Sort by Popularity - Most Popular Movies and TV Shows tagged with keyword "south-central-los-angeles"
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1. Snowfall (2017–2023)
TV-MA | 44 min | Crime, Drama
A look at the early days of the crack cocaine epidemic in Los Angeles during the beginning of the 1980s.
Stars: Damson Idris, Carter Hudson, Sergio Peris-Mencheta, Isaiah John
Votes: 30,744
2. Boyz n the Hood (1991)
R | 112 min | Crime, Drama
Follows the lives of three young males living in the Crenshaw ghetto of Los Angeles, dissecting questions of race, relationships, violence, and future prospects.
Director: John Singleton | Stars: Cuba Gooding Jr., Laurence Fishburne, Hudhail Al-Amir, Lloyd Avery II
Votes: 155,297 | Gross: $57.50M
3. End of Watch (2012)
R | 109 min | Action, Crime, Drama
Shot documentary-style, this film follows the daily grind of two young police officers in LA who are partners and friends and what happens when they meet criminal forces greater than themselves.
Director: David Ayer | Stars: Jake Gyllenhaal, Michael Peña, Anna Kendrick, America Ferrera
Votes: 269,891 | Gross: $41.00M
4. Friday (1995)
R | 91 min | Comedy, Drama
It's Friday, and Craig and Smokey must come up with $200 they owe a local bully or there won't be a Saturday.
Director: F. Gary Gray | Stars: Ice Cube, Chris Tucker, Nia Long, Tom Lister Jr.
Votes: 124,983 | Gross: $27.47M
5. Sanford and Son (1972–1978)
TV-PG | 30 min | Comedy
The misadventures of a cantankerous junk dealer and his frustrated son.
Stars: Redd Foxx, Demond Wilson, LaWanda Page, Don Bexley
Votes: 10,853
6. Menace II Society (1993)
R | 97 min | Crime, Drama, Thriller
A young street hustler attempts to escape the rigors and temptations of the ghetto in a quest for a better life.
Directors: Albert Hughes, Allen Hughes | Stars: Tyrin Turner, Larenz Tate, June Kyoto Lu, Toshi Toda
Votes: 64,661 | Gross: $27.90M
7. Malibu's Most Wanted (2003)
PG-13 | 86 min | Comedy, Crime
A senator arranges for his son, a rich white kid who fancies himself black, to be kidnapped by a couple of black actors pretending to be murderers to try and shock him out of his plans to become a rapper.
Director: John Whitesell | Stars: Jamie Kennedy, Ryan O'Neal, Blair Underwood, Taye Diggs
Votes: 20,928 | Gross: $34.31M
8. Ali G Indahouse (2002)
R | 85 min | Comedy
Ali G unwittingly becomes a pawn in the Chancellor's plot to overthrow the Prime Minister of Great Britain. However, Ali is embraced by the nation as a voice of the youth, making the PM and his government more popular than ever.
Director: Mark Mylod | Stars: Sacha Baron Cohen, Emilio Rivera, Gina La Piana, Dana de Celis
Votes: 96,065
9. Colors (1988)
R | 120 min | Action, Crime, Drama
An experienced cop and his rookie partner patrol the streets of East Los Angeles while trying to keep the gang violence under control.
Director: Dennis Hopper | Stars: Sean Penn, Robert Duvall, Maria Conchita Alonso, Randy Brooks
Votes: 29,927 | Gross: $46.62M
10. Poetic Justice (1993)
R | 109 min | Drama, Romance
Grieving hairdresser Justice goes on a road trip from South Central L.A. to Oakland on a mail truck alongside her friend and an obnoxious postal worker.
Director: John Singleton | Stars: Janet Jackson, Tupac Shakur, Regina King, Joe Torry
Votes: 16,684 | Gross: $27.52M
11. A Man Apart (2003)
R | 109 min | Action, Crime, Drama
A man known as Diablo emerges to head a drug cartel after the previous leader is imprisoned.
Director: F. Gary Gray | Stars: Vin Diesel, Timothy Olyphant, Larenz Tate, Geno Silva
Votes: 49,460 | Gross: $26.18M
12. Kill the Messenger (2014)
R | 112 min | Biography, Crime, Drama
Journalist Gary Webb, California 1996, started investigating CIA's role in the 1980s in getting crack cocaine to the black part of LA to get money and weapons to the Contra insurgents in Nicaragua.
Director: Michael Cuesta | Stars: Jeremy Renner, Robert Patrick, Jena Sims, Robert Pralgo
Votes: 48,815 | Gross: $2.45M
13. Bulworth (1998)
R | 108 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
A suicidally disillusioned liberal politician puts a contract out on himself and takes the opportunity to be bluntly honest with his voters by affecting the rhythms and speech of hip-hop music and culture.
