In writing this list of best drug movies, the motive is not to glorify substance abuse as it has a dreadful outcome. Substance abuse and the drug mafia are the topics that several films cover. Many significant personalities in history were known to consume drugs and claimed to think better because of that. Narcotics thrill you but ruin lives simultaneously, as they see no border or where to stop.
Drugs have been shown in all aspects of pop culture, and to date, they continue to grab the audience’s attention. Shows like Narcos and Breaking Bad received massive success, and the representation of these themes caught the makers’ attention.
20. The Panic In Needle Park (1971)
- Director: Jerry Schatzberg
- Writer: Joan Didion, James Mills, John Gregory Dunne
- Cast: Al Pacino, Kitty Winn, Alan Vint, and others
- IMDb Ratings: 7.1/10
- Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 80%
- Streaming Platform: Netflix
The Panic in Needle Park is about a couple who met by chance and are now together because of their love for heroin. Drug addiction doesn’t end well for them, as one becomes a prostitute and the other lands in jail. They drift apart but come back closer, more potent than before. The Panic in Needle Park is mainly a love story about a couple living in a country slowly getting entrapped in drug abuse.
Al Pacino impressed the audience with his actions throughout this movie. There is a scene in this where the couple can be seen under the effect of drugs, and their puppy falls into the water.
19. Mr. Nice (2010)
- Director: Bernard Rose
- Writer: Howard Marks, Bernard Rose
- Cast: Rhys Ifans, David Thewlis, Chloë Sevigny, and others
- IMDb Ratings: 6.3/10
- Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 53%
- Streaming Platform: Amazon Prime Video
Mr. Nice is a true story of Howard Marks, who was involved in the drug trade, specifical marijuana, during the 1970s and 1980s. Mr. Nice dramatizes his story in another part of our best drug movies.
In some ways, the story of Mark shown in this movie is similar to that of Jung demonstrated in the film Blow. It would be Jung’s story if he focused more on drug smuggling o of marijuana.
18. Requiem For A Dream (2000)
- Director: Darren Aronofsky, Ellen Burstyn, Jared Leto, and others
- Writer: Darren Aronofsky, Hubert Selby Jr.
- Cast: Jennifer Connelly, Ellen Burstyn, Jared Leto, and others
- IMDb Ratings: 8.3/10
- Rotten Tomatoes Rating: NA
- Streaming Platform: HBO Max
Four drug addicts can be seen in Requiem For A Dream, and this film shows some alarming scenes. Sarah Goldfarb is a retired widow who spends her day watching daytime talk shows and then slowly grows dependent on her diet pills. Her son, Harry Goldfarb, also becomes addicted to heroin with his girlfriend Marion and friend Tyrone.
The narrative of this film gets switched between these four drug addicts. We see their lives getting darker with each passing day. Mrs. Goldfarb eventually lands up in a mental institution. Maison constantly tries to earn drug money. Requiem For A Dream did an excellent job drawing similarities between prescription and illicit drugs.
17. Scarface (1983)
- Director: Brian De Palma
- Writer: Oliver Stone, Ben Hecht
- Cast: Al Pacino, Steven Bauer, Michelle Pfeiffer and others
- IMDb Ratings: 8.3/10
- Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 81%
- Streaming Platform: Apple TV+, Disney+, Amazon Prime Video
Scarface is counted among the best movies from Al Pacino as he delivered an excellent performance in this one. The question remains: Why did it get its place in this list of drug movies? Tony Montana, the Cuban refugee, is stuck between drug dealing and substance abuse. This movie about drug use is known for its shooting sequences and depiction of violence.
16. Blow (2001)
- Director: Ted Demme
- Writer: David McKenna, Nick Cassavetes
- Cast: Johnny Depp, Ray Liotta, Franka Potente, Penelope Cruz, and others
- IMDb Ratings: 7.5/10
- Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 55%
- Streaming Platform: Disney+, Hulu
Two things come to the minds of the audiences when they watch Blow, and they are George Jung’s memories of his father. The second one is the disapproval of his profession by his mother. This second thing becomes clear when his mother calls the police and tells them about him. She also doesn’t let him visit his dying father.
