Movies like The Young Ones (1999)
The best movies like The Young Ones (1999) are Prison on Fire (1987), Bad Boys (1983) and Belly (1998). If The Young Ones hooked you with its crime and drama, these 30 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
Quick picks
- Highest ratedBound by Honor (1993)8.2/10 from 1,672 votes
- NewestKing Ivory (2025)Released 2025
Prison on Fire (1987)
A veteran inmate takes a newcomer under his wing as the pair confront both other violent inmates and the prison's corrupt wardens.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both crime & drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisBad Boys (1983)
Mick O'Brien is a young Chicago street thug torn between a life of petty crime and the love of his girlfriend. But when the heist of a local drug dealer goes tragically wrong Mick is sentenced to a brutal juvenile prison where violence is a rite of passage and respect is measured in vengeance.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both crime & drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisBelly (1998)
Tommy Bundy and Sincere are best friends as well as infamous and ruthless criminals and shot-callers in the hood. Respected by many but feared by all. As the police are closing in on them and new players are looking for a come up, will their reign last?
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both crime & drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisTrivisa (2016)
Three notorious gangsters who have never crossed paths find themselves in the same restaurant at the same time, and their fates are changed forever.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & crime
Worth the HypeMovies like thisSiberian Education (2013)
The story of a gang of children growing up in a community of banished criminals, in a forgotten corner of the former Soviet Union. This community rejects the world outside. The only law it obeys… is its own. Against this backdrop two best friends, Kolyma and Gagarin, gradually become fierce enemies as they find themselves on opposite sides of the strict code of honour of the ‘honest criminal’ brotherhood.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & crime
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisElection 2 (2006)
As election time nears, current Triad chairman Lok faces competition from his godsons. At the same time, Jimmy looks to increase his business relations with mainland China.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & crime
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Valachi Papers (1972)
When Joe Valachi has a price put on his head by Don Vito Genovese, he must take desperate steps to protect himself while in prison. An unsuccessful attempt to slit his throat puts him over the edge to break the sacred code of silence.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both crime & drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisIll Manors (2012)
Ensemble film revolving around characters living in Forest Gate, London. Over the course of a few days, six inter-linking stories explore issues of drug use, prostitution and urban poverty.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both crime & drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisAmerican 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.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both crime & drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisConvict (2014)
Set in the dark and old Parramatta prison built by the original convicts our lead character Ray a war veteran finds himself serving 18 months for manslaughter after defending his fiance. He soon realizes that the prison boss has it in for him and does everything possible to break Ray even going after his fiance.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both crime & drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisPrison on Fire II (1991)
The rivalry between two Chinese prison factions heats up as a seasoned inmate forms an alliance that could cost him more than his freedom.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both crime & drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisSouth Central (1992)
During a 10-year sentence for murdering the leader of a rival South Central Los Angeles gang, Bobby Johnson finds religion and rehabilitation with the help of Muslim inmate Ali. Upon his release, Bobby returns home to find that his young son, Jimmie, has joined the Deuces, his old crew. Tensions rise as Bobby struggles to convince Jimmie to leave the gang that was his only family during the painful years his absent father spent behind bars.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both crime & drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisTrue Believer (1989)
Eddie Dodd is a burnt out former civil rights lawyer who now specializes in defending drug dealers. Roger Baron, newly graduated from law school, has followed Eddie's great cases and now wants to learn at his feet. With Roger's idealistic prodding, Eddie reluctantly takes on a case of a young Korean man who, according to his mother, has been in jail for eight years for a murder he didn't commit.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both crime & drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisAbove the Rim (1994)
Story of a promising high school basketball star and his relationships with two brothers, one a drug dealer and the other a former basketball star fallen on hard times and now employed as a security guard.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both crime & drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Sparring Partner (2022)
Adapted from a sensational real-life case in 2013, the intricate story begins when a young man partners with his friend to murder and dismember his parents. Pleading not guilty, the defense attorneys soon turn on each other, as the defendants play the devil and idiot game. Meanwhile, heated debates emerge inside the jury room, where nine jurors grapple with the truth.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both crime & drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisBound by Honor (1993)
Based on the true life experiences of poet Jimmy Santiago Baca, the film focuses on half-brothers Paco and Cruz, and their bi-racial 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.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both crime & drama
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisPanic (2000)
Alex is going through a midlife crisis and it has become a very difficult time for him. His marriage is struggling, he's worried about his son, and his job of killing people for his family has become the most stressful part of his life. He seeks the help of a therapist and meets a woman in the waiting room that he connects with.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both crime & drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisKing Ivory (2025)
Based on extensive research involving law enforcement and gang members, a never-before-seen, authentic look inside the underworld of fentanyl trafficking from gangs inside the Oklahoma State Penitentiary at McAlester a.k.a. "Big Mac."
