Monster poster
Monster
2003 · dir. Patty Jenkins
🍅 81%★ 7.3crime · drama

Both are built on the same subject: rape

In 1989, prostitute Aileen Wuornos befriends and enters a relationship with a young woman named Selby. Determined to straighten out her life, Aileen's limited education lands her back on the corner. She's raped by a trick, who she kills. A string of murder and robbery follows that ultimately leads Aileen to becoming America's first female serial killer.

Casino poster
Casino
1995 · dir. Martin Scorsese
🍅 79%★ 8.2crime · dramaPrime Video

Both lean on grit more than on drama

In Las Vegas, two best friends--a casino executive and a Mafia enforcer--compete for a gambling empire and a fast-living, fast-loving socialite.

American Gangster poster
American Gangster
2007 · dir. Ridley Scott
🍅 81%★ 7.8drama · crimeApple TV+Starz

One thread runs through both: gangster

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.

R poster
R
2010 · dir. Tobias Lindholm
🍅 91%★ 7.1crime · drama

Drama with a pulse of stillness, in both cases

Imprisoned for violent assault, Rune is placed in the hardcore ward, where his survival depends on quickly learning the prison's parallel world of rules, honor, and obligations.

3096 Days poster
3096 Days
2013 · dir. Sherry Hormann
★ 6.5drama

The same preoccupation in both: rape

A young Austrian girl is kidnapped and held in captivity for eight years. Based on the real-life case of Natascha Kampusch.

The Fool poster
The Fool
2014 · dir. Yury Bykov
🍅 93%★ 7.9drama

Both work the same grit

The Fool is a movie about a simple plumber. An honest man, he is up against an entire system of corrupted bureaucrats. At stake are the lives of 800 inhabitants of an old dorm that is at risk of collapsing within the span of the night.

Blow poster
Blow
2001 · dir. Ted Demme
🍅 56%★ 7.5crime · drama

Both play drama straight

The difference: The critics' underdog of the pair

The story of how George Jung, together with the Medellín Cartel led by Pablo Escobar, established the billion-dollar cocaine empire in the United States in the 1970s.

In the mood for more contemplative?

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The best-reviewed films that share American History X’s defining feeling.