'Scarface'(01 of10)
Open Image ModalAction FlickThe 1983 film that turned "say hello to my little friend" into a household catchphrase shied away from making many political statements. It did, however, draw the ire of many Cuban Americans, who found the film's portrayal of their kinfolk thuggish and demeaning. All in all, the violence was treated mostly as a spectacle, much to the chagrin of many critics who reviewed the movie at the time of its release. The message: Say hello to my little friend. (credit:Alamy)
'Blow'(02 of10)
Open Image ModalAction FlickTed Demme's biopic on George Jung brought Nick Cassavetes and David McKenna's adaptation of Bruce Porter's book to life. In the movie, Jung (a real life drug dealer) gets caught up with the likes of Pablo Escobar and the Medellin Cartel. Jung eventually loses it all -- his own mother turns him. Not the most glorious moment in criminal history.The message: Drug trafficking is like any other business, but with greater consequences.
'French Connection'(03 of10)
Open Image ModalAction FlickThe poster for the 1971 film promised an "out and out thriller," and the movie delivered. Starring Gene Hackman as an NYPD detective and directed by William Friedkin, "French Connection" went on to win the Oscars for Best Picture, Best Actor, Best Director and Best Adapted Screenplay. The thrust of the picture focuses on heroin smuggling between the United States and France. But the film mostly skirted the surface and focused on certain scenes, like an epic car chase through Bushwick, Brooklyn. The message: This film has one of the best car chases of all time. (credit:AP)
'Savages'(04 of10)
Open Image Modal25th Hour(05 of10)
Open Image ModalAction FlickSpike Lee's take on David Benioff's book (there's a trend here) had quite the cast: Edward Norton, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Barry Pepper, Rosario Dawson, Anna Paquin and Brian Cox all take a turn in the film. The movie follows Monty Brogan on his last day of freedom before heading to prison on drug charges. The ending of "25th Hour" is oblique on drugs, and the movie never really gets outside of the immediate vicinity of the characters involved. The message: This is a Spike Lee movie.
'American Gangster'(06 of10)
Open Image ModalMessage MovieDenzel Washington's turn in Ridley Scott's "American Gangster" is one of those great performances that takes the audience on a morally twisted ride. Though he plays the ruthless Frank Lucas (the guy smuggled heroin into the States by hiding it on Army planes coming back from Vietnam), the viewer builds a natural attachment to him. He takes a page out of every mob's book (feeding the poor, stressing loyalty while cutting down enemies). Russell Crowe plays opposite as a hardworking detective, and Scott's mastery is in making the viewer care deeply about both characters. The message: There are good, smart people on both sides. (credit:Alamy)
'Traffic'(07 of10)
Open Image ModalMessage Movie"Traffic" tells the stories of three groups of people. Authorities in Mexico, a white American family and big-time dealer in San Diego, Calif. Michael Douglas plays a judge who's tapped to be the new Drug Czar. Despite being explicitly warned (as the audience is) that the war on drugs is a hopeless mess, he takes the position. And as he gets up to speed, he also discovers that his girlfriend has been abusing coke and freebasing heroin. But he's busy fighting the war, so his daughter slips away and becomes a drug-addled prostitute in Cincinnati. The message should be clear so far, but the film's tagline says it best: No one gets away clean.The message: Even though Douglas is ostensibly a great person, his obsession with fighting a war that's clearly presented as futile does untold damage to his family. Deaths and destruction are wrought on all sides. The message is simple: We need a new plan.
'Half Nelson'(08 of10)
Open Image ModalMessage MovieForget his romantic turn in "The Notebook" or his ability to stare blankly for hours in "Drive," Gosling's best performance is and may always be his best work. Though the film doesn't approach any national or global scale, it offers a glimpse into the complex and always wide web of people affected by drug use in any community.The message: A war on drugs is too impersonal. The effect of drug use and addiction on relationships can only be undone through a greater level of involvement.
'Maria Full of Grace'(09 of10)
Open Image ModalMessage MovieEasily the most disturbing film on this list, "Maria Full of Grace" (an American-Columbian collaboration) is the heartbreaking story of a young, pregnant woman who agrees to become a drug mule to escape a life of unrelenting poverty and despair. She swallows tens of pellets of heroin, narrowly escapes customs and violent traffickers over the course of the film, which never really takes its foot off depressing meter. As the movie's tagline says, "based on 1,000 true stories."The message: There is no end to the darkness inherent in the drug trade.
'Midnight Express'(10 of10)
Open Image ModalMessage MovieHold the outrage, we promise that James Franco did not make the only movie with "express" in its title. The 1978 "Midnight Express" brought Billy Hayes' novel to the screen (with an adaptation by Oliver Stone). Hayes was arrested in Turkey for attempting to take a good amount of hash out of the country. He then suffers through a great deal of torture and psychological breakdowns before finding his way home.The message: Drugs lead to despair, and there is no limit to human cruelty.