Movies Like South Central (1992)

South Central is a 1992 crime, drama film from Stephen Milburn Anderson with a MovieMagicScore of 6.7/10. Here are 20 similar films, ranked by real viewer ratings — starting with The Mobfathers and The Ruthless.

Crime Drama

The Mobfathers

2016

The godfather of the triad Jing Hing and his senior bosses need to select a new boss to run the daily operations of the five gangs under their control. Chuck, a lifelong member of the triad, dreams of being the elected one, but his wife wants him to leave the criminal life and spend time with their child. Wulf, a former cop, also wants take over the seat. Both will try to achieve their goal by any means necessary.

6.0

MagicScore

The Ruthless

2019

Milan, Italy, 1967. Santo Russo, a boy of Calabrian origin, arrives north with his parents and younger brother to find better living conditions. Due to an absurd misunderstanding and his father's contempt, Santo ends up in prison, where he gets a “true education.” In 1978, he and his friends Slim and Mario embark on a 15-year criminal career, a successful and ruthless spiral of robberies, kidnappings, murders and heroin smuggling.

6.3

MagicScore

The Wrath of Cain

2010

A former kingpin of the streets, Miles “Cain” Skinner is doing life in prison. He is feared and respected among the inmates. When Cain learns that his sentence will be shortened only by brain cancer, his urgency to change his ways goes into overdrive.

5.1

MagicScore

Next Friday

2000

A 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.

6.4

MagicScore

Putin

2025

A portrait of a formidable political figure, unraveling the contrasting facets of an iron-fisted tyrant and a man haunted by fear.

5.9

MagicScore

Better Man

2024

Follow Robbie Williams' journey from childhood, to being the youngest member of chart-topping boyband Take That, through to his unparalleled achievements as a record-breaking solo artist – all the while confronting the challenges that stratospheric fame and success can bring.

7.7

MagicScore

Jack Strong

2014

Poland, 1970. Firmly determined to fight against Soviet tyranny and prevent the destruction of the world, the high-ranking officer of the Polish army Ryszard Kukliński makes a serious decision that will put his life, his family and the fate of an entire nation at risk.

6.5

MagicScore

Watch the Skies

2022

When a foster home placed teenage rebel suspects that her father is not dead but kidnapped by UFOs, she takes help from a UFO association to find out the truth. Together, they embark on a risky adventure that takes them far beyond the laws borders and into a world filled with UFO expeditions, conspiracies and inexplicable phenomena.

6.0

MagicScore

Mirror for a Hero

1987

Sergei and Andrei are walking through a city park and see that a film shoot set just post World War II is taking place . They climb over the park fence to get a better view but hit some cable lying on the ground and find themselves in the past - on May 8, 1949, a day which they seem doomed to relive over and over again.

5.7

MagicScore

#10

The Singing Detective

2003

Tormented and bedridden by a debilitating disease, a mystery writer relives his detective stories through his imagination and hallucinations.

5.0

MagicScore

#11

Stuart: A Life Backwards

2007

Story about the remarkable friendship between a reclusive writer and illustrator and a chaotic homeless man, whom he gets to know during a campaign to release two charity workers from prison.

7.4

MagicScore

#12

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

2011

Disgraced journalist Mikael Blomkvist investigates the disappearance of a weary patriarch's niece from 40 years ago. He is aided by the pierced, tattooed, punk computer hacker named Lisbeth Salander. As they work together in the investigation, Blomkvist and Salander uncover immense corruption beyond anything they have ever imagined.

7.4

MagicScore

#13

Salò, or the 120 Days of Sodom

1976

Four corrupted fascist libertines round up 9 teenage boys and girls and subject them to 120 days of sadistic physical, mental and sexual torture.

6.4

MagicScore

#14

American History X

1998

Derek Vineyard is paroled after serving 3 years in prison for killing two African-American men. Through his brother, Danny Vineyard's narration, we learn that before going to prison, Derek was a skinhead and the leader of a violent white supremacist gang that committed acts of racial crime throughout L.A. and his actions greatly influenced Danny. Reformed and fresh out of prison, Derek severs contact with the gang and becomes determined to keep Danny from going down the same violent path as he did.

8.3

MagicScore

#15

Tales of Ordinary Madness

1981

Poet/lecturer Charles Serking awakens from his alcoholic haze long enough to take a bus back to L.A. and plunge into an orgy of drink and sexual depravity.

6.0

MagicScore

#16

Small Things Like These

2024

In 1985, while working as a coal merchant to support his family, Bill Furlong discovers disturbing secrets kept by the local convent and uncovers truths of his own; forcing him to confront his past and the complicit silence of a small Irish town controlled by the Catholic Church.

6.7

MagicScore

#17

Kidulthood

2006

A day in the life of a group of troubled 15-year-olds growing up in west London.

6.3

MagicScore

#18

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

#19

Tales from the Hood

1995

A strange mortician tells four horrific tales to three drug dealers that he traps in their local funeral parlor.

6.2

MagicScore

#20

Excellent Cadavers

1999

Palermo, Sicily, 1984. Examining magistrate Giovanni Falcone allies with Tomasso Buscetta, a former mobster, to defeat the clan of Corleone, the ruthless Mafia faction that rules Cosa Nostra with an iron hand, cruelly eliminating all those who dare to oppose its immense power: other criminals, policemen, judges, even innocent civilians. One of them wants revenge, the other wants justice. But only one can survive such an unequal fight.

6.2

MagicScore

Frequently asked

What are the best movies like South Central?

The top films similar to South Central by MovieMagicScore are The Mobfathers (6.0), The Ruthless (6.3), The Wrath of Cain (5.1). Each shares crime/drama themes and is ranked by real viewer ratings, not critics or studios.

Is South Central worth watching?

South Central holds a MovieMagicScore of 6.7/10 from 93 viewer ratings.

What kind of movie is South Central?

South Central (1992) is a crime, drama film directed by Stephen Milburn Anderson, starring Glenn Plummer, Byron Minns, Lexie Bigham.

Where can I find more recommendations like South Central?

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 The Mobfathers Movies like The Ruthless Movies like The Wrath of Cain Movies like Next Friday Movies like Putin Movies like Better Man

About movies like South Central

This ranked list pairs South Central (1992), a crime and drama film from Stephen Milburn Anderson, with similar titles by genre, theme and cast overlap (fans of Glenn Plummer 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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