Director: Warren Beatty | Stars: Warren Beatty, Halle Berry, Kimberly Deauna Adams, Vinny Argiro
Votes: 27,334 | Gross: $26.53M
14. South Central (1992)
R | 98 min | Crime, Drama
A former gangster fresh out of prison wants to change his life for the better and must save his 10 year old son who has already chosen a gang life.
Director: Stephen Milburn Anderson | Stars: Glenn Plummer, Byron Minns, Lexie Bigham, Vincent Craig Dupree
Votes: 6,744 | Gross: $1.37M
15. 3 Strikes (2000)
R | 82 min | Comedy
Rob has 2 strikes and 3 strikes now means 25 to life. Leaving prison, he's picked up in a stolen car later stopped by the police. Can he prove his innocence before he's caught?
Director: DJ Pooh | Stars: Brian Hooks, N'Bushe Wright, Faizon Love, E-40
Votes: 3,703 | Gross: $9.82M
16. Sweet Sweetback's Baadasssss Song (1971)
R | 97 min | Action, Crime, Drama
After saving a Black Panther from some racist cops, a black male prostitute goes on the run from "the man" with the help of the ghetto community and some disillusioned Hells Angels.
Director: Melvin Van Peebles | Stars: Melvin Van Peebles, Hubert Scales, John Dullaghan, Simon Chuckster
Votes: 5,884 | Gross: $15.18M
17. The '60s (1999)
PG-13 | 86 min | Drama
The events of the 1960s affect the lives of two families, one white and one black.
Stars: Josh Hamilton, Julia Stiles, Jerry O'Connell, Jeremy Sisto
Votes: 2,657
18. Sanford (1980–1981)
30 min | Comedy
The further adventures of Fred Sanford, featuring the old cast, except for Lamont; Fred has a new partner and a new girlfriend.
Stars: Redd Foxx, Dennis Burkley, Marguerite Ray, Clinton Derricks-Carroll
Votes: 422
19. Fear of a Black Hat (1993)
R | 88 min | Comedy, Music
A mockumentary chronicling the rise and fall of NWH, a not particularly talented--or particularly bright but always controversial--hip-hop group.
Director: Rusty Cundieff | Stars: Larry B. Scott, Mark Christopher Lawrence, Rusty Cundieff, Kasi Lemmons
Votes: 4,596 | Gross: $0.24M
20. LA 92 (2017)
R | 114 min | Documentary, Crime, History
Twenty-five years after the verdict in the Rodney King trial sparked several days of protests, violence and looting in Los Angeles, filmmakers examine that tumultuous period through rarely seen archival footage.
Directors: Daniel Lindsay, T.J. Martin | Stars: Henry Alfaro, Danny Bakewell, John D. Barnett, Bart Bartholomew
Votes: 6,931
21. Get on the Bus (1996)
R | 120 min | Adventure, Drama, History
A disparate group of African-American men travel by bus to Washington, DC for the Million Man March.
Director: Spike Lee | Stars: Ossie Davis, Charles S. Dutton, Andre Braugher, Richard Belzer
Votes: 6,054 | Gross: $5.73M
22. Judgment Day (1999 Video)
R | 95 min | Action, Sci-Fi, Thriller
Cultists with an enigmatic leader (Mario Van Peebles) seize the only man capable of devising a way to stop a giant meteor from hitting the Earth. Agents (Suzy Amis, Ice-T) are then sent to ... See full summary »
Director: John Terlesky | Stars: Ice-T, Suzy Amis, Mario Van Peebles, Coolio
Votes: 1,264
23. I Got the Hook Up (1998)
R | 93 min | Comedy, Crime
Two small-time scam artists, Black and Blue, sell boomboxes and broken TVs from their van in a parking lot. When a shipment of cellular phones comes to them by mistake, they soon find themselves targeted by the FBI and gangsters.
Director: Michael Martin | Stars: Master P, Anthony Johnson, Gretchen Palmer, Frantz Turner
Votes: 2,421 | Gross: $10.31M
24. Wassup Rockers (2005)
R | 111 min | Adventure, Comedy, Drama
A group of teenage boys opt to form their own identity by riding skateboards, wearing tight pants.
Director: Larry Clark | Stars: Jonathan Velasquez, Francisco Pedrasa, Milton Velasquez, Usvaldo Panameno
Votes: 5,023 | Gross: $0.22M
25. Fakin' Da Funk (1997)
R | 89 min | Comedy
A Chinese baby boy is adopted by a black couple in ATL. Seventeen years later he moves with his mom and brother to a black LA hood. A Chinese girl ends up in the same hood for the summer with a black family. Will they fit in?