George’s father, Fred Jung, is sincere, but he never could reach the top despite his hard work. This leads him to earn regular scolding from his wife. This was the foundation of George’s entry into the crime world and drug addiction.
Below is the most underrated movie about drug addiction. Its plot is about the tragic tale of a father and son. The Blow did not receive a great response when it was released but got a lukewarm response. Penelope Cruz was nominated for Golden Raspberry Awards for Worst Actress, but still, Blow is a known film among the fans of Johnny Depp.
15. Thirteen (2003)
- Director: Catherine Hardwicke
- Writer: Nikki Reed, Catherine Hardwicke
- Cast: Evan Rachel Wood, Nikki Reed, Holly Hunter, and others
- IMDb Ratings: 6.8/10
- Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 81%
- Streaming Platform: Hulu
In this disturbing movie, Evan Rachel Wood plays the breakout role of Tracy Free, who gets involved with the wrong crowd. She gets influenced by her popular classmate. She ditches her best friend for Evie Zamora.
Under Evie’s lead, Tracy starts doing wrong things like using drugs, stealing, and engaging in dangerous sexual practices. She was just thirteen years old; viewers got disturbed while seeing such scenes. Tracy and Evie were seen punching each other in the face after doing drugs.
14. American Made (2017)
- Director: Doug Liman
- Writer: Gary Spinelli
- Cast: Tom Cruise, Sarah Wright Olsen, Domhnall Gleeson, and others
- IMDb Ratings: 7.1/10
- Rotten Tomatoes Rating: NA
- Streaming Platform: Apple TV, Amazon Prime Video
American Made is based on Barry Seal’s story, who was involved in cocaine smuggling from South America to the US. This movie stars Tom Cruise in the role of Seal, and how his character goes deep into the drug trade.
American Made shares many similarities with Blow, as both have the same subject. They have different perspectives but are on the same timeline. Cruise has enough star power to make the audiences focus on him instead of the performance by Johnny Depp in Blow, where he played the role of George Jung.
13. The Wolf Of Wall Street (2013)
- Director: Martin Scorsese, Jonah Hill, Matthew McConaughey, and others
- Writer: Jordan Belfort, Leonardo DiCaprio, Martin Scorsese and others
- Cast: Leonardo DiCaprio, Jordan Belfort, Martin Scorsese, Jonah Hill, and others
- IMDb Ratings: 8.2/10
- Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 79%
- Streaming Platform: Netflix
The Wolf Of Wall Street is about Jordan Belfort, a Wall Street mogul who can make as much money as possible. The film is about the actual drug and tells Belfort’s addiction to various other things and substances.
The performance given by Leonardo DiCaprio is excellent, and so is the supporting work done by Margot Robbie and Jonah Hill. The signature style of Martin Scorsese (director of this film) was the main attraction of this movie. The Wolf of Wall Street is, in a true sense, a worthy successor of Goodfellas.
12. Pineapple Express (2008)
- Director: Seth Rogen, James Franco, Danny McBride, David Gordon Green, and others
- Writer: Seth Rogen, James Franco, Danny McBride, David Gordon Green, and others
- Cast: Seth Rogen, James Franco, Danny McBride, and others
- IMDb Ratings: 6.9/10
- Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 68%
- Streaming Platform: Amazon Prime Video
Seth Rogan teamed up with Adam Goldberg and Judd Apatow after the success of his role on Knocked Up and The 40- Year- Old Virgin. This film has a great comedy and immediately became a cult classic. Dale Denton (played by Seth Rogen) is an ordinary stoner who witnesses a murder with his drug dealer (played by James Franco).
After accidentally dropping a rare marijuana strain, they realize that the cops can use joints to trace them. This leads to an action-packed chase as the drug lord and the cop are behind the same thing.
11. Traffic (2000)
- Director: Steven Soderbergh
- Writer: Stephen Gaghan, Simon Moore
- Cast: Benicio del Toro, Michael Douglas, Catherine Zeta-Jones and others
- IMDb Ratings: 7.6/10
- Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 92%
- Streaming Platform: Disney+
Traffic by Steven Soderbergh is a maze where one can see various characters through multiple storylines. They are all dictating the same story.
