6 Best Drug Cartel and Narco Movies

By Vlad Zakh · March 7, 2026

The drug trade’s violence and corruption fuel some of crime cinema’s most brutal, morally murky stories. Sicario draws an FBI agent into a covert task force, Maria Full of Grace follows a pregnant Colombian teenager becoming a drug mule, and Miss Bala has a pageant contestant coerced into a cartel. Traffic and Scarface bring the big canvas, and A Man of Integrity shows the small-scale cost of refusing bribes.

A Man of Integrity (2017)

TMDB ★ 7.4

A farmer who refuses to pay bribes to a corrupt local company is dragged into a dangerous fight.

Directed by Mohammad Rasoulof · 1h 57m

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Miss Bala (2019)

TMDB ★ 5.3

A beauty pageant contestant is coerced into working for a dangerous drug cartel after witnessing a shooting.

Directed by Catherine Hardwicke · 1h 44m · Rated PG-13

Where to watch

Stream: Amazon Prime Video, fuboTV, Amazon Prime Video with Ads, Starz Apple TV channel · Rent: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home, Spectrum On Demand · Buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Sicario (2015)

TMDB ★ 7.6

An FBI agent is pulled into a black-ops task force targeting a Mexican drug cartel.

Directed by Denis Villeneuve · 2h 02m · Rated R

Where to watch

Stream: HBO Max Amazon Channel, HBO Max · Rent: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home, Spectrum On Demand · Buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Maria Full of Grace (2004)

TMDB ★ 7.5

A pregnant Colombian teenager becomes a drug mule to escape poverty, risking everything for a chance at a new life.

Directed by Joshua Marston · 1h 41m · Rated R

Where to watch

Stream: HBO Max Amazon Channel, HBO Max · Rent: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home · Buy: Google Play Movies, YouTube

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Traffic (2000)

IMDb ★ 7.5 RT 93% Metacritic 86

The war on drugs told from three intersecting perspectives, each compromised in its own way.

Directed by Steven Soderbergh · 2h 27m · Rated R

Won 4 Oscars73 wins & 86 nominations

Where to watch

Rent or buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Scarface (1983)

IMDb ★ 8.3 RT 77% Metacritic 65

A Cuban refugee's ruthless rise through Miami's cocaine trade consumes everything in his life.

Directed by Brian De Palma · 2h 50m · Rated R

8 nominations

Where to watch

Stream: Netflix, Netflix Standard with Ads · Rent or buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Streaming availability data from JustWatch, via TMDB. Availability changes often, so check the service before you plan a movie night.

Vlad Zakh

Founder, Movieix

Founder of Movieix. He started the site because most recommendation pages felt like noise. Here, lists are sorted by who's in the film, where it's from and what mood you're in tonight.

6 Best Drug Cartel and Narco Movies

A Man of Integrity (2017)

Miss Bala (2019)

Sicario (2015)

Maria Full of Grace (2004)

Traffic (2000)

Scarface (1983)

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