30 Best Movies Like Boyz N The Hood

Apr. 28, 2022

Do you like the Hip Hop culture and movies showing the lifestyle? If yes, here is the treat for you. We can easily find a list of thebest movies in various categorieslike action, horror, drama, and more. However, it becomes challenging when you like a particular movie and want to find similar movies. Therefore, I created this list of the best movies similar to Boyz N The Hood for you. The list contains various genres like thrillers, drama, romance, comedy, and more. Still, it somehow connects to the story of Boyz N The Hood with themes like crime, life, friendship, coming of age, and more. So, without any further ado, let’s get straight to it.

Below, you will find a list of the best movies from the last three decades related in some way to Boyz N The Hood. Most of the films mentioned here are crime dramas that will leave a lasting effect on your mind and introduce you to the lifestyle in the hood. You can navigate from the below table to quickly open the movie that appeals to you the most.

Note:The Rotten Tomatoes ratings are in Expert/Audience format.

Menace II Society is a teen drama film and the directorial debut of The Hughes Brothers. The film follows the life of Kaydee “Caine” Lawson and his close friends. It shows how an intelligentchild is raised in harsh circumstances only to meet the fate he always hated. The movie talks about Caine and countless others like him who fell victim to an environment that doesn’t let the natural brilliance prosper. Instead, they are forced to choose the gangster life, which never ends in peace. The movie is conceptually similar to Boyz N The Hood, and you would definitely like it if you like the other.

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Juice is a 1992 American crime thriller movie focused onfour friends and their struggles growing up in Harlem. The kids fall in constant trouble with police harassment, rival neighborhoods, and families. They habitually pick up stuff from shops and commit small robberies. Still, they dream of giving up this life and becoming a responsible citizen. However, their life takes a big turn after an unfavorable incident. The film shows how hard it can be to get away from the crime life once you are in.

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The Wood is a 1999 American coming-of-age film showing the lives of3 friends growing up and learning the essential things in life. The movie begins with one of the friends getting married but goes missing a few hours before. The other two find him, and they reminisce about their lives as teenagers growing up together. The movie is a lightweight, fun watch that introduces you to a teen’s life’s misadventures, love, and crazy things. Similar to The Boyz N The Hood, the movie shows the importance of friendship without portraying a life of crime life.

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New Jack City is a 1991 American crime thriller film inspired by a true story. Nino, played by Wesley Snipes, and his gang is based on the Chambers Brothers, a gang that ruled Detroit in the 1980s. It followsthe rise of Nino as a drug lord in New York Cityin the middle of the crack epidemic. Scotty, played by Ice-T, is an undercover detective who vows to bring Nino and his gang down. He enters the gang to leak out internal information to the police. The movie shows the cat and mouse chase between the police and the criminals while the latter relies on friends and family for survival.

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Fresh is a 1994 American crime film and Boaz Yakin’s directorial debut. The movie follows ateen boy named Michael; everyone calls him Fresh. He is involved in drug deals and isstuck between the crime lifewith his drug addict sister. However, inspired by a chess lesson by his father, a speed chess master, Fresh decides to bring himself out of the dangerous job. The movie wasn’t a box office success but won considerable critical acclaim. It shows the dangers of growing up in the crack epidemic quite brilliantly. The film stars some famous faces of our time in their early years.

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Clockers is a 1995 American crime drama film adapted from the 1992 novel of the same name by Richard Price. The movie takes place in New York, where a small-timedrug dealer finds himself in the middle of a murder investigation. What appears like a simple confession opens up layers of hidden plot in the story. The film didn’t do great at the box office and had to bear losses. However, critics highly praised it, mentioning it as a deeply emotional story. The movie mostly runs in flashes and jumps between stories. It can be hard to follow but will keep you hooked to your seats.

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Cooley High is a 1975 American coming-of-age story of two best friends studying as seniors in high school. The comedy movie shows the duo’s fun adventuresin their last week of senior year. It is a lightweight watch that proved to be a milestone in American-African cinema. The movie was a box-office hit and grossed $13 million domestically. It was an excellent earning at the time of the movie’s release. The film also won several mentions in the greatest movies of the time, like the best movies by Entertainment weekly and the year’s highest-grossing movies.

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South Central is a 1992 American crime drama adapted from the 1987 fictional novel, The Original South Central L.A. Crips by Donald Bakeer. The movie follows a father-son duo living apart after the father, Bobby, is jailed on a murder charge. His son,Jimmie, follows his father and becomes a gang member. However, when Bobby comes out of prison, he seeks to choose a decent life and tries to convince his son to do the same. However, the change seems confusing, and it will be hard for Booby to make his son a responsible man.

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American Gangster is a 2007 American biographical crime film loosely based on thecriminal career of Frank Lucas, a La Grange, North Carolina’s gangster. He is known for smuggling heroin into the United States using the American service planes returning from the Vietnam War. The gangster was later caught by a task force led by detective Richie Roberts. The movie takes us into the life of Frank Lucas and his morals. However, the writers have taken the creative liberty to add exciting plot points to make the movie more interesting. The film won a lot of praise from the audience and critics equally. In addition, Ruby Lee was heavily applauded for her acting performance.