Director: Timothy A. Chey | Stars: Ernie Hudson, Pam Grier, Margaret Cho, Dante Basco
Votes: 2,633
26. Gangsta Rap: The Glockumentary (2007)
R | 82 min | Comedy
The hardest group you've never heard of is back. After several run ins with the law, shady business management, failed comeback attempts and countless child custody cases, they've just inked a deal with rap powerhouse Innersounds Records.
Director: Coke Daniels | Stars: Dian Bachar, Malik Barnhardt, Howie Bell, Tom'ya Bowden
Votes: 327
27. Black Belt Jones (1974)
R | 85 min | Action
A Mafia buy out of Papa Byrd's karate school downtown ends in his death. Byrd's daughter, Sydney, refuses to sell, and wants revenge. Byrd's students call the Black Belt Jones for help. Jones reluctantly teams with Sydney in many battles.
Director: Robert Clouse | Stars: Jim Kelly, Gloria Hendry, Scatman Crothers, Eric Laneuville
Votes: 2,730 | Gross: $0.73M
28. Rize (2005)
PG-13 | 86 min | Documentary, Music
Rize chronicles a dance movement that rises out of South Central Los Angeles with roots in clowning and street youth culture.
Director: David LaChapelle | Stars: Tommy the Clown, Larry Berry, Dragon, Jassy Marie
Votes: 3,352 | Gross: $3.28M
29. Tales of the Grim Sleeper (2014)
TV-MA | 110 min | Documentary, Crime
Nick Broomfield digs into the case of the notorious serial killer known as the Grim Sleeper, who terrorized South Central Los Angeles over a span of twenty-five years.
Directors: Nick Broomfield, Barney Broomfield, Marc Hoeferlin | Stars: Nick Broomfield, Lonnie David Franklin Jr., Donna, Steve
Votes: 3,231
30. Passing Strange (2009)
TV-MA | 135 min | Documentary, Musical
Director Spike Lee's passionate adaptation of the thrilling Broadway musical about a young bohemian who experiences sex, drugs and rock and roll on his journey to selfhood.
Directors: Spike Lee, Annie Dorsen | Stars: Stew, De'Adre Aziza, Eisa Davis, Colman Domingo
Votes: 422
31. Thicker Than Water (1999)
R | 91 min | Drama
In Los Angeles, two rival gang leaders are also trying to be music producers. When DJ's equipment shorts out and Lonzo is cut out of the action by a record producer, the two join forces, ... See full summary »
Director: Richard Cummings Jr. | Stars: Mack 10, Fat Joe, Ice Cube, MC Eiht
Votes: 699 | Gross: $0.08M
32. The Garden (I) (2008)
Unrated | 80 min | Documentary
From the ashes of the L.A. riots arose a lush, 14-acre community garden, the largest of its kind in the United States. Now bulldozers threaten its future.
Director: Scott Hamilton Kennedy | Stars: Danny Glover, Daryl Hannah, Antonio Villaraigosa
Votes: 753 | Gross: $0.03M
33. The Fight That Never Ends (2021 TV Movie)
TV-14 | 90 min | Biography, Drama, Romance
Tensions run high when a Jewish woman and a gang leader fall in love while fighting racial injustice against the backdrop of the Los Angeles 1992 Riots.
Director: Preston A. Whitmore II | Stars: Allen Payne, Christa B. Allen, Robert Ri'chard, Draya Michele
Votes: 102
34. Let It Fall: Los Angeles 1982-1992 (2017)
TV-MA | 144 min | Documentary, History
An in-depth look at the culture of Los Angeles in the ten years leading up to the 1992 uprising that erupted after the verdict of police officers cleared of beating Rodney King.
Director: John Ridley | Stars: Daryl Gates, Tom Bradley, Damian 'Football' Williams, Michael Moulin
Votes: 838
35. Down for Life (2009)
R | 92 min | Drama
Based on a true story depicting a single dramatic day in the life of a Latina gang leader in South Central Los Angeles.
Director: Alan Jacobs | Stars: Jessica Romero, Danny Glover, Snoop Dogg, Laz Alonso
Votes: 367
36. Riot (1996 TV Movie)
R | 95 min | Drama
In April 1992, following the notorious Rodney King verdict, the streets of Los Angeles became a battlefield, the backdrop to four personal intertwined stories. In Gold Mountain, Jeff Lee ... See full summary »
Directors: Richard Di Lello, David C. Johnson, Alex Munoz, Galen Yuen | Stars: Dante Basco, Kieu Chinh, Mako, Alexis Cruz
Votes: 402
37. Cutthroat Alley (2003)
R | 95 min | Horror
Timothy Wayne Folsome's urban horror film Cutthroat Alley features a masked serial killer who slits the throats of each of his victims in the hood of South Central Los Angeles. The film ... See full summary »
Director: Timothy Wayne Folsome | Stars: Bizzy Bone, Stacy Arnell, Janice Butler, Cisco Reyes
Votes: 416
38. A Love Song for Latasha (2019)
TV-PG | 19 min | Documentary, Short, Biography
The injustice surrounding the shooting death of 15-year-old Latasha Harlins at a South Central Los Angeles store became a flashpoint for the city’s 1992 civil uprising.
