Movies like Night Catches Us

Directed by Ridley Scott, American Gangster captures the criminal underworld of Harlem in the 1970s through the lens of drug lord Frank Lucas. Fans of Night Catches Us will appreciate the period detail and the focus on complex African-American characters.

Set in the Bronx during the 1960s, A Bronx Tale is a crime drama that focuses on a young boy's coming of age amidst the tumult of racial conflict and organized crime, not unlike the struggles of identity and moral choices faced by characters in Night Catches Us.

This John Singleton classic explores life in South Central Los Angeles, touching on themes of race, violence, and community that are also central to Night Catches Us. Both films portray the struggles of African-Americans in a racially charged environment.

Spike Lee’s Do the Right Thing offers a vibrant and intense depiction of racial tensions on a hot day in Brooklyn. Like Night Catches Us, it's a poignant portrayal of race relations in America that challenges the viewer's perspectives.

Spike Lee's Malcolm X is a biographical epic of the African-American activist. The film’s exploration of black empowerment and its historical context will resonate with viewers who are drawn to the political and social themes in Night Catches Us.

The Butler, featuring Forest Whitaker as an African-American butler serving in the White House, covers numerous decades of civil rights struggle. It shares with Night Catches Us the chronicling of black Americans’ fight for equality.

The Hughes Brothers' Dead Presidents follows a young African-American man before and after his service in the Vietnam War, leading up to and including his involvement in a heist. It explores themes of societal abandonment and racial strife similar to those in Night Catches Us.

Fruitvale Station, directed by Ryan Coogler, dramatizes the final day of Oscar Grant, a young man who was killed by BART police in Oakland. It delves into issues of racial injustice and the value of human life as seen in Night Catches Us.