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Movies that feel like Pusher (1996)

If you loved Pusher, the closest films we have are Animal Kingdom (2010), Deep Cover (1992) and SPL: Kill Zone (2005). All three share Pusher's gritty and atmospheric feel, which is what we rank on before quality. 8 of the 12 picks below are included with a subscription right now on HBO Max, Amazon Prime Video and Criterion Channel and others, checked against today's data.

A drug pusher grows increasingly desperate after a botched deal leaves him with a large debt to a ruthless drug lord.

πŸ… 83% Rotten Tomatoesβ˜… 7.3 IMDb β†—TMDB β†—dir. Nicolas Winding Refnkineticgrittycontemplativeatmospheric

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If Pusher hit the spot, these will too

Looking for the series itself? Also in this series: Pusher II (2004) Β· Pusher 3 (2005)

Animal Kingdom poster
Animal Kingdom
2010 Β· dir. David MichΓ΄d
πŸ… 94%β˜… 7.2crime Β· drama

Common ground: drug dealer

The difference: Missing the momentum of Pusher

Joshua β€œJ” is taken in by his extended family after his mother dies of an overdose. The clan, ruled by J’s scheming grandmother, is heavily involved in criminal activities, and J is soon indoctrinated into their way of life. But J is given a chance to take another path when a cop seeks to help him.

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Deep Cover poster
Deep Cover
1992 Β· dir. Bill Duke
πŸ… 87%β˜… 7action Β· thriller Β· crime

Both are built on the same subject: drugs

The difference: Not nearly as contemplative as Pusher

Black police officer Russell Stevens applies for a special anti-drug squad which targets the highest boss of cocaine delivery to LAβ€”the Colombian foreign minister's nephew. Russell works his way up from the bottom undercover, until he reaches the boss.

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SPL: Kill Zone poster
SPL: Kill Zone
2005 Β· dir. Wilson Yip
πŸ… 80%β˜… 6.9action Β· crime Β· drama

The same mix in both: momentum, then grit

The difference: Sits closer to thriller than Pusher does

Chan, an articulate senior detective nearing the end of his career, is taking care of the daughter of a witness killed by ruthless crime lord Po. Martial arts expert Ma is set to take over as head of the crime unit, replacing Chan who wants an early retirement.

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A Colt Is My Passport poster
A Colt Is My Passport
1967 Β· dir. Takashi Nomura
β˜… 7.4action Β· crime Β· drama

Contemplative where it counts, atmospheric underneath

The difference: Made in the 1960s, in a different era of the craft

A gang lord hires Kamimura, a hit man, to take out a rival boss who's gotten greedy.

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Bleeder poster
Bleeder
1999 Β· dir. Nicolas Winding Refn
β˜… 6.8drama Β· crime

The same hand behind both of them: Nicolas Winding Refn

Two stories for the price of one: a video store clerk tries to get acquainted with a waitress; a man beats his pregnant wife, unaware that her brother is a violent racist.

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The Grifters poster
The Grifters
1990 Β· dir. Stephen Frears
πŸ… 92%β˜… 6.9crime Β· drama

Both lean on grit more than on crime

A small-time conman has his loyalties torn between his estranged mother and his new girlfriend, both of whom are high-stakes grifters with their own angles to play.

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One False Move poster
One False Move
1992 Β· dir. Carl Franklin
πŸ… 93%β˜… 7.1crime Β· drama Β· thriller

Contemplative drama in both cases

Following a series of drug deals and murders, three criminals -- Fantasia, Ray Malcolm and Pluto -- travel from Los Angeles to Houston, finally arriving in a small Arkansas town to go into hiding. Two detectives from the LAPD, who are already on the case, contact the town's sheriff, Dale Dixon, to alert him of the fugitives' presence in the area. Underestimating Dixon, the criminals have no idea what they are about to face.

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The Purity of Vengeance poster
The Purity of Vengeance
2018 Β· dir. Christoffer Boe
β˜… 7.4crime Β· thriller Β· mystery

The same preoccupation in both: nordic noir

Copenhagen, 2018. A frightening discovery is made in an old apartment. The subsequent investigation of Department Q leads them to an infamous institution for girls that was suddenly closed in the early sixties.

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A Conspiracy of Faith poster
A Conspiracy of Faith
2016 Β· dir. Hans Petter Moland
πŸ… 100%β˜… 7crime Β· drama Β· mystery

Both keep coming back to the same thing: nordic noir

Denmark, 2016. A blurred note is found in a bottle that has traveled across the ocean for a long time. After deciphering the cryptic note, Department Q follow a sinister trail that leads them to investigate a case that occurred in 2008. At the same time, new tragic events take place that test their faith and deepest beliefs.

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Sexy Beast poster
Sexy Beast
2001 Β· dir. Jonathan Glazer
πŸ… 87%β˜… 7.3crime Β· thriller Β· drama

Action built on atmosphere, twice over

Ex-safecracker Gal Dove has served his time behind bars and is blissfully retired to a Spanish villa paradise with a wife he adores. The idyll is shattered by the arrival of his nemesis Don Logan, intent on persuading Gal to return to London for one last big job.

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The Long Good Friday poster
The Long Good Friday
1980 Β· dir. John Mackenzie
πŸ… 97%β˜… 7.5crime Β· thriller Β· drama

Gritty crime, and it commits to that

In the late 1970s, Cockney crime boss Harold Shand, a gangster trying to become a legitimate property mogul, has big plans to get the American Mafia to bankroll his transformation of a derelict area of London into the possible venue for a future Olympic Games. However, a series of bombings targets his empire on the very weekend the Americans are in town. Shand is convinced there is a traitor in his organization, and sets out to eliminate the rat in typically ruthless fashion.

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Brother poster
Brother
1997 Β· dir. Aleksei Balabanov
πŸ… 100%β˜… 7.8crime Β· drama Β· action

Action with a pulse of momentum, in both cases

Danila goes to his successful brother, Victor, in Petersburg to start a new life. Unknown to Danila, Victor is a contract killer, but is in hiding after asking for too much money to assassinate a Chechen mob boss. To avoid exposure, Victor convinces Danila to kill the boss instead.

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In the mood for more kinetic?

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The best-reviewed films that share Pusher’s defining feeling.