Director: Sophia Nahli Allison | Stars: Tybie O'Bard, Shinese Harlins, Zoe Flint, Nnenna Brown
Votes: 2,628
39. Heat Wave (1990 TV Movie)
R | 100 min | Drama, History
A superb depiction of the watts riot and how it possibly started in great detail.
Director: Kevin Hooks | Stars: Cicely Tyson, Blair Underwood, James Earl Jones, Margaret Avery
Votes: 218
40. L.A. Burning: The Riots 25 Years Later (2017 TV Movie)
TV-14 | 86 min | Documentary, History
L.A BURNING: The Riots 25 Years Later is a 2-hour documentary film exploring the lives of the people at the flashpoint of the LA riots, 25 years after the uprising made national headlines and highlighted the racial divide in America.
Directors: One9, Erik Parker | Stars: George Holliday, John Singleton, Michael Winters, Henry Keith Watson
Votes: 204
41. Freestyle: The Art of Rhyme (2000)
Not Rated | 60 min | Documentary, Music
A documentary about freestyling--the improvised, on-the-spot rhymes that demonstrate the skills of hip-hop MCs.
Director: Kevin Fitzgerald | Stars: Chali 2na, Muhammad Ali, Planet Asia, Bahamadia
Votes: 626 | Gross: $0.01M
42. Civic (2022)
20 min | Short, Drama
Booker returns to South Central LA after several years away. Confined to the interior of his car, he interacts with the people and places he once knew.
Director: Dwayne LeBlanc | Stars: Barrington Darius, Maurice Powell, Courtney Gabrielle Williams
Votes: 33
43. Mama's Foot (2007 Video)
PG-13 | 81 min | Comedy
Two low-life twins from South Central have two days to make $1,000 to save their diabetic mama's foot. The fun kicks in as the guys resort to everything from chili cook-offs to rappin' their way to riches in this outrageous comedy.
Directors: Jazmine Bizzoco, Crystal Ellis, Venice Ventresca | Stars: Taetta Chip, Tyrell Ellis, Dorothy M. Sharp, Tyra McNair
Votes: 61
44. Latasha Harlins: A Rose That Grew from Concrete (2020)
Unrated | 26 min | Short, Biography
The story of Latasha Harlins, a mild-tempered 15-year-old girl from South Central, struggles to find herself in a world where she must overcome the tragedy and heartbreaks of the past.
Director: Shannon Dion | Stars: Vivia E. Armstrong, Trixie Ayson, Emonjay Brown, Jayna Bush
Votes: 12
45. Everyday Sunshine: The Story of Fishbone (2010)
Not Rated | 107 min | Documentary, Music
A career retrospective of Fishbone, an all African-American rock band from Los Angeles who created a high energy blend of funk, metal, ska, and punk and experienced a career as chaotic and unique as the music they created.
Directors: Lev Anderson, Chris Metzler | Stars: Norwood Fisher, Angelo Moore, Chris Dowd, Walter A. Kibby II
Votes: 399
46. Take None Give None (2016)
83 min | Documentary
The documentary Take None Give None, a portrait of the Chosen Few M.C. evolved from a long term relationship between photographer Gusmano Cesaretti and the Chose Few Motorcycle Club. In ... See full summary »
Directors: Gusmano Cesaretti, Kurt Mangum
Votes: 10
47. AmeriKa (2017)
14 min | Short, Drama
A portrait of two parents and their 8-year-old son struggling against the harsh realities of inner-city life in an alternate version of modern day America.
Director: Ryan Ward | Stars: Mackenzie Leigh, Ryan Ward, Colin Van Wye, Kevin Scott Allen
Votes: 15
48. Street Apostle (2012)
49 min | Documentary
An in-depth and behind-the-scenes portrait of one of Los Angeles most infamous gangsters, Del Dog, a redeemed LA Crips leader, who is now working to spread unity throughout the hoods of LA.
Director: Kinsey Beck | Stars: Del Dog, Steve Harvey, Ice Cube
Votes: 9
49. No Loans Today (1995)
Not Rated | 56 min | Documentary
Post-riot South Central LA through the lens of a pawnshop.
Director: Lisanne Skyler
Votes: 12
50. South Main (2008)
77 min | Documentary
In order to contain violence on the streets and rampant gang crime, city authorities decided in December 2004 to clear out and tear down one complete apartment block in South Central Los ... See full summary »
Director: Kelly Parker
Votes: 32