Best Of, Hood/Urban Movies.
In the late 80's/early 90's during the height of the Gangsta Rap Movement led by the likes of N.W.A., Ice-T, & Tupac Shakur, a new genre of black/Hispanic film sprang up, referred to as hood movies. Basically, these films are all about the reality of growing up in the ghetto.These tales are often compelling, sometimes comical, and usually end up tragically.
This is IMO the best this particular sub-genre of the Organized Crime/Gangster Genre has to offer.
This is IMO the best this particular sub-genre of the Organized Crime/Gangster Genre has to offer.
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- DirectorJohn SingletonStarsCuba Gooding Jr.Laurence FishburneHudhail Al-AmirFollows the lives of three young males living in the Crenshaw ghetto of Los Angeles, dissecting questions of race, relationships, violence, and future prospects.
- DirectorFernando MeirellesKátia LundStarsAlexandre RodriguesLeandro FirminoMatheus NachtergaeleIn the slums of Rio, two kids' paths diverge as one struggles to become a photographer and the other a kingpin.
- DirectorAlbert HughesAllen HughesStarsTyrin TurnerLarenz TateJune Kyoto LuA young street hustler attempts to escape the rigors and temptations of the ghetto in a quest for a better life.
- DirectorSpike LeeStarsDanny AielloOssie DavisRuby DeeOn the hottest day of the year on a street in the Bedford-Stuyvesant section of Brooklyn, everyone's hate and bigotry smolders and builds until it explodes into violence.
- DirectorBrian De PalmaStarsAl PacinoMichelle PfeifferSteven BauerIn 1980 Miami, a determined Cuban immigrant takes over a drug cartel and succumbs to greed.
- DirectorErnest R. DickersonStarsOmar EppsTupac ShakurJermaine HopkinsFour inner-city teenagers get caught up in the pursuit of power and happiness, which they refer to as "the juice".
- DirectorF. Gary GrayStarsIce CubeChris TuckerNia LongIt's Friday, and Craig and Smokey must come up with $200 they owe a local bully or there won't be a Saturday.
- DirectorRick FamuyiwaStarsShameik MooreTony RevoloriKiersey ClemonsLife changes for Malcolm, a geek who's surviving life in a tough neighborhood, after a chance invitation to an underground party leads him and his friends into a Los Angeles adventure.
- DirectorF. Gary GrayStarsO'Shea Jackson Jr.Corey HawkinsJason MitchellThe rap group NWA emerges from the mean streets of Compton in Los Angeles, California, in the mid-1980s and revolutionizes Hip Hop culture with their music and tales about life in the hood.
- DirectorLauren LazinStarsTupac ShakurRappin' 4-TayConrad BainHome movies, photographs, and recited poetry illustrate the life of Tupac Shakur, one of the most beloved, revolutionary, and volatile hip-hop M.Cs. of all time.
- DirectorTaylor HackfordStarsDamian ChapaJesse BorregoBenjamin BrattBased on the true life experiences of poet Jimmy Santiago Baca, the film focuses on step-brothers Paco and Cruz, and their bi-racial cousin Miklo.
- DirectorRalph ZimanStarsRapulana SeiphemoJeffrey SekeleRonnie NyakaleA young hoodlum's rise from a small-time criminal to a powerful crime entrepreneur during the turbulent years before and after the fall of apartheid.
- DirectorBrian De PalmaStarsAl PacinoSean PennPenelope Ann MillerA Puerto Rican former convict, just released from prison, pledges to stay away from drugs and violence despite the pressure around him and lead on to a better life outside of N.Y.C.
- DirectorAntoine FuquaStarsDenzel WashingtonEthan HawkeScott GlennA rookie cop spends his first day as a Los Angeles narcotics officer with a rogue detective who isn't what he appears to be.
- DirectorEdward James OlmosStarsEdward James OlmosWilliam ForsytheSal LopezA Mexican-American Mafia kingpin is released from prison, falls in love for the first time, and grows introspective about his gangster lifestyle.
- DirectorRidley ScottStarsDenzel WashingtonRussell CroweChiwetel EjioforAn outcast New York City cop is charged with bringing down Harlem drug lord Frank Lucas, whose real life inspired this partly biographical film.