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both crime & drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Unforgivable (2021)
A woman is released from prison after serving a sentence for a violent crime and re-enters a society that refuses to forgive her past.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & crime
Worth the HypeMovies like thisYoung and Dangerous (1996)
Five young hoodlums sing karaoke, murder, joke around, get beaten up, win and lose women, and learn the value of blind loyalty.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both crime
Popcorn FlickMovies like this7 Virgins (2005)
It is summertime in a blue-collar, marginal district of a city in the South of Spain. Tano, a teenager currently serving a sentence in a juvenile reform center, is given a 48-hour leave to attend his brother’s wedding.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama & crime
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisSleepers (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.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both crime & drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Rascal Billionaire (1978)
The drug lord has occupied the whole Southeast Asian market for decades, and no rival has been able to shake his position. However, a mysterious man suddenly appeared one day, which completely changed the situation.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both crime & drama
Take Top (2000)
Take Top is a Hong Kong Triad crime-movie starring Anthony Wong
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama & crime
As Tears Go By (1988)
Mid-level gangster Wah falls in love with his beautiful cousin, but must also continue to protect his volatile partner-in-crime and friend, Fly.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama & crime
Worth the HypeMovies like thisA Better Tomorrow (1986)
A reforming ex-gangster tries to reconcile with his estranged policeman brother, but the ties to his former gang are difficult to break.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both crime & drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisHitman's Call (1999)
Hitman Chi-ho (Chin Siu-ho) kills the son of the head of triad in Korea. So the head of the triad puts a death notice to kill Chi-ho. However, when Chi-ho killed the son of the triad head, there is a witness -- Anna, a young girl who seems to be in love with Chi-ho because of his eyes. During the investigation of the case, the cops follow Anna and her friend Ruby to find if there is anything about the murder. One day, Chi-ho visits Anna and they find love for one another. However, at the same time the killers from the triads are come and trouble ensues.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama & crime
Conundrum (1996)
Two cops who share a devotion to their work—and to each other—suddenly find themselves caught in a tangled web of unspoken passions, lies and accusations when they each become suspects in a brutal mob-style murder.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama & crime
Alliance of Hung Sect (1982)
Top Kung Fu actors, Phillip Ko, Ling Yun, and Robert Tai battle it out for turf supremacy in old shanghai. Note: special Triad codes are shown in this film for the first time.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both crime & drama
Blood Brothers (2007)
Three best friends who are barely getting by as fishermen seek their fate in 1930s Shanghai. Upon arriving in the bustling city, the naïve trio gradually find their innocence corrupted as they fall into the deepest depths of the criminal underworld.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama & crime
Like The Young Ones and something else?
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Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like The Young Ones?
The closest matches to The Young Ones are Prison on Fire (1987), Bad Boys (1983) and Belly (1998). Below are 27 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after The Young Ones?
Start with Prison on Fire (1987), the closest match to The Young Ones.
What is the highest-rated movie like The Young Ones?
Bound by Honor (1993), rated 8.2/10 by 1,672 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like The Young Ones?
King Ivory (2025) is the most recent release on this list.
How are movies similar to The Young Ones chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside The Young Ones, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.