Best Cop Films List

(For optimum viewing, adjust the zoom level of your browser to 125%.)



Last Updated: 11/2/24
Note: It's simple and straightforward: the best of the best in cop cinema history. In order to qualify, the film has received a rating of at least '7' from me and then must also meet the following criteria:

1. The main characters are cops but not members of the FBI, CIA, etc.
2. They are primarily involved a majority of the time, working on a case, going after the bad guys, or are being investigated.

Detectives, inspectors, and members of the SWAT team (as long as it's local, LAPD, or NYPD) are acceptable. Multiple parts (i.e. duology, trilogy, etc.) can be put together as one if there's a continuation in the narrative. Miniseries and telefilms are fair game, but anything made after the year 2000 and documentaries are excluded.

These films have shown brilliance in most, if not all, aspects: acting, characters, screenplay, plot, direction, editing, cinematography, and so on. They must also be "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant." Then, I think about cultural phenomenon, uniqueness, famous movie moments, iconic scenes and/or lines, cinematic power, and timelessness.

This list is based on what I have seen so far and is limited to the top 35 with 5 honorable mentions in that order and some, if any, notable exceptions to the rule. While ranking the films, I am simultaneously thinking about copness before quality and quality before copness.




  1. Dirty Harry (1971)

  2. Dirty Harry is an absolute first-rate picture, and there's no better character than Dirty Harry Callahan in the history of cop movies. Two men, an inspector and a killer who are polarizing figures, go against each other in a game of intrigue. Andy Robinson's Scorpio is among the greatest villains ever. Not to miss is the legendary scene of Dirty Harry giving his speech.


  3. Lethal Weapon (1987)

  4. There are hundreds of them, but Lethal Weapon is the best buddy cop film of all time. The chemistry between Danny Glover and Mel Gibson is terrific. It's what makes the movie. One is pretty good for a detective although he's a big believer in "do as little as possible and, more importantly, stay alive," and the other is a true lethal weapon.


  5. Die Hard (1988)

  6. What's great about Die Hard is how real John McClane is and, even better, how direct Hans Gruber is. Unlike most action-adventure movies, it's a thrill machine that never lets down from start to finish. The script is well-done, and the special effects extravaganza intensifies the viewing experience even more.


  7. In the Heat of the Night (1967)

  8. Two acting powerhouses come clashing each other in In the Heat of the Night: Sidney Poitier and Rod Steiger. As Virgil Tibbs, Sidney Poitier is magical and has two iconic scenes: "They call me MISTER Tibbs!" and when he slapped Mr. Endicott back. Of the latter, you could hear a pin drop in the middle of the Deep South.


  9. Cobra (1986)

  10. Can anything be more exciting than Cobra? It's maybe the most aesthetic neo-noir picture made. Sylvester Stallone has outdone himself this time by creating one of the coolest characters in movie history through Marion Cobretti, the pride of the Zombie Squad. He takes on an army of killers, saving the best for last with the Night Slasher in an epic fight at the foundry.


  11. Q&A (1990)

  12. When it comes to corruption among the boys in blue, Sidney Lumet was the master storyteller. Q&A is the third compelling movie in his oeuvre with Serpico and Prince of the City being the first two. Nick Nolte is a badass and uses his massive body size to tear up everybody. He's a force to be reckoned with.


  13. Serpico (1973)

  14. Al Pacino gives one of the finest performances of his career as Frank Serpico, a real-life NYPD cop who defied a corrupt system. Director Sidney Lumet shoots the film in docu-realism by going inside police precincts to see how things work on both sides. Serpico is broken down in three acts: the eponymous character's desire to be a cop, the moment he's awarded the gold shield, and the ending when he's all alone with his sheepdog.


  15. Colors (1988)

  16. Showcasing police officers' work on the gang-infested streets of Los Angeles, Colors is about approaches in handling gangbangers. Dennis Hopper took a gamble to show the street gangs of Los Angeles to the world for the first time which was a radical idea back then, and it paid off. Impossible to miss is Ice-T's catchy music with a repetitive eponymous hook.


  17. Cop Land (1997)

  18. James Mangold must have called Martin Scorsese and asked, "Can you give me the guys from Mean Streets, Raging Bull, and Goodfellas?" And Marty said, "Hell, yes!!!" Sylvester Stallone makes a serious comeback and has a surreal meeting with Robert De Niro while Ray Liotta, Harvey Keitel, Robert Patrick, and Arthur J. Nascarella bring a hard edge to the story that's appreciated.


  19. Prince of the City (1981)

  20. Treat Williams was definitely robbed of an Oscar nomination for being a tour de force in Prince of the City. It's one of the best movies Sidney Lumet has ever directed, being an improved and more complex version of Serpico about police corruption, hence the Academy Award nomination for Best Adapted Screenplay.


  21. The Wicker Man (1973)

  22. The Citizen Kane of horror films? You got that right. The genius behind a horror film, as evidenced in Don Siegel's Invasion of the Body Snatchers, is to make the world to seem ordinary that's free of monsters, blood, gore, etc. Yet there's still something fundamentally wrong with the picture. That's why The Wicker Man succeeds, thanks to Anthony Shaffer's screenplay.


  23. The Naked City (1948)

  24. Crime pictures come and go without much notice, and many of them are so run-of-the-mill that the end result hardly matters. But The Naked City is truly a cut above them, taking advantage of the New York City environs. One unique aspect is the step-by-step explanatory manner of how crime is solved which is wonderfully narrated by Mark Hellinger. It's the venerable Barry Fitzgerald who guides the viewer by how a detective thinks and processes the information.


  25. Sudden Impact (1983)

  26. Well, well...the vintage Dirty Harry is back. "Inspector, your methods are unconventional to say the least. Oh, you get results. But often, your successes are more costly to this department in terms of expenses and physical destruction than most other men's failures." Sudden Impact is a fantastic policier with a legendary scene that ends with one of the most famous lines ever: "Go ahead. Make my day."


  27. Lethal Weapon 2 (1989)

  28. Featuring the best buddy cop pairs of all time, Danny Glover and Mel Gibson with Joe Pesci thrown in the mix, there are a lot of good scenes in Lethal Weapon 2, but the most memorable is the toilet bomb incident. Another is Riggs taking down the stilt house with his truck. Leo Getz opening the car door is very funny.


  29. Tango & Cash (1989)

  30. Tango & Cash still doesn't get the respect it deserves, featuring one of the most electrifying on-screen chemistry between Kurt Russell and Sylvester Stallone. They're like fire and kerosene. Put these two together, and the screen ignites. The comedy works because of the way they feed off each other so well.


  31. The Glass Shield (1994)

  32. Because of the story, The Glass Shield is a compelling movie, thanks to Charles Burnett's superb direction. Two rookie cops, one white female and one black male, face an uphill battle of racism, sexism, and seniority. At the same time, an alleged murderer is powerless when he's up against the system. Ultimately, it's the police corruption that ruins their lives.


  33. Year of the Dragon (1985)

  34. Year of the Dragon is a violent, hard-hitting, and full-of-attitude picture with a gripping story. Mickey Rourke and John Lone are fantastic. The former's character seems to be haunted by what happened in Vietnam and how the war was totally unwinnable, not wanting a repeat of it in Chinatown. An explosive scene occurs in the picture when Stanley White was ambushed in his own house. Similarly, the restaurant scene is quite good.


  35. New Jack City (1991)

  36. New Jack City is The Godfather of black cinema and continues to be an underrated hip-hop gangster picture. There's an edge to it that exudes style through captivating storytelling and hard-to-beat editing. Wesley Snipes and Ice-T are unforgettable. Using the crack epidemic that ravaged New York City during the late 80's and early 90's, it's a perfect backdrop for a black drug lord like Nino Brown to make his presence known.


  37. Bullitt (1968)

  38. The difference between Bullitt and most policiers is the no-frills, no-thrills old fashioned cop work. That's how Steve McQueen wanted it done. And the reward for sitting through Bullitt is to watch the greatest car chase ever put on film. The clash of personalities between Frank Bullitt and Walter Chalmers is gripping, too. What makes the former likable is his cool persona, and what makes the latter unlikable is his forceful insistence.


  39. The Naked Gun (1988)

  40. As funny as the movie is, there are a lot of fresh jokes that are good for big laughs. The lines are well-written and subtle. The funniest scene is when Frank and Jane were running on the beach with their hands together and knocking down an approaching couple. Almost in a tie is Frank on the ledge with the nude statues.


  41. The Onion Field (1979)

  42. The book about the Onion Field murder case has been captured detail for detail, right down to the cars and locations, in this film, thanks to the author's insistence of keeping the truth intact. It's one of the, if not the, most accurate true crime movies ever shot. Yes, it's a slow-paced and can deviate a lot from time to time but is uniformly excellent and meticulously crafted.


  43. Black Rain (1989)

  44. Black Rain is an underrated stylish policier with outstanding Blade Runner-like cinematography which is very Japanese neo-noirish. Michael Douglas knows how to amp it up. Andy Garcia is perfect as his sidekick, and Ken Takakura is great as well. Yƻsaku Matsuda is definitely the bad guy as Sato.


  45. Heat (1995)

  46. Shot on location all over Los Angeles, Heat is an engrossing crime thriller that spans three hours. Al Pacino is the maestro. Robert De Niro is fascinating to watch as Neil McCauley. Their anticipated meeting is a treat, and the shootout on the streets of L.A. is epic that's unlike anything.


  47. Traffic (2000)

  48. Benicio del Toro is the reason to watch this film over and over. It's such a classy performance that ends with his character watching a kids baseball game and knowing what he had done. Benicio del Toro has another great scene when he's in the pool with two DEA agents for a chat. There are other standouts as well, and the Mexico scenes are gritty to watch.


  49. Out for Justice (1991)

  50. "Anybody seen Richie? I'm gonna keep coming back until somebody remembers seeing Richie." To top it off is the look of Gino's displeasure when he gets no answer after beating up everybody in the pool hall for the instant Steven Seagal classic Out for Justice. It has the best and the funniest one-sided beatdown during the finale.


  51. Seven (1995)

  52. Seven is a brilliant neo-noir masterpiece. The story is captivating with a shocker of an ending. It's hard to overcome the exquisite cinematography which elevates the film as a whole. Brad Pitt, Morgan Freeman, Kevin Spacey, and Gwyneth Paltrow will be remembered for this forever.


  53. Speed (1994)

  54. Speed is unique because a mass transit bus is the star of the film. That was all the people talked about back then when it hit the screens. Keanu Reeves is the standout as he's the catalyst of many action scenes. It's impressive to see how professional he is in his demeanor as a SWAT officer.


  55. Above the Law (1988)

  56. I remember when Above the Law came out, Steven Seagal became an instant household name. He has always remained a memorable actor largely due to his distinctive style: black-slicked hair with a ponytail, serious eyes, bone-breaking Aikido moves, how he holds his gun, and the way he runs like a girl.


  57. The French Connection (1971)

  58. Best Picture Winner of 1972, The French Connection is one of the most famous cop movies made. Gene Hackman is unforgettable as Popeye Doyle. A scene that's often imitated in many movies is when he took the car apart in search of drugs. There's the legendary car chase, and the ending is chilling to watch.


  59. Cop (1988)

  60. Based on James Ellroy's novel Blood on the Moon, James B. Harris makes no apologies for going neo-noir in Cop while unabashedly breaking every rule in the police handbook. I wonder if James Woods initially signed up for the politically incorrect role so he could blow the sucker away at the end. If that's the case, I don't blame him.


  61. Nighthawks (1981)

  62. It's a thrilling action policier with Sylvester Stallone at his classic best. Rutger Hauer looks to be in tip-top shape. The battle between Stallone's and Hauer's characters is the most impressive part of Nighthawks. One great movie moment is when, inside the discotheque, Sylvester Stallone stared at Rutger Hauer for a long time, immediately knowing what's happening.


  63. Lethal Weapon 3 (1992)

  64. What I like about this is it has a high mix of comedy and action. The weird part is how Jack Travis case feels secondary in the grand scheme of things. Instead, the movie is all about Martin Riggs and Roger Murtaugh having a great time in many random scenes. Hence, they're pretty funny. As a bonus, Joe Pesci and Rene Russo join them for more fun.


  65. Beverly Hills Cop (1984)

  66. Thanks to Eddie Murphy, Beverly Hills Cop is great fun. His character Axel Foley from Detroit arrives in Beverly Hills, and all the crazy things start happening like getting thrown out of the store through the glass window and being busted for disturbing the peace. Hard to forget are the two dudes in Michael Jackson jackets, Axel pretending to be Ramon at the Harrow Club, the banana incident, the stripper club scene, and the super-cop theory.


  67. Unlawful Entry (1992)

  68. Unlawful Entry is a believable realistic thriller about a police officer who abuses his position of power. When somebody is as helpless as Michael Carr, there's not much that he can do about his situation. Officer Pete Davis starts out being nice, resourceful, and helpful, going out of his way. Then, he has a moment that seems to be both rational and irrational because Carr is literally asking for it. Suddenly, all bets are off.


  69. Witness (1985)

  70. It's a well-made picture that's part policier and part Amish. There's no disrespect made to these people which is gratifying to see. Of course, a culture clash exists which is impossible to avoid. The look of some scenes shot is similar to the 17th century paintings by Dutch Masters, scoring an Oscar nomination for John Seale in Best Cinematography.




Honorable Mentions: White Sands (1992), Deep Cover (1992), Beverly Hills Cop II (1987), The Rookie (1990), