Movies Like Mara Salvatrucha

If you liked Mara Salvatrucha (2002), a movie directed by José Luis Vera and Alejandro Chilpa, here are 20 movies with a similar feel, based on TMDB's recommendations. Each one links to its cast, trailer and where it's streaming.

1
Part-Time Lifeguards (1987)
★ 6.8/10
This time, the Brigada Z gang, take a little vacation in Mar del Plata but their money is stolen. In order to enjoy their vacation, they become lifeguards and accidentally discover a band of thieves that robs Casinos…
2
CATO (2021)
★ 8.5/10
Cato, a hip-hop artist whose career is about to take off, runs into trouble with the law and a violently organized network of Argentine soccer hooligans.
3
Rise of the Footsoldier (2007)
★ 6.3/10
Carlton Leach rises from one of the most feared generals of the football terraces to becoming a member of a notorious gang of criminals who rampaged their way through London and Essex in the late '80s and early '90s.
4
Tuff Turf (1985)
★ 5.9/10
The new guy in a Los Angeles high school, Morgan, does some singing and fights hotshot Nick over disco dancer Frankie.
5
Facing El Chapo (2026)
★ 8.8/10
Two Mexican officers must survive the final hours of their shift after crossing a ruthless cartel boss.
6
Absolution (2024)
★ 5.9/10
An aging ex-boxer gangster working as muscle for a Boston crime boss receives an upsetting diagnosis. Despite a faltering memory, he attempts to rectify the sins of his past and reconnect with his estranged children…
7
The Substitute 2: School's Out (1998)
★ 6.5/10
When teacher Randall Thomasson is killed during a carjacking, an unexpected visitor shows up at his funeral - his estranged brother, Karl Thomasson. An ex-Green Beret turned mercenary, Karl signs on as a new substitute…
8
The Substitute (1996)
★ 7/10
When an inner-city Miami schoolteacher gets her knee broken after standing up to the school's gang leader, her mercenary combat specialist boyfriend goes undercover as a substitute teacher to take down the punk. Soon…
9
Narco Cultura (2013)
★ 7/10
To a growing number of Mexicans and Latinos in the Americas, narco-traffickers have become iconic outlaws and the new models of fame and success. They represent a pathway out of the ghetto, nurturing a new American…
10
Sniper: The Last Stand (2025)
★ 6.8/10
To stop an arms dealer from unleashing a deadly superweapon, Ace sniper Brandon Beckett and Agent Zero are deployed to Costa Verde to lead a group of elite soldiers against an unrelenting militia. Taking an untested…
11
The Revenant (2009)
★ 6.2/10
A horror movie/buddy comedy about Joey and his undead friend Bart who comes back from the dead as a revenant: an articulate zombie that needs to drink blood to arrest the decomposition of his body.
12
Death Wish 3 (1985)
★ 6.2/10
Architect/vigilante Paul Kersey arrives back in New York City and is forcibly recruited by a crooked police chief to fight street crime caused by a large gang terrorizing the neighborhoods.
13
The Get Out (2026)
★ 6.1/10
A nightclub owner is on the verge of leaving his dangerous past behind for retirement with his girlfriend. When masked gunmen rob him and he finds himself squeezed by ruthless cartels, a mysterious newcomer arrives…
14
Legend (2015)
★ 7/10
Suave, charming and volatile, Reggie Kray and his unstable twin brother Ronnie start to leave their mark on the London underworld in the 1960s. Using violence to get what they want, the siblings orchestrate robberies…
15
Wake of Death (2004)
★ 6.1/10
Ben Archer, an ex-mob enforcer, seeks revenge against a ruthless Chinese kingpin responsible for his wife's brutal murder. When Archer joins forces with his old underworld friends, an all-out war is waged against the…
16
The Marine 6: Close Quarters (2018)
★ 6.8/10
Jake Carter and another former Marine, Luke Trapper, join forces to rescue a young kidnapped girl from a gang of international criminals.
17
Outlaws - For Greater Glory (2012)
★ 7/10
A chronicle of the Cristeros War (1926-1929), which was touched off by a rebellion against the Mexican government's attempt to secularize the country.
18
The Krays (1990)
★ 6.1/10
Twins Ronnie and Reggie Kray are raised in east London, under the influence of their hateful but doting mother Violet. As they grow up, Ronnie's violent nature takes over, and Reggie follows his brother's lead. The two…
19
Sin tetas no hay paraíso (2010)
★ 7.5/10
Catalina is a young, beautiful girl living in extreme poverty with her brother Bayron and her mother Hilda. She becomes obsessed with getting breast implants to get social status and money. She leaves her boyfriend…
20
Sky High (2020)
★ 6.1/10
A commentary on Spanish society dressed as a thriller about the misadventures of a gang of young petty criminals after the real estate crash.