It combines three levels of the drug world- drug abuse, impacts, and trafficking. It is about a cop who fights for the poor children of society and loses his purpose when he learns about his daughter’s drug addiction. Traffic received Academy awards for best-supporting actor and best director.
10. Fear And Loathing In Las Vegas (1998)
- Director: Johnny Depp, Terry Gilliam, Benicio del Toro, and others
- Writer: Hunter S. Thompson, Johnny Depp, Terry Gilliam, and others
- Cast: Johnny Depp, Benicio del Toro, Tobey Maguire, Christina Ricci, and others
- IMDb Ratings: 7.5/10
- Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 49%
- Streaming Platform: Prime Video, Apple TV
Fear And Loathing In Las Vegas is based on a great novel written by Hunter S. Thompson. In this, we see Johnny Depp (who also played the main character in Blow). He plays the role of Raoul Duke, a sports journalist. He, and Dr. Gonzo, his Samoan attorney (played by Benicio Del Toro), goes across the Mojave desert to cover the story of a motorcycle race.
After he spends all his advances on a suitcase of drugs, Raoul Duke and Dr. Gonzo have to suffer through a lot of things to fulfill and find their American Dream. The film shows one hell of drugs like mescaline and LSD.
9. A Scanner Darkly (2006)
- Director: Richard Linklater
- Writer: Richard Linklater, Philip K. Dick
- Cast: Keanu Reeves, Robert Downey Jr., Woody Harrelson, and others
- IMDb Ratings: 7.1/10
- Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 68%
- Streaming Platform: Amazon Prime Video, Vudu, Apple TV
Keanu Reeves has seen this film where an animation technique- interpolated rotoscope is used by the animators to film the live-action footage. It is a unique style that A Scanner Darkly shows.
Living in a space where the community has lost its fight against drugs, Bob Arctor (played by Reeves) is an undercover agent who starts taking Substance D. It is a new hallucinogen that makes people lose touch with their surroundings.
8. Trainspotting (1996)
- Director: Danny Boyle
- Writer: John Hodge
- Cast: Ewan McGregor, Jonny Lee Miller, Ewen Bremner, and others
- IMDb Ratings: 8.2/10
- Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 91%
- Streaming Platform: Hulu, Disney+
Trainspotting is a very famous film based on heroin. This film is based on Irvine Welsh’s book that goes by the same title- Trainspotting. When mentioning any drug movies, it is mandatory to have Trainspotting on your list. Renton is the main character, and we see him pushing himself away from the drug trade of Edinburgh.
Renton’s sobriety attempts prove to be much more strenuous than he imagined. His peers influence him, and the calming force he gets when he is under the influence of drugs. This movie gives a peek into the lives of junkies and is a classic drug movie.
7. Party Monster (2003)
- Director: Macaulay Culkin, Seth Green, Randy Barbato, and others
- Writer: Fenton Bailey, Randy Barbato
- Cast: Michael Alig, Macaulay Culkin, Seth Green, James St. James, and others
- IMDb Ratings: 6.2/10
- Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 29%
- Streaming Platform: Pluto, Tubi
Party Monster is based on a true story where we see Michael Alig (played by Macaulay Culkin) as a convicted murderer. He is a part of the rave scene in the late 1980s in New York. Club Kids was also made by Alig, in which ids appeared on various daytime talk shows like The Phil Donahue Show. Seth Green is playing James St. James in this 2003 cult classic film.
It shows the rise and fall of Alig. The kids who are members of Club Kids are also seen joking about a murder during their television appearances. Party Monster is the only film that mentioned ketamine- a tranquilizer that is reasonably known in rave culture.
6. Dope (2015)
- Director: Rick Famuyiwa
- Writer: Rick Famuyiwa
- Cast: Shameik Moore, Kiersey Clemons, Forest Whitaker, Zoë Kravitz, and others
- IMDb Ratings: 7.2/10
- Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 88%
- Streaming Platform: Google Play, Amazon Instant Video
Dope is about the young people who try to get through the drug trade. It is not based on any actual events and will be highly liked by the fans of Blow. John Hughes plays a more critical role than Martin Scorsese and will blow the audience’s mind.
In Inglewood, California, an aspiring teenager, after involving in MDMA, is trying to be one step forward in things.
5. Spun (2002)
- Director: Jonas Åkerlund
- Writer: Creighton Vero, William De Los Santos
- Cast: Jason Schwartzman, Brittany Murphy, John Leguizamo, and others
- IMDb Ratings: 6.7/10
- Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 37%
- Streaming Platform: Amazon Prime Video
In Spun, a metacentric underrated movie, we see Brittany Murphy, Jason Schwartzman, and Mickey Rourke. The film is about three days in the life of drug user Ross. The movie shows exact things, and they are brought to life.
Through his dealer Spider Mike, Ross meets another druggie- Nikki (played by Brittany Murphy). He promises they can get a better score through Nikki’s boyfriend. He is also known as “The Cook” (played by Mickey Rourke).
4. Enter The Void (2009)
- Director: Gaspar Noé
- Writer: Gaspar Noé, Lucile Hadžihalilović
- Cast: Cyril Roy, Nathaniel Brown, Masato Tanno, Paz de la Huerta, and others
- IMDb Ratings: 7.2/10
- Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 72%
- Streaming Platform: Amazon Prime Video
Enter The Void does not come under popular movies but has an eccentric plot. Oscar is a drug dealer shot dead in a nightclub in Tokyo. His spirit transcends, and his life story films with Linda (his sister). Through various traumatic scenes, audiences will learn how these siblings ended up in Tokyo’s night scene.
3. Limitless (2011)
- Director: Neil Burger
- Writer: Alan Glynn, Leslie Dixon
- Cast: Bradley Cooper, Robert De Niro, Abbie Cornish, and others
- IMDb Ratings: 7.4/10
- Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 69%
- Streaming Platform: Amazon Prime Video
The fans of Flowers of Algernon’s novel will immensely like Limitless. After suffering through so many things, Eddie Morra takes a pill- NZT, which increases the user’s brain capacity to 100%.
He finds that he cannot control it and requires more of that power drug. He’ll need that to continue the potential his brain has gained. The message left by Limitless is that grass is not always greener on the other side.
2. Kids (1995)
- Director: Larry Clark
- Writer: Harmony Korine, Jim Lewis
- Cast: Rosario Dawson, Chloë Sevigny, Justin Pierce, and others
- IMDb Ratings: 4.5/10
- Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 46%
- Streaming Platform: Supreme’s website
“Kids” is yet another cult classic addition to our list of best movies on drugs. Harmony Korine wrote this and is famous for other works like Gummo and Spring Breakers. Rosario Dawson and Chloë Sevigny made their debut with Kids in 1995. The film shows a day in a teenage skateboarder’s life in New York City. They’re deflowering virgins, breaking the skull of a rival skater, and smoking.
“Kids” is famously known for their outcome of HIV optimism but are also known to show drug usage. Jennie (played by Chloë Sevigny) is seen taking a random pill from a stranger who claims that it will make Special K weak. “Kids” is often addressed as a cautionary tale.
1. City Of God (2002)
- Director: Fernando Meirelles, Kátia Lund
- Writer: Bráulio Mantovani
- Cast: Kátia Lund, Douglas Silva, Alexandre Rodrigues, Alice Braga, and others
- IMDb Ratings: 8.6/10
- Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 91%
- Streaming Platform: Hulu
The City Of God is a story about drug trafficking in Rio De Janeiro slums. The things have been explained graphically, and the film is about drug traffickers and drug mafia that rule Third World countries. The plot is narrated from the point of view of a spectator and is about the fall and rise of a man in two decades filled with crime.
The City Of God provides audiences with an excellent cinematic experience; the opening and ending scenes are captivating. Some very shocking moments in the film are hard to forget. There are brilliant performances, and this film’s influence can be seen repeatedly.
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