- DirectorTakeshi KitanoStarsTakeshi KitanoClaude MakiOmar EppsA Japanese gangster is exiled to Los Angeles where his brother lives with a small but respectable multi-racial gang, who he inspires to expand their influence.
- DirectorStephen Milburn AndersonStarsGlenn PlummerByron MinnsLexie BighamA former gangster fresh out of prison wants to change his life for the better and must save his 10 year old son who has already chosen a gang life.
- DirectorMario Van PeeblesStarsWesley SnipesIce-TAllen PayneA crime lord ascends to power and becomes megalomaniacal while a maverick police detective vows to stop him.
- DirectorDavid AyerStarsJake GyllenhaalMichael PeñaAnna KendrickShot documentary-style, this film follows the daily grind of two young police officers in LA who are partners and friends and what happens when they meet criminal forces greater than themselves.
- DirectorAlbert HughesAllen HughesStarsLarenz TateKeith DavidChris TuckerA Vietnam vet adjusts to life after the war while trying to support his family, but the chance of a better life may involve crime and bloodshed.
- DirectorPaulo MorelliStarsDouglas SilvaDarlan CunhaJonathan HaagensenBest 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.
- DirectorAbel FerraraStarsChristopher WalkenDavid CarusoLaurence FishburneA drug kingpin is released from prison and seeks to take total control of the criminal underworld in order to give back to the community.
- DirectorCurtis HansonStarsEminemBrittany MurphyKim BasingerFollows a young rapper in the Detroit area, struggling with every aspect of his life; he wants to make it big but his friends and foes make this odyssey of rap harder than it may seem.
- DirectorRamón MenéndezStarsEdward James OlmosEstelle HarrisMark PhelanThe story of Jaime Escalante, a high school teacher who successfully inspired his dropout-prone students to learn calculus.
- DirectorCraig BrewerStarsTerrence HowardLudacrisAnthony AndersonWith help from his friends, a Memphis pimp in a mid-life crisis attempts to become a successful hip-hop emcee.
- DirectorPaul HaggisStarsDon CheadleSandra BullockThandiwe NewtonLos Angeles citizens with vastly separate lives collide in interweaving stories of race, loss and redemption.
- DirectorBenny BoomStarsDemetrius Shipp Jr.Danai GuriraKat GrahamTells the true and untold story of prolific rapper, actor, poet and activist Tupac Shakur.
- DirectorRichard LaGraveneseStarsHilary SwankImelda StauntonPatrick DempseyA young teacher inspires her class of at-risk students to learn tolerance, apply themselves and pursue education beyond high school.
- DirectorClint EastwoodStarsClint EastwoodBee VangChristopher CarleyAfter a Hmong teenager tries to steal his prized 1972 Gran Torino, a disgruntled, prejudiced Korean War veteran seeks to redeem both the boy and himself.
- DirectorBoaz YakinStarsSean NelsonGiancarlo EspositoSamuel L. JacksonDeath and violence anger a twelve-year-old drug courier, who sets his employers against each other.
- DirectorJohn SingletonStarsAlexsandra WrightTyrese GibsonTaraji P. HensonIn South Central L.A., a misguided 20-year-old African-American man, a "baby boy", faces the commitments of real life.
- DirectorDennis HopperStarsSean PennRobert DuvallMaria Conchita AlonsoAn experienced cop and his rookie partner patrol the streets of East Los Angeles while trying to keep the gang violence under control.
- DirectorJohn G. AvildsenStarsMorgan FreemanBeverly ToddRobert GuillaumeThe dedicated but tyrannical Joe Clark is appointed the principal of a decaying inner-city school he is determined to improve by any and all means.
- DirectorJohn SingletonStarsJanet JacksonTupac ShakurRegina KingGrieving hairdresser Justice goes on a road trip from South Central L.A. to Oakland on a mail truck alongside her friend and an obnoxious postal worker.
- DirectorJoe CarnahanStarsRay LiottaJason PatricChi McBrideWhen the trail goes cold on a murder investigation of a policeman, an undercover narcotics officer is lured back to the force to help solve the case.
- DirectorSpike LeeStarsHarvey KeitelJohn TurturroDelroy LindoYoung drug pushers in the projects of Brooklyn live hard dangerous lives, trapped between their drug bosses and the detectives out to stop them.
- DirectorChris WeitzStarsDemián BichirJosé JuliánEddie 'Piolin' SoteloA gardener in East L.A. struggles to keep his son away from gangs and immigration agents while trying to give his son the opportunities he never had.
- DirectorKevin ReynoldsStarsSamuel L. JacksonJohn HeardKelly Rowan15 months after being stabbed 9 times by a student at work as a high school teacher in NYC, Mr. Garfield is working in LA as a substitute teacher come full-time. He refuses to be a victim anymore.
- DirectorCary Joji FukunagaStarsPaulina GaitanMarco Antonio AguirreLeonardo AlonsoA young Honduran girl and a Mexican gangster are united in a journey across the U.S. border.
- DirectorAndrzej BartkowiakStarsJet LiAaliyahIsaiah WashingtonAn avenging cop seeks out his brother's killer and falls for the daughter of a businessman who is involved in a money-deal with his father.
- DirectorNick BroomfieldStarsThe Notorious B.I.G.Tupac ShakurNick BroomfieldDocumentary on the deaths of Tupac Shakur and Biggie Smalls and the East Coast/West Coast, hip-hop/rap rivalry that culminated in late 1996 and early 1997.
- DirectorCharles Stone IIIStarsMekhi PhiferWood HarrisChi McBrideA young man from Harlem, forced to cope with the 1980s drug scene, builds an illegal empire, only to have a crisis of conscience.
- DirectorDavid AyerStarsKeanu ReevesForest WhitakerHugh LaurieAn undercover cop, disillusioned by the death of his wife, is implicated in the murder of an officer and must struggle to clear himself.
- DirectorNick GomezStarsShar-Ron CorleyGabriel CasseusSaul SteinJason and Midget are two young, black teenagers living in Newark,New Jersey, the unofficial car theft capital of the world. Their favourite pastime is that of everybody in their neighbourhood: stealing cars and joyriding. The trouble starts when they steal a police car and the cops launch a violent offensive that involves beating and even shooting suspects.
- DirectorJohn SingletonStarsOmar EppsKristy SwansonMichael RapaportPeople from all different walks of life, encounter racial tension, rape, responsibility, and the meaning of an education on a university campus.
- DirectorDavid AyerStarsChristian BaleFreddy RodríguezEva LongoriaA tough-minded drama about two friends in South Central Los Angeles and the violence that comes between them.
- DirectorCraig Ross Jr.StarsAllen PayneAngelle BrooksMichael TaliferroA child of a middle class home with solid moral values is lured into a world of crime and corruption.
- DirectorVondie Curtis-HallStarsTupac ShakurTim RothThandiwe NewtonTwo friends try to kick their drug addiction after a friend dies from an overdose, when they try to enroll in a detox program, things quickly go wrong.
- DirectorF. Gary GrayStarsJada Pinkett SmithQueen LatifahVivica A. FoxDesperation drives four inner-city women to bank robbery in Los Angeles, then they start mistrusting each other.
- DirectorMichael SchultzStarsTaimakVanityChristopher MurneyIn New York City, a young man searches for a Master to obtain the final level of martial arts mastery known as the Glow.
- DirectorGeorge Tillman Jr.StarsJamal WoolardAnthony MackieDerek LukeThe life and death story of The Notorious B.I.G. (a.k.a. Christopher Wallace), who came straight out of Brooklyn to take the world of rap music by storm.
- DirectorJohn LuessenhopStarsRichard T. JonesDe'aundre BondsGabriel CasseusAvery (Jones) returns to college as a competitive swimmer after getting his life back on track. But his life takes another unexpected turn when he and his two friends (Bonds, Casseus) are wrongly accused of murder and end up in prison.
- DirectorBill DukeStarsLaurence FishburneJeff GoldblumLira AngelA uniformed police officer is recruited by the DEA to infiltrate a drug smuggling ring looking to expand its operation.
- DirectorLeon IchasoStarsWesley SnipesMichael WrightKhandi AlexanderA drug dealer tries to get out of the life and start anew with his girlfriend, but the transition is tragically difficult.
