List Rules Movies must have the punk rock mentality.
A list of the best punk movies. These are movies about punk culture, feature either punk characters, or punk culture as a central theme in the film genre punk. We believe we've got them all, but if your favorite punk film isn't on the list of the best punk films, please feel free to add it to the list yourself. Punk was a music movement born in the late 1970s in both America and Great Britain.
At the heart of punk was the concept of "being yourself". Today though, with mainstream retailers still trying to cash in on "punk culture", punk has become more of an image than a set of values. The music has also become plagued with "mallcore" bands pre-packaged to appear punk.
The best punk bands often play for years before they're discovered. And like those bands that play to a hard-core audience before they're discovered, some of these punk films may be new discoveries for you. If you're into punk, then these are the punk movies for you.
What are the best punk movies? The funnest thing is that not all of these movies are about punk rock or music. They can be about people acting like punks, like in Fight Club or A Clockwork Orange, just to name a few.
list ordered by
1
181 76
Fight ClubBrad Pitt, Jared Leto, Helena Bonham Carter Released: 1999 Fight Club is a 1999 film based on the 1996 novel of the same name by Chuck Palahniuk. The film was directed by David Fincher, and stars Brad Pitt, Edward Norton and Helena Bonham Carter. Norton ...more
2
113 42
carlybobarly added Sid and NancyCourtney Love, Gary Oldman, Kathy Burke Sid and Nancy is a 1986 British biopic directed by Alex Cox. The film portrays the life of Sid Vicious, bassist of the seminal punk rock band the Sex Pistols, and his relationship with ...more
3
121 50
Kurmit23456789 added SLC Punk!Jason Segel, Matthew Lillard, Devon Sawa SLC Punk! is a 1998 American comedy-drama film written and directed by James Merendino. The film is about the young punk rock fan Steven "Stevo" Levy, a college graduate living in Salt ...more
4
86 29
The Decline of Western CivilizationExene Cervenka, Billy Zoom, John Doe Released: 1981 The Decline of Western Civilization is an American documentary film filmed through 1979 and 1980. The movie is about the Los Angeles punk rock scene and was directed by Penelope Spheeris. In ...more
5
101 37
clash1977 added Repo ManJimmy Buffett, Emilio Estevez, Harry Dean Stanton Released: 1984 Repo Man is a 1984 American science fiction crime comedy film directed by Alex Cox. It was produced by Jonathan Wacks and Peter McCarthy, with executive producer Michael Nesmith, and stars Harry ...more
6
43 7
RichardBeecher added TrainspottingEwan McGregor, Robert Carlyle, Jonny Lee Miller Trainspotting is a 1996 British crime comedy drama film directed by Danny Boyle, and starring Ewan McGregor, Ewen Bremner, Jonny Lee Miller, Kevin McKidd, Robert Carlyle, and Kelly Macdonald. ...more
7
82 42
Rock 'n' Roll High SchoolClint Howard, Dick Miller, Mary Woronov Released: 1979 Rock 'n' Roll High School is a 1979 musical comedy film produced by Roger Corman, directed by Allan Arkush, and starring P. J. Soles, Vince Van Patten, and Clint Howard. The film featured the ...more
8
62 28
American Hardcore Released: 2006 American Hardcore is a documentary directed by Paul Rachman and written by Steven Blush. It is based on the book American Hardcore: A Tribal History also written by Blush. It was released on ...more
9
39 12
emilyl added SuburbiaFlea, Chris Pedersen, Derek O'Brien Suburbia, also known as Rebel Streets and The Wild Side, is a 1984 film written and directed by Penelope Spheeris about suburban punks who run away from home. The kids take up a punk lifestyle ...more
10
44 21
clash1977 added The Great Rock 'n' Roll SwindleSid Vicious, John Lydon, Steve Jones The Great Rock 'n' Roll Swindle is a mockumentary film directed by Julien Temple and produced by Don Boyd and Jeremy Thomas about the British punk rock band Sex Pistols.
