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Movies that feel like Carlito's Way (1993)

If you loved Carlito's Way, the closest films we have are We Own the Night (2007), Layer Cake (2004) and Blood Simple (1985). All three share Carlito's Way's gritty and contemplative feel, which is what we rank on before quality. 9 of the 12 picks below are included with a subscription right now on Netflix, HBO Max and Paramount Plus Premium and others, checked against today's data.

Free after years in prison, Carlito Brigante intends to give up his criminal ways, but it's not long before the ex-con is sucked back into the New York City underworld.

πŸ… 84% Rotten Tomatoesβ˜… 7.9 IMDb β†—TMDB β†—dir. Brian De Palmagrittycontemplativetenseromantic
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If Carlito's Way hit the spot, these will too

We Own the Night poster
We Own the Night
2007 Β· dir. James Gray
πŸ… 57%β˜… 6.8drama Β· crime Β· thriller

New York City shapes both of them

The difference: Reviewed a good deal more coolly

A New York nightclub manager tries to save his brother and father from Russian mafia hitmen.

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Layer Cake poster
Layer Cake
2004 Β· dir. Matthew Vaughn
πŸ… 81%β˜… 7.2drama Β· thriller Β· crime

Common ground in both: gangster and cocaine

The difference: Not nearly as romantic as Carlito's Way

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...

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Blood Simple poster
Blood Simple
1985 Β· dir. Joel Coen
πŸ… 94%β˜… 7.5crime Β· drama Β· thriller

Gritty and contemplative in the same breath

The owner of a seedy small-town Texas bar discovers that one of his employees is having an affair with his wife. A chaotic chain of misunderstandings, lies and mischief ensues after he devises a plot to have them murdered.

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Primal Fear poster
Primal Fear
1996 Β· dir. Gregory Hoblit
πŸ… 77%β˜… 7.7crime Β· drama Β· thriller

Common ground: lawyer

Defense attorney Martin Vail takes on jobs for money and prestige rather than any sense of the greater good. His latest case involves an altar boy, accused of brutally murdering the archbishop of Chicago. Vail finds himself up against his ex-pupil and ex-lover, but as the case progresses and the Church's dark secrets are revealed, Vail finds that what appeared a simple case takes on a darker, more dangerous aspect.

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Sleepers poster
Sleepers
1996 Β· dir. Barry Levinson
πŸ… 76%β˜… 7.5crime Β· drama Β· thriller

Both keep coming back to the same thing: gangster

Two gangsters seek revenge on the state jail worker who during their stay at a youth prison sexually abused them. A sensational court hearing takes place to charge him for the crimes.

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A Time to Kill poster
A Time to Kill
1996 Β· dir. Joel Schumacher
πŸ… 66%β˜… 7.5crime Β· drama Β· thriller

Both are built on the same subject: lawyer

A young lawyer defends a black man accused of murdering two white men who raped his 10-year-old daughter, sparking a rebirth of the KKK.

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Once Upon a Time in America poster
Once Upon a Time in America
1984 Β· dir. Sergio Leone
πŸ… 86%β˜… 8.3drama Β· crime

Crime with a pulse of romance, in both cases

A former Prohibition-era Jewish gangster returns to the Lower East Side of Manhattan over thirty years later, where he once again must confront the ghosts and regrets of his old life.

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The Talented Mr. Ripley poster
The Talented Mr. Ripley
1999 Β· dir. Anthony Minghella
πŸ… 85%β˜… 7.4thriller Β· crime Β· drama

Both lean on tension more than on drama

Tom Ripley is a calculating young man who believes it's better to be a fake somebody than a real nobody. Opportunity knocks in the form of a wealthy U.S. shipbuilder who hires Tom to travel to Italy to bring back his playboy son, Dickie. Ripley worms his way into the idyllic lives of Dickie and his girlfriend, plunging into a daring scheme of duplicity, lies and murder.

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The Untouchables poster
The Untouchables
1987 Β· dir. Brian De Palma
πŸ… 83%β˜… 7.8crime Β· history Β· thriller

Both are Brian De Palma's work, and they rhyme

The difference: Leans harder into history than Carlito's Way does

Elliot Ness, an ambitious prohibition agent, is determined to take down Al Capone. In order to achieve this goal, he forms a group given the nickname β€œThe Untouchables”.

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Miller's Crossing poster
Miller's Crossing
1990 Β· dir. Joel Coen
πŸ… 93%β˜… 7.7drama Β· thriller Β· crime

Gritty thriller in both cases

Set in 1929, a political boss and his advisor have a parting of the ways when they both fall for the same woman.

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Scarface poster
Scarface
1983 Β· dir. Brian De Palma
πŸ… 77%β˜… 8.3action Β· crime Β· drama

The same hand behind both of them: Brian De Palma

The difference: Sits closer to action than Carlito's Way does

After getting a green card in exchange for assassinating a Cuban government official, Tony Montana stakes a claim on the drug trade in Miami. Viciously murdering anyone who stands in his way, Tony eventually becomes the biggest drug lord in the state, controlling nearly all the cocaine that comes through Miami. But increased pressure from the police, wars with Colombian drug cartels and his own drug-fueled paranoia serve to fuel the flames of his eventual downfall.

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Lord of War poster
Lord of War
2005 Β· dir. Andrew Niccol
πŸ… 62%β˜… 7.6crime Β· drama Β· thriller

One thread runs through both: cocaine

Yuri Orlov is a globetrotting arms dealer and, through some of the deadliest war zones, he struggles to stay one step ahead of a relentless Interpol agent, his business rivals and even some of his customers who include many of the world's most notorious dictators. Finally, he must also face his own conscience.

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In the mood for more gritty?

all gritty movies β†’

The best-reviewed films that share Carlito's Way’s defining feeling.