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Do the Right Thing is a 1989 American comedy-drama starring some renowned names of our time. The movie is a humorous take onracial tension between Italian-American Pizzeria owners and the residentsof an American-African neighborhood. It takes place on a hot summer afternoon in the Brooklyn neighborhood. An argument arises when a black man demands to place a black celebrity photo on the wall of fame in the Pizzeria, which the owner denies. After exchanging a lot of insults, the locals decide to force the changes. However, the events take an unfortunate turn, and things lead to violence. The movie won several awards and was preserved by the Library of Congress in 1999.

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Hoodlum is a 1997 American crime drama fictionalized around thewar between black gangsters and the Italian/Jewish mafia alliancein the late 1920s and early 1930s. Both parties are interested in taking control of illegal gaming in Harlem. The white syndicate boss, Lucky Luciano, proposes negotiations that never come into action leading to blood flow between the gangs. The black gang leader, Bumpy Johnson, gets imprisoned and comes out of jail after a few years. Instead of going for revenge, he chooses a different path from his previous life.

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New Jersey Drive is a 1995 crime drama movie following a bunch ofteens enjoying stealing cars and joyridingthem. It was common at the time in Newark, New Jersey, the unofficial car theft city of the world. However, things take a hard turn when the kids steal a police car. After the incident, police took heavy actions, including beating and shooting the suspects. New Jersey Drive is one of the few movies that show what it looks like growing up in the hood. The film is similar to Boyz N The Hood in a manner that shows how young boys fall prey to the criminal life around them.

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Kidulthood is a 2006 British drama film revolving around a few teen kids in Ladbroke Grove, an area of inner west London. The story shows the troubled life of these teens when agirl from their school commits suicide. The exciting story and hardships demonstrated at such a young age relate to the generation-z. It played a significant role in the movie’s success, which led to more sequels making it a franchise. At times the film shows great humor, and you can’t stop laughing. The movie condenses the violence, intimacy, and intoxication in a single day of the teens’ life, making the story fast-paced and enjoyable.

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Ill Manors is a British crime drama film written, directed, and co-scored by Ben Drew, A.K.A. musician Plan B. The movierevolves around eight main charactersand features six original songs by Plan-B, which work as a narration for the story. The multi-character tale takes place over seven days, peeking into each character’s life as they fight for respect. Each character’s story is narrated in the songs written by Plan-B, and the film mainly focuses on the violence in the streets surrounding these leads. The movie was well appreciated by audiences and critics alike for the story and amazing songs.

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Poetic Justice is a 1993 American romantic drama film having a multi-talented cast. It follows the life of Justice, an African-Americanpoet who is mourning the loss of her boyfriend lost to gun violence. She goes on a road trip from South Central L.A. to Oakland on a mail truck with her friend and a postal worker. She initially despises them but soon finds a soft spot when they help with her depression. After the success of Boyz N The Hood, director John Singleton wanted to give a voice to American-African women, which brought up the idea for this movie.

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If you are a fan of romantic dramas, you will love Jason’s Lyric. This 1994 American erotic romantic psychological drama movie will tingle your senses with some tremendous romantic and passionate clips. The movie follows two brothers with a traumatic childhood and their different approach to dealingwith the trauma. The older brother finds love in his girlfriend, and the younger one chooses a harsh criminal life to cope. Now the older brother must choose between saving a brother who doesn’t want to be saved or continuing his life with his girlfriend. Jason’s Lyric is mainly a romantic story with family responsibility as a sub-plot.

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In Too Deep is a 1999 American crime thriller film revolving around a freshly appointed cop named Jeff Cole. His career starts as anundercover copwith small cases. However, he soon wins himself a prominent case after proving his worth andbefriending a violent crime bossnamed Dwayne Gittens. He has an image of being a family man and helping those in need. Meanwhile, he secretly runs a state-wide drug empire. Cole has an ultimate test of loyalty when enough evidence is collected to catch Gittens, but his friendship is stronger than ever with the crime boss. The movie did moderately well at the box office and had mixed reviews from the critics.

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Belly is a 1998 American crime drama movie and directorial debut of music video director Hype Williams. The film stars rappers Nas and D.M.X., making it their first role as an actor in a movie. Both the characters playtwo friends who perform drug deals and armed robberies to make a living. As the friends grow in their life, they discover they have different paths for them. One wants to return to his motherland while the other finds peace in another religion. The movie wasn’t much appreciated by the critics but was praised for its highly-stylized “noir-like” visual design. As a movie, it might not be the best one. Still, there is enormous talent in every scene and every music score in this movie, making it worthy of the list.

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Watching Great Movies Like Boyz N The Hood

Watching Great Movies Like Boyz N The Hood

Boyz N the Hood is one of the most popular hood drama movies. The film gained a cult following, inspiring viewers to watch more such movies. I listed some of the best movies of all time relating to Boyz N The Hood in this list. It has everything from friendship, crime, romance, and inspiring character arcs. I hope you found the mentioned movies worth watching and updated your watchlist. If you have any movie suggestions I can add here, feel free to comment below.

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