- DirectorMichael SchultzStarsGlynn TurmanLawrence Hilton-JacobsGarrett MorrisIn 1964 on Chicago's Near-North Side, the lives of four carefree high school seniors and best friends, including an aspiring playwright and an all-city basketball champion, takes a tragic turn.
- DirectorJeff PollackStarsDuane MartinTupac ShakurLeonStory of a promising high school basketball star and his relationships with two brothers, one a drug dealer and the other a former basketball star fallen on hard times and now employed as a security guard.
- DirectorStacy PeraltaStarsJim BrownTony MuhammadKershaun ScottWith a first-person look at the notorious Crips and Bloods, this film examines the conditions that have lead to decades of devastating gang violence among young African Americans growing up in South Los Angeles.
- DirectorBarbara KoppleStarsAnne HathawayBijou PhillipsShiri ApplebyTwo affluent suburban girls clash with the Latino gang culture of East Los Angeles.
- DirectorJulien TempleStarsMickey RourkeFrank SengerAdrien BrodyParoled after 8 years in prison, Bullet's picked up by his brother and a friend. Bullet assaults a drug dealer and two customers. Things escalate.
- DirectorForest WhitakerStarsWilliam James Stiggers Jr.Chi AliBokeem WoodbineEx-con attempting to go straight runs accross serious problems. His girlfriend gets arrested for dealing crack to an undercover police officer. In a desperate attempt to get the charges dropped against his woman, he strikes deal with weapons cop(Michael Biehn) to turn in local gun dealers. How ever, the D.A. is not satisfied with the results, resulting in some serious game playing and double crossing.
- DirectorJoseph B. VasquezStarsDoug E. DougMario JoynerJohn LeguizamoFour young friends spend one crazy Friday night on the streets of Manhattan that quickly turns into a night, they'll never forget.
- DirectorVondie Curtis-HallStarsTyrese GibsonMeagan GoodLarenz TateAn ex-convict (Tyrese) gets tangled up with a gang after his car is hijacked with his son inside.
- DirectorJim KoufStarsJim BelushiTupac ShakurLela RochonAfter murdering an undercover DEA agent, two corrupt cops scramble to cover up what they've done.
- DirectorAntoine FuquaStarsRichard GereDon CheadleEthan HawkeThree unconnected Brooklyn cops wind up at the same deadly location after enduring vastly different career paths.
- DirectorJohn SingletonStarsSamuel L. JacksonVanessa WilliamsChristian BaleNew York City police detective John Shaft (nephew of the original 1970s detective) goes on a personal mission to make sure the son of a real estate tycoon is brought to justice after a racially-motivated murder.
- DirectorJohn N. SmithStarsMichelle PfeifferGeorge DzundzaCourtney B. VanceLouAnne, a retired US marine, becomes a teacher in a Californian high school. But her mostly Latino and black students from an impoverished and racially segregated locality do not easily embrace her.
- DirectorSteve CarrStarsIce CubeMike EppsJustin PierceA streetwise man flees South Central Los Angeles, heading to the suburbs and his lottery-winner uncle and cousin, to avoid a neighborhood thug with a grudge who has just escaped from prison.
- DirectorCharles S. DuttonStarsOmar EppsDelroy LindoRachel TicotinGreg Yance is caught with over 5 grams drugs on him for trafficking. Prison is overcrowded and violent. As first time felon, he can get 120 days of boot camp instead of 5 years prison. Boot camp's tough.
- DirectorMatty RichStarsGeorge T. OdomAnn D. SandersLawrence Gilliard Jr.A young man living in poverty makes a plan to rob a drug dealer and change the life of his family.
- DirectorChris RobinsonStarsTip 'T.I.' HarrisLauren LondonEvan RossAs four friends prepare for life after high school, different challenges bring about turning points in each of their lives. The dramas unfold and resolve at their local rollerskating rink, Cascade.
- DirectorSpike LeeStarsDenzel WashingtonMilla JovovichRay AllenA basketball player's father must try to convince him to go to a college so he can get a shorter sentence.
- 19961h 29mR6.5 (62K)53MetascoreDirectorParis BarclayStarsShawn WayansMarlon WayansKeenen Ivory WayansA parody of several U.S. films about being in the 'Hood', for instance Boyz n the Hood (1991), South Central (1992), Menace II Society (1993), Higher Learning (1995) and Juice (1992).
- DirectorAdam RippStarsDarris LoveDarontay McClendonDon CambellWhen a brutal carjacking yields a videocamera, a teenage boy decides to document his life and the lives of his fellow gangbangers.
- DirectorDoug McHenryStarsAllen PayneJada Pinkett SmithBokeem WoodbineTwo brothers, survivors of family tragedy, take different life paths: one falls for a high-spirited waitress and dreams of success, the other follows a life of petty crime. Their lives reconnect in shattering fashion.
- DirectorIce CubeStarsLisaRaye McCoyDick Anthony WilliamsJudyann ElderA woman must contend with rival strippers and her boss in an attempt to make a legitimate living.
- DirectorMichael RymerStarsLloyd AdamsPhilip AkinAnna Carolina AriasRight out of police academy, Jeff/Omar Epps starts as undercover cop in Cincinnati. First it's small time cases but he proves himself and moves up to a big case - befriending a brutal crime boss.
- DirectorMarcus RaboyStarsIce CubeMike EppsJohn WitherspoonWorking as security guards, Craig and Day-Day run into the thief who stole their Christmas presents.
- DirectorTamra DavisStarsChris RockAllen PayneDeezer DA guy makes a documentary of the rap band CB4 by following them. CB4 got popular by stealing Gusto's name, background and image. He wants them dead.
- DirectorGilbert MosesStarsRoscoe OrmanDiana SandsThalmus RasulalaA social worker tries to get a pimp to change his ways.
- DirectorAndrzej BartkowiakStarsJet LiDMXMark DacascosA jewel thief's daughter is kidnapped after he steals a collection of prized black diamonds, which aren't at all what they seem.
- DirectorReginald HudlinStarsChristopher ReidRobin HarrisChristopher MartinKid decides to go to his friend Play's house party, but neither of them can predict what's in store for them on what could be the wildest night of their lives.
- DirectorBenny BoomStarsYasiin BeyMike EppsDonald FaisonTwo inept criminals are mistakenly delivered a package of cocaine and think they've hit the jackpot, triggering a series of events that changes 10 people's lives forever.
- DirectorDJ PoohStarsDr. DreSnoop DoggAnthony AlbanoLife at the car wash is a place in Los Angeles, California where anything can and does happen to two friends Sean & Dee Loc (Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg) trying to earn money to pay their rent.
- DirectorFranc. ReyesStarsJohn LeguizamoPeter SarsgaardDenise RichardsA successful South Bronx drug dealer turns his back on his roots and gives money to a Wall Street broker to invest for him.
- DirectorErnest R. DickersonStarsDMXDavid ArquetteMichael EalyA drug kingpin's return home touches off a turf war.
- DirectorJesse DylanStarsMethod ManRedmanObba BabatundéTwo guys by the name of Silas and Jamal decided to one day smoke something magical, which eventually helps them to ace their college entrance exam.
- DirectorHype WilliamsStarsNasDMXTaral HicksTwo young friends involved in organized crime and drug dealing find that their priorities differ.
- DirectorMoon JonesMaster PStarsMaster PAnthony BoswellCassandra CheatamIts Bout it. Uuuuuuuhhhhhhh!!
- DirectorJim SheridanStars50 CentJoy BryantAdewale Akinnuoye-AgbajeA tale of an inner city drug dealer who turns away from a life of crime to pursue his passion of rap music.
- CreatorDavid SimonStarsDominic WestLance ReddickSonja SohnThe Baltimore drug scene, as seen through the eyes of drug dealers and law enforcement.
- StarsT.K. CarterKhandi AlexanderSean NelsonChronicles a West Baltimore family living in poverty on the front lines of America's drug war.
- CreatorAaron McGruderStarsRegina KingJohn WitherspoonGary Anthony WilliamsBrothers Huey and Riley Freeman experience a culture clash when they leave Chicago to move in with their grandfather in the suburbs.