Movies Like Bad Boys (1983)

Bad Boys is a 1983 crime, drama, thriller film from Rick Rosenthal with a MovieMagicScore of 7.0/10. Here are 20 similar films, ranked by real viewer ratings — starting with American Me and Scrubbers.

Crime Drama Thriller

American Me

1992

During his 18 years in Folsom Prison, street-gang leader Santana rules over all the drug-and-murder activities behind bars. Upon his release, Santana goes back to his old neighborhood, intending to lead a peaceful, crime-free life. But his old gang buddies force him back into his old habits.

7.4

MagicScore

Scrubbers

1982

Inmates fight, pair off, try suicide and attempt escape at a British reform school for girls.

5.0

MagicScore

GoodFellas

1990

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.

8.5

MagicScore

They Call Us Monsters

2016

Behind the walls of the Compound, LA’s most violent juvenile offenders await their trials. To their advocates, they’re kids. To the system, they’re adults. To their victims, they’re monsters. Who are they to you?

6.7

MagicScore

Bound by Honor

1993

Based on the true life experiences of poet Jimmy Santiago Baca, the film focuses on two Indigenous Latino American half-brothers Paco and Cruz, and their bi-racial (half-Indigenous Latino American and half-European American) 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.

8.2

MagicScore

Sleepers

1996

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.

7.6

MagicScore

Perro callejero

1980

An abandoned child steals to survive and has problems when he decides to steal from the priest who helps him.

7.9

MagicScore

7 Virgins

2005

Tano is 16-years-old and is already sitting in jail. In 48 hours he’s a free man and off to the wedding of his brother. In the two days he recounts his neighborhood in a section of Sevilla.

6.0

MagicScore

The Departed

2006

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.

8.2

MagicScore

#10

Miller's Crossing

1990

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

7.4

MagicScore

#11

The Town

2010

Doug MacRay is a longtime thief, who, smarter than the rest of his crew, is looking for his chance to exit the game. When a bank job leads to the group kidnapping an attractive branch manager, he takes on the role of monitoring her – but their burgeoning relationship threatens to unveil the identities of Doug and his crew to the FBI Agent who is on their case.

7.2

MagicScore

#12

Kill the Irishman

2011

Over the summer of 1976, thirty-six bombs detonate in the heart of Cleveland while a turf war raged between Irish mobster Danny Greene and the Italian mafia. Based on a true story, Kill the Irishman chronicles Greene's heroic rise from a tough Cleveland neighborhood to become an enforcer in the local mob.

6.8

MagicScore

#13

Shoeshine

1946

Two shoeshine boys in postwar Rome, Italy save up to buy a horse, but their involvement as dupes in a burglary lands them in juvenile prison; the experience take a devastating toll on their friendship.

7.8

MagicScore

#14

Dog Pound

2010

Three juvenile delinquents arrive at a correctional center and are put under the care of an experienced guard.

7.2

MagicScore

#15

The Irishman

2019

Pennsylvania, 1956. Frank Sheeran, a war veteran of Irish origin who works as a truck driver, accidentally meets mobster Russell Bufalino. Once Frank becomes his trusted man, Bufalino sends him to Chicago with the task of helping Jimmy Hoffa, a powerful union leader related to organized crime, with whom Frank will maintain a close friendship for nearly twenty years.

7.6

MagicScore

#16

25th Hour

2002

In New York City in the days following the events of 9/11, Monty Brogan is a convicted drug dealer about to start a seven-year prison sentence, and his final hours of freedom are devoted to hanging out with his closest buddies and trying to prepare his girlfriend for his extended absence.

7.3

MagicScore

#17

Gangs of New York

2002

In early 1860s New York, Irish immigrant Amsterdam Vallon is released from prison and returns to the Five Points, seeking revenge against his father's killer, William Cutting, a powerful anti-immigrant gang leader. He knows that revenge can only be attained by infiltrating Cutting's inner circle. Vallon's journey becomes a fight for personal survival and to find a place for the Irish people.

7.3

MagicScore

#18

The Boondock Saints

1999

Tired of the crime overrunning the streets of Boston, Irish Catholic twin brothers Conner and Murphy are inspired by their faith to cleanse their hometown of evil with their own brand of zealous vigilante justice. As they hunt down and kill one notorious gangster after another, they become controversial folk heroes in the community. But Paul Smecker, an eccentric FBI agent, is fast closing in on their blood-soaked trail.

7.3

MagicScore

#19

The Molly Maguires

1970

Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania, 1876. A secret society of Irish coal miners, bond by a sacred oath, put pressure on the greedy and ruthless company they work for by sabotaging mining facilities in the hope of improving their working conditions and the lives of their families.

6.3

MagicScore

#20

The Brink's Job

1978

In 1950, a group of unlikely criminal masterminds commits the robbery of the century. Led by Tony Pino, a petty thief fresh out of prison, and Joe McGinnis, who specializes in planning lucrative capers, the gang robs Brink's main office in Boston of more than $2 million. However, things begin to go awry when the FBI gets involved, the cops start cracking down on the gang and McGinnis refuses to hand over the loot...

6.1

MagicScore

Frequently asked

What are the best movies like Bad Boys?

The top films similar to Bad Boys by MovieMagicScore are American Me (7.4), Scrubbers (5.0), GoodFellas (8.5). Each shares crime/drama/thriller themes and is ranked by real viewer ratings, not critics or studios.

Is Bad Boys worth watching?

Bad Boys holds a MovieMagicScore of 7.0/10 from 286 viewer ratings, putting it among the better-reviewed titles in its genre.

What kind of movie is Bad Boys?

Bad Boys (1983) is a crime, drama, thriller film directed by Rick Rosenthal, starring Sean Penn, Reni Santoni, Jim Moody.

Where can I find more recommendations like Bad Boys?

Browse the full ranked list above, or explore more crime recommendations on MovieMagicScore, where every list is ordered by genuine viewer ratings.

Keep exploring

Movies like American Me Movies like Scrubbers Movies like GoodFellas Movies like They Call Us Monsters Movies like Bound by Honor Movies like Sleepers

About movies like Bad Boys

This ranked list pairs Bad Boys (1983), a crime and drama and thriller film from Rick Rosenthal, with similar titles by genre, theme and cast overlap (fans of Sean Penn take note). Unlike critic-driven sites, every position here is ordered by MovieMagicScore — a rating built only from real viewers, with no studio marketing or paid placement. Scores update as more people rate, so the list stays current.

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