11
59 35
SubUrbiaParker Posey, Giovanni Ribisi, Steve Zahn Released: 1983 subUrbia is a 1997 American comedy-drama film written by Eric Bogosian, based on his play of the same name, and directed by Richard Linklater. It follows the relationships between a few young ...more
12
47 25
Another State of MindMike Ness, Adam Stern, Keith Morris Released: 1984 Another State of Mind is a documentary film made in the summer of 1982 chronicling the adventure of two punk bands, Social Distortion and Youth Brigade, as they embark on their first ...more
End of the Century: The Story of the RamonesDebbie Harry, Rob Zombie, Joey Ramone Released: 2005 End of the Century: The Story of the Ramones is a 2003 documentary film about highly influential New York punk rock band the Ramones. The film, produced and directed by Jim Fields and Michael ...more
14
25 11
punksnotdead added ControlSamantha Morton, Toby Kebbell, Alexandra Lara Control is a 2007 British-American biographical film about the life of Ian Curtis, singer of the late-1970s English post-punk band Joy Division. It is the first feature film directed by Anton ...more
15
36 21
The Filth and the FurySteve Jones, Malcolm McLaren, Glen Matlock Released: 2000 The Filth and the Fury is a 2000 British rockumentary film about the Sex Pistols, directed by Julien Temple.
16
41 26
clash1977 added The Clash: Westway to the WorldJoe Strummer, Siouxsie Sioux, Shane MacGowan The Clash: Westway to the World is a 2000 documentary film about the British punk rock band The Clash. In 2003 it won the Grammy Award for Best Long Form Music Video. Directed by Don Letts, the ...more
17
24 15
Romper StomperRussell Crowe, Jacqueline McKenzie, Daniel Wyllie Released: 1992 Romper Stomper is a 1992 Australian drama film written and directed by Geoffrey Wright. The film stars Russell Crowe, Daniel Pollock, Jacqueline McKenzie and Tony Lee. The film tells the story ...more
1991: The Year Punk Broke 1991: The Year Punk Broke, released theatrically in 1992, is a documentary directed by Dave Markey featuring American alternative rock band Sonic Youth on tour in Europe in 1991. While Sonic ...more
19
27 19
QuadropheniaSting, Ray Winstone, Timothy Spall Released: 1979 Quadrophenia is a 1979 British film, loosely based on the 1973 rock opera of the same name by The Who. The film stars Phil Daniels as Jimmy, a 1960s Mod, supported by Leslie Ash, Toyah and, ...more
clash1977 added What We Do Is SecretBijou Phillips, Shane West, Lauren German What We Do Is Secret is a 2007 American biographical film about Darby Crash, singer of the late-1970s Los Angeles punk rock band Germs. Rodger Grossman directed the film and wrote the ...more
22
15 9
santiago-estrada-lópez added Filmage: The Story of Descendents/All Filmage: The Story of Descendents/All is a 2013 documentary, biographical, and music film directed by Deedle LaCour and Matt Riggle.
punksnotdead added Joe Strummer: The Future Is Unwritten Released: 2007 Joe Strummer: The Future Is Unwritten is a 2007 documentary film directed by Julien Temple about Joe Strummer, the lead singer of the British punk rock band The Clash, that went on to win the ...more
24
18 21
clash1977 added Rude BoyRay Gange Rude Boy is a 1980 British film directed by Jack Hazan and David Mingay and filmed in 1978 and early 1979. The film, part fiction, part rockumentary, tells the story of Ray Gange, a Clash fan ...more
25
7 6
punksnotdead added We Who Wait TV Smith - Documentary
26
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punksnotdead added Breaking GlassJim Broadbent, Jonathan Pryce, Jonathan Ross Breaking Glass is a 1980 British film starring Hazel O'Connor, Phil Daniels and Jonathan Pryce and co-produced by Dodi Fayed and written and directed by Brian Gibson. The film was screened out ...more
27
6 7
punksnotdead added Cha ChaNina Hagen, Lene Lovich Cha Cha is a 1979 Dutch film written by Herman Brood and directed by Herbert Curiel. It stars Herman Brood, Nina Hagen, Lene Lovich and Les Chappell. Released on December 13, 1979, the film is a ...more
The Decline of Western Civilization III Released: 1998 The Decline of Western Civilization III is a 1998 documentary film directed by Penelope Spheeris that chronicles the gutter punk lifestyle of homeless teenagers. It is the third film of a ...more
nolimits added Noise and Resistance Noise and Resistance is a German documentary. The film follows the European DIY punk music scene. The directors enter the centres of a vivid and vibrant, a rebellious and self-conscious scene. ...more
