Best Movies like Scarface (1983)

Carlito's Way portrays the struggle of a former criminal attempting to escape a violent past in the American underworld, echoing Scarface’s rise-and-fall narrative centered around ambition and the consequences of choices within organized crime.

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. Carlito's Way is a movie from United States of America in English, with a total 2h 24m runtime, released in 1993 with an average rating of 7.8 by 3,521 people. The movie made an estimated total of $63,848,322 in the box office.

Blow follows a man who becomes a powerful figure in the cocaine trade, paralleling the focus on the drug underworld and personal transformation seen in Scarface, with both stories unfolding against the backdrop of illicit empires in America.

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. Blow is a movie from United States of America in English, with a total 2h 4m runtime, released in 2001 with an average rating of 7.4 by 4,652 people. The movie made an estimated total of $83,300,000 in the box office.

The Godfather delves into the world of organized crime and the personal costs of amassing power, similar to Scarface’s exploration of ambition, loyalty, and the gradual unraveling of the protagonist within a criminal dynasty.

Spanning the years 1945 to 1955, a chronicle of the fictional Italian-American Corleone crime family. When organized crime family patriarch, Vito Corleone barely survives an attempt on his life, his youngest son, Michael steps in to take care of the would-be killers, launching a campaign of bloody revenge. The Godfather is a movie from United States of America in English, with a total 2h 55m runtime, released in 1972 with an average rating of 8.7 by 23,253 people. The movie made an estimated total of $245,066,411 in the box office.

The Godfather Part II extends the legacy of crime, depicting the rise to power and internal conflict of its central character. Its themes of criminal empires and the seduction of power align closely with the journey seen in Scarface.

In the continuing saga of the Corleone crime family, a young Vito Corleone grows up in Sicily and in 1910s New York. In the 1950s, Michael Corleone attempts to expand the family business into Las Vegas, Hollywood and Cuba. The Godfather Part II is a movie from United States of America in English, with a total 3h 22m runtime, released in 1974 with an average rating of 8.6 by 14,112 people. The movie made an estimated total of $102,600,000 in the box office.

GoodFellas draws viewers into the intoxicating and violent world of organized crime, tracing a character’s ascent and eventual downfall within a criminal hierarchy—mirroring the narrative arc of Scarface’s Tony Montana.

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. GoodFellas is a movie from United States of America in English, with a total 2h 25m runtime, released in 1990 with an average rating of 8.5 by 14,562 people. The movie made an estimated total of $47,072,327 in the box office.

City of God examines the rise and fall of individuals amid the chaos of a drug-fueled criminal landscape, paralleling Scarface’s themes of violence, ambition, and the heavy toll of seeking dominance in the underworld.

In the poverty-stricken favelas of Rio de Janeiro in the 1970s, two young men choose different paths. Rocket is a budding photographer who documents the increasing drug-related violence of his neighborhood, while José “Zé” Pequeno is an ambitious drug dealer diving into a dangerous life of crime. City of God is a movie from Brazil in Portuguese, with a total 2h 9m runtime, released in 2002 with an average rating of 8.4 by 8,317 people. The movie made an estimated total of $30,641,770 in the box office.

American Gangster follows a determined outsider who seizes control of the drug trade, mirroring the criminal empire-building and law enforcement pressures depicted in Scarface, as well as the dangers inherent to this lifestyle.

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. American Gangster is a movie from United States of America in English, with a total 2h 37m runtime, released in 2007 with an average rating of 7.6 by 6,134 people. The movie made an estimated total of $269,755,430 in the box office.

The Departed revolves around infiltration, crime, and the dangerous interplay between law enforcement and criminal organizations, resonating with Scarface’s focus on double lives and the perils of ambition in the criminal underworld.

To take down South Boston's Irish Mafia, the police send in one of their own to infiltrate the underworld, not realizing the syndicate has done likewise. While an undercover cop curries favor with the mob kingpin, a career criminal rises through the police ranks. But both sides soon discover there's a mole among them. The Departed is a movie from United States of America in English, with a total 2h 31m runtime, released in 2006 with an average rating of 8.2 by 16,437 people. The movie made an estimated total of $291,465,000 in the box office.

Heat presents a cat-and-mouse dynamic between police and criminals while exploring the consequences of pursuing a life of crime, reflecting Scarface’s central struggle against law enforcement and escalating violence.

Obsessive master thief Neil McCauley leads a top-notch crew on various daring heists throughout Los Angeles while determined detective Vincent Hanna pursues him without rest. Each man recognizes and respects the ability and the dedication of the other even though they are aware their cat-and-mouse game may end in violence. Heat is a movie from United States of America in English, with a total 2h 50m runtime, released in 1995 with an average rating of 7.9 by 8,529 people. The movie made an estimated total of $187,400,000 in the box office.

Casino traces the operation and downfall of a criminal-controlled business empire, much like Scarface’s focus on the ascent to and collapse from power, emphasizing greed, betrayal, and the dark facets of organized crime.

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. Casino is a movie from United States of America in English, with a total 2h 59m runtime, released in 1995 with an average rating of 8.0 by 6,638 people. The movie made an estimated total of $116,112,375 in the box office.

Once Upon a Time in America covers a lifetime of relationships and betrayals between childhood friends who become entwined in organized crime, a long-form narrative emphasizing rise, dominance, and inevitable loss, reminiscent of Scarface.

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. Once Upon a Time in America is a movie from United States of America in English, with a total 3h 49m runtime, released in 1984 with an average rating of 8.4 by 6,129 people. The movie made an estimated total of $5,500,000 in the box office.

A Prophet examines survival and self-transformation within a brutal criminal institution, tracking the protagonist’s climb from outsider to power figure—themes that echo Tony Montana’s journey in Scarface.

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 Prophet is a movie from France in French, with a total 2h 35m runtime, released in 2009 with an average rating of 7.6 by 1,753 people. The movie made an estimated total of $17,874,044 in the box office.

Donnie Brasco infiltrates the mob world, illuminating the blurred lines between loyalty and criminality, a theme likewise explored in Scarface through personal allegiance amid the hazards of underworld life.

An FBI undercover agent infiltrates the mob and identifies more with the mafia life at the expense of his regular one. Donnie Brasco is a movie from United States of America in English, with a total 2h 7m runtime, released in 1997 with an average rating of 7.5 by 4,926 people. The movie made an estimated total of $124,909,762 in the box office.

Mean Streets highlights ambition, loyalty, and the pull of organized crime within an urban setting, focusing on characters navigating their way upward in a perilous world, a thematic kinship to Scarface’s story.

A small-time hood must choose from among love, friendship and the chance to rise within the mob. Mean Streets is a movie from United States of America in English, with a total 1h 52m runtime, released in 1973 with an average rating of 7.0 by 2,324 people. The movie made an estimated total of $3,000,000 in the box office.

King of New York spotlights the violent pursuit of power within New York’s criminal hierarchy, focusing on a determined antihero whose actions reshape the drug trade, paralleling Scarface’s themes of ambition and eventual downfall.

A former drug lord returns from prison determined to wipe out all his competition and distribute the profits of his operations to New York's poor and lower classes in this stylish and ultra violent modern twist on Robin Hood. King of New York is a movie from United States of America in English, with a total 1h 43m runtime, released in 1990 with an average rating of 6.8 by 801 people. The movie made an estimated total of $2,554,712 in the box office.

Gomorrah captures the initiation and inner workings of criminal organizations, focusing on the dangers of climbing the ranks and the moral decay inherent in violent worlds, reflecting Scarface’s journey through the drug underworld.

An inside look at Italy's modern-day crime families, the Camorra in Naples and Caserta. Based on a book by Roberto Saviano. Power, money and blood: these are the "values" that the residents of the Province of Naples and Caserta have to face every day. They hardly ever have a choice and are forced to obey the rules of the Camorra. Only a lucky few can even think of leading a normal life. Gomorrah is a movie from Belgium in Italian, with a total 2h 17m runtime, released in 2008 with an average rating of 6.9 by 1,309 people. The movie made an estimated total of $34,861,529 in the box office.

Paid in Full explores the rapid ascent of young men in the drug trade, territorial ambition, and the destructive personal costs of illegal empire-building—elements central to the narrative in Scarface.

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. Paid in Full is a movie from United States of America in English, with a total 1h 38m runtime, released in 2002 with an average rating of 6.8 by 248 people. The movie made an estimated total of $3,100,000 in the box office.

The original 1932 Scarface inspired the 1983 remake, providing a crime drama centered on ruthless ambition, moral conflict, and the consequences of a violent rise to power in organized crime.

In 1920s Chicago, Italian immigrant and notorious thug, Antonio 'Tony' Camonte, aka Scarface, shoots his way to the top of the mobs while trying to protect his sister from the criminal life. Scarface is a movie from United States of America in English, with a total 1h 33m runtime, released in 1932 with an average rating of 7.4 by 705 people. The movie made an estimated total of $600,000 in the box office.

Layer Cake follows a savvy operator in the contemporary British drug underworld, depicting the complexities and betrayals of criminal enterprise, much like Scarface’s insider perspective on the business of illicit drugs.

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... Layer Cake is a movie from United Kingdom in English, with a total 1h 45m runtime, released in 2004 with an average rating of 6.9 by 2,418 people. The movie made an estimated total of $11,900,000 in the box office.

Boyz n the Hood explores the environment and social factors that contribute to criminal lifestyles, specifically focusing on youth in urban America—concepts related to Scarface’s depiction of the challenges and allure of gang life.

In the middle of the Los Angeles ghetto, drugs, robberies and shootings dominate everyday life. During these times, Furious tries to raise his son Tre to be a decent person. Tre's friends, on the other hand, have little regard for the law and drag the entire neighborhood into a street war... Boyz n the Hood is a movie from United States of America in English, with a total 1h 52m runtime, released in 1991 with an average rating of 7.6 by 2,302 people. The movie made an estimated total of $57,504,069 in the box office.

New Jack City centers on the creation and expansion of a drug empire, chronicling both the ambition to rise within urban crime and the destructive cycles it creates—echoing Scarface’s themes of power, excess, and downfall.

A gangster, Nino, is in the Cash Money Brothers, making a million dollars every week selling crack. A cop, Scotty, discovers that the only way to infiltrate the gang is to become a dealer himself. New Jack City is a movie from United States of America in English, with a total 1h 41m runtime, released in 1991 with an average rating of 6.7 by 619 people. The movie made an estimated total of $47,624,253 in the box office.

Pusher immerses viewers in the day-to-day perils of drug dealing, highlighting desperate ambition and the escalating consequences of each decision—paralleling Scarface’s trajectory within the criminal underworld.

A drug pusher grows increasingly desperate after a botched deal leaves him with a large debt to a ruthless drug lord. Pusher is a movie from Denmark in Danish, with a total 1h 50m runtime, released in 1996 with an average rating of 7.0 by 889 people.

The Long Good Friday delves into the struggles of a British gangster trying to consolidate power in a changing criminal landscape, exploring both the appeal and vulnerability of criminal ambition present in Scarface.

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. The Long Good Friday is a movie from United Kingdom in English, with a total 1h 54m runtime, released in 1980 with an average rating of 7.2 by 437 people. The movie made an estimated total of $500,000 in the box office.

Battles Without Honor and Humanity chronicles the internal strife and shifting allegiances within organized crime factions, reflecting themes of betrayal, power struggles, and downfall found in Scarface’s journey through Miami’s underworld.

In the teeming black markets of postwar Japan, Shozo Hirono and his buddies find themselves in a new war between factious and ambitious yakuza. Battles Without Honor and Humanity is a movie from Japan in Japanese, with a total 1h 39m runtime, released in 1973 with an average rating of 7.3 by 124 people.

Lux Æterna centers on intense personal struggles with chaos and breakdown, which, while stylistically different, complements Scarface’s depiction of psychological unraveling amid mounting social and criminal pressures.

Charlotte Gainsbourg agrees to play a witch condemned to be burned at the stake in the first film directed by Béatrice Dalle. But the chaotic production, technical problems, and psychotic breakdowns gradually plunge the shoot into a chaos of pure light. Lux Æterna is a movie from France in French, with a total 51m runtime, released in 2020 with an average rating of 6.1 by 294 people. The movie made an estimated total of $323,829 in the box office.

Traffic investigates the pervasive impact of the drug trade on individuals at various levels, mirroring Scarface’s examination of the effects of narcotics commerce on personal ambition, corruption, and societal breakdown.

An exploration of the United States of America's war on drugs from multiple perspectives. For the new head of the Office of National Drug Control Policy, the war becomes personal when he discovers his well-educated daughter is abusing cocaine within their comfortable suburban home. In Mexico, a flawed, but noble policeman agrees to testify against a powerful general in league with a cartel, and in San Diego, a drug kingpin's sheltered trophy wife must learn her husband's ruthless business after he is arrested, endangering her luxurious lifestyle. Traffic is a movie from United States of America in English, with a total 2h 27m runtime, released in 2000 with an average rating of 7.1 by 2,461 people. The movie made an estimated total of $207,500,000 in the box office.

El Infierno presents the rise and ethical decline of its protagonist within the violent Mexican drug trade, examining how the pursuit of power leads to moral destruction and personal danger, thematically linked to Scarface.

After being deported back to Mexico, a man has no choice but to join the vicious drug cartel that has corrupted his hometown in order to survive. El Infierno is a movie from Mexico in Spanish, with a total 2h 28m runtime, released in 2010 with an average rating of 7.9 by 801 people. The movie made an estimated total of $6,703,873 in the box office.

Miss Bala depicts an ordinary individual’s entrapment within the criminal underworld of the drug trade, a narrative of personal transformation and escalating danger resonant with Scarface’s account of being drawn into the world of organized crime.

The story of a young woman clinging on to her dream to become a beauty contest queen in a Mexico dominated by organized crime. Miss Bala is a movie from Mexico in Spanish, with a total 1h 53m runtime, released in 2011 with an average rating of 6.7 by 208 people.

The Funeral dissects the relationships and repercussions of lives lived within organized crime, focusing on violence and loss as inherent consequences, reflecting Scarface’s similarly tragic arc and exploration of criminal networks.

After the funeral of one of their own, a criminal family decides to embark on an emotionally unnerving journey in an attempt to exact bloody revenge. The Funeral is a movie from United States of America in English, with a total 1h 39m runtime, released in 1996 with an average rating of 6.7 by 203 people. The movie made an estimated total of $1,227,324 in the box office.

City of Men delves into the daily reality and personal bonds formed amid urban poverty and criminal opportunity, providing a raw look at the influences behind young people’s choices in environments like those found in Scarface.

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. City of Men is a movie from Brazil in Portuguese, with a total 1h 46m runtime, released in 2007 with an average rating of 7.0 by 304 people. The movie made an estimated total of $307,076 in the box office.

In the Name of the Father portrays a dramatic battle with oppressive systems and the personal cost of criminal accusations, thematically echoing Scarface’s focus on the consequences of choices made in the pursuit of power.

A small-time Belfast thief, Gerry Conlon, is wrongly convicted of an IRA bombing in London, along with his father and friends, and spends 15 years in prison fighting to prove his innocence. In the Name of the Father is a movie from Ireland in English, with a total 2h 13m runtime, released in 1993 with an average rating of 7.9 by 2,012 people. The movie made an estimated total of $65,796,862 in the box office.

Infernal Affairs centers on betrayal and dual identities within organized crime, closely aligning with Scarface’s spotlight on trust and deception as central dangers for those embedded in criminal enterprise.

Chan Wing Yan, a young police officer, has been sent undercover as a mole in the local mafia. Lau Kin Ming, a young mafia member, infiltrates the police force. Years later, their older counterparts, Chen Wing Yan and Inspector Lau Kin Ming, respectively, race against time to expose the mole within their midst. Infernal Affairs is a movie from Hong Kong in Cantonese, with a total 1h 41m runtime, released in 2002 with an average rating of 7.8 by 1,893 people. The movie made an estimated total of $8,836,958 in the box office.

Narco Cultura explores the cultural influence and glamorization of the drug trade, thematically echoing Scarface’s depiction of the rise, impact, and personal consequences for those who seek power through narcotics.

To a growing number of Mexicans and Latinos in the Americas, narco-traffickers have become iconic outlaws and the new models of fame and success. They represent a pathway out of the ghetto, nurturing a new American dream fueled by the war on drugs. Narco Cultura looks at this explosive phenomenon from within, exposing cycles of addiction to money, drugs, and violence that are rapidly gaining strength on both sides of the U.S.-Mexico border Narco Cultura is a movie from Mexico in English, with a total 1h 43m runtime, released in 2013 with an average rating of 7.0 by 57 people. The movie made an estimated total of $163,690 in the box office.

Shot Caller follows the trajectory of a man absorbed by criminal roles and structures, demonstrating how circumstance and ambition shape ruthless decision-making, an arc comparable to Scarface’s transformation within the underworld.

A newly-released prison gangster is forced by the leaders of his gang to orchestrate a major crime with a brutal rival gang on the streets of Southern California. Shot Caller is a movie from United States of America in English, with a total 2h 1m runtime, released in 2017 with an average rating of 7.0 by 2,264 people.

State of Grace examines the pull of loyalty among friends within organized crime, and the internal conflict faced by those caught between the underworld and personal redemption—similar in theme to Scarface’s interplay between trust, ambition, and moral decay.

Hell's Kitchen, New York. Terry Noonan returns home after a ten-year absence. He soon reconnects with Jackie, a childhood friend and member of the Irish mob, and rekindles his love affair with Jackie's sister Kathleen. State of Grace is a movie from United States of America in English, with a total 2h 15m runtime, released in 1990 with an average rating of 7.0 by 429 people. The movie made an estimated total of $1,911,542 in the box office.

Reservoir Dogs dissects criminal plans gone wrong and the resulting tensions between associates, focusing on loyalty, betrayal, and the grim realities of life among criminals, which are also pivotal elements in Scarface.

A botched robbery indicates a police informant, and the pressure mounts in the aftermath at a warehouse. Crime begets violence as the survivors -- veteran Mr. White, newcomer Mr. Orange, psychopathic parolee Mr. Blonde, bickering weasel Mr. Pink and Nice Guy Eddie -- unravel. Reservoir Dogs is a movie from United States of America in English, with a total 1h 39m runtime, released in 1992 with an average rating of 8.1 by 15,644 people. The movie made an estimated total of $2,859,750 in the box office.

The Basketball Diaries addresses youthful pursuit of escape through illicit activities and substance abuse, providing a complementary exploration of ambition’s dangers and the personal costs of risky, illegal choices central to Scarface.

A high school basketball player’s life turns upside down after free-falling into the harrowing world of drug addiction. The Basketball Diaries is a movie from United States of America in English, with a total 1h 42m runtime, released in 1995 with an average rating of 7.4 by 2,249 people. The movie made an estimated total of $2,381,087 in the box office.

Bound by Honor portrays brotherhood, loyalty, and conflicting allegiances within the Latino criminal underworld, echoing Scarface’s themes of ambition, power struggles, and the emotional costs of a life shaped by crime.

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. Bound by Honor is a movie from United States of America in English, with a total 3h 10m runtime, released in 1993 with an average rating of 8.2 by 1,584 people. The movie made an estimated total of $4,500,000 in the box office.

The Counselor presents a world where ambition to succeed in the drug trade quickly leads to dire and violent consequences, reinforcing Scarface’s themes of risk, greed, and the precarious balance between power and downfall.

A lawyer finds himself in far over his head when he attempts to get involved in drug trafficking. The Counselor is a movie from United States of America in English, with a total 1h 57m runtime, released in 2013 with an average rating of 5.3 by 2,011 people. The movie made an estimated total of $71,009,334 in the box office.