Movies Like Pacific Heights (1990)

Pacific Heights is a 1990 drama, mystery, thriller film from John Schlesinger with a MovieMagicScore of 6.2/10. Here are 20 similar films, ranked by real viewer ratings — starting with Marley & Me and The Iceman.

Drama Mystery Thriller

Marley & Me

2008

A newly married couple, in the process of starting a family, learn many of life's important lessons from their trouble-loving retriever, Marley. Packed with plenty of laughs to lighten the load, the film explores the highs and lows of marriage, maturity and confronting one's own mortality, as seen through the lens of family life with a dog.

7.2

MagicScore

The Iceman

2012

The true story of Richard Kuklinski, the notorious contract killer and family man.

6.6

MagicScore

Menace II Society

1993

A young street hustler attempts to escape the rigors and temptations of the ghetto in a quest for a better life.

7.5

MagicScore

Elite Squad: The Enemy Within

2010

After a bloody invasion of the BOPE in the High-Security Penitentiary Bangu 1 in Rio de Janeiro to control a rebellion of interns, the Lieutenant-Colonel Roberto Nascimento and the second in command Captain André Matias are accused by the Human Right Aids member Diogo Fraga of execution of prisoners. Matias is transferred to the corrupted Military Police and Nascimento is exonerated from the BOPE by the Governor.

7.8

MagicScore

The Color Purple

1985

An epic tale spanning forty years in the life of Celie, an African-American woman living in the South who survives incredible abuse and bigotry. After Celie's abusive father marries her off to the equally debasing 'Mister' Albert Johnson, things go from bad to worse, leaving Celie to find companionship anywhere she can. She perseveres, holding on to her dream of one day being reunited with her sister in Africa.

7.7

MagicScore

Hotel Rwanda

2004

Inspired by true events, this film takes place in Rwanda in the 1990s when more than a million Tutsis were killed in a genocide that went mostly unnoticed by the rest of the world. Hotel owner Paul Rusesabagina houses over a thousand refuges in his hotel in attempt to save their lives.

7.7

MagicScore

What's Love Got to Do with It

1993

Singer Tina Turner rises to stardom while mustering the courage to break free from her abusive husband Ike.

7.1

MagicScore

Star 80

1983

Paul Snider is a narcissistic, small time hustler who fancies himself a ladies man. His life changes when he meets Dorothy Stratten working behind the counter of a Dairy Queen. Under his guidance Dorothy grows to fame as a Playboy Playmate. But when Dorothy begins pursuing an acting career, the jealous Paul finds himself elbowed out of the picture by more famous men.

6.4

MagicScore

The Fury

1978

When a devious plot separates CIA agent Peter Sandza from his son, Robin, the distraught father manages to see through the ruse. Taken because of his psychic abilities, Robin is being held by Ben Childress, who is studying people with supernatural powers in hopes of developing their talents as weapons. Soon Peter pairs up with Gillian, a teen who has telekinesis, to find and rescue Robin.

6.3

MagicScore

#10

The Seven Five

2015

Meet the dirtiest cop in NYC history. Michael Dowd stole money and dealt drugs while patrolling the streets of '80s Brooklyn.

7.3

MagicScore

#11

SuperFly

2018

Career criminal Youngblood Priest wants out of the Atlanta drug scene, but as he ramps up sales, one little slip up threatens to bring the whole operation down before he can make his exit.

6.7

MagicScore

#12

Dirty Harry

1971

When a madman dubbed 'Scorpio' terrorizes San Francisco, hard-nosed cop, Harry Callahan – famous for his take-no-prisoners approach to law enforcement – is tasked with hunting down the psychopath.

7.5

MagicScore

#13

Chappaquiddick

2018

Ted Kennedy's life and political career become derailed in the aftermath of a fatal car accident in 1969 that claims the life of a young campaign strategist, Mary Jo Kopechne.

6.1

MagicScore

#14

The Tenant

1976

A quiet and inconspicuous man rents an apartment in Paris where he finds himself drawn into a rabbit hole of dangerous paranoia.

7.6

MagicScore

#15

Beck 04 - Eye for an Eye

1998

In this film Beck and his team are trying to find a serial killer, whose victims are spread all over Sweden. An obvious connection is that all the victims are women, and they were all in the same class, and Beck thinks that a scandal back in the past has something to do with the murders. But no one wants to talk about the past and it becomes a struggle to find the perpetrator before the final murder - only one woman is still alive.

5.9

MagicScore

#16

Showgirls

1995

Fresh to Las Vegas with no connections, Nomi Malone takes a job as an exotic dancer. Her talents are quickly noticed by Cristal, a headlining dancer who senses an opportunity to bolster her own act. But Nomi won’t play second fiddle and soon begins her venomous path to the top, ruthlessly backstabbing anyone who gets in her way.

5.6

MagicScore

#17

Jason's Lyric

1994

The story of a young man who must confront his own fears about love as well as his relationships with family and friends.

6.7

MagicScore

#18

Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan

1982

The starship Enterprise and its crew is pulled back into action when old nemesis, Khan, steals a top secret device called Project Genesis.

7.4

MagicScore

#19

Taxi Driver

1976

Suffering from insomnia, disturbed loner Travis Bickle takes a job as a New York City cabbie, haunting the streets nightly, growing increasingly detached from reality as he dreams of cleaning up the filthy city.

8.1

MagicScore

#20

Boyz n the Hood

1991

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...

7.6

MagicScore

Frequently asked

What are the best movies like Pacific Heights?

The top films similar to Pacific Heights by MovieMagicScore are Marley & Me (7.2), The Iceman (6.6), Menace II Society (7.5). Each shares drama/mystery/thriller themes and is ranked by real viewer ratings, not critics or studios.

Is Pacific Heights worth watching?

Pacific Heights holds a MovieMagicScore of 6.2/10 from 396 viewer ratings.

What kind of movie is Pacific Heights?

Pacific Heights (1990) is a drama, mystery, thriller film directed by John Schlesinger, starring Melanie Griffith, Matthew Modine, Michael Keaton.

Where can I find more recommendations like Pacific Heights?

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

Keep exploring

Movies like Marley & Me Movies like The Iceman Movies like Menace II Society Movies like Elite Squad: The Enemy Within Movies like The Color Purple Movies like Hotel Rwanda

About movies like Pacific Heights

This ranked list pairs Pacific Heights (1990), a drama and mystery and thriller film from John Schlesinger, with similar titles by genre, theme and cast overlap (fans of Melanie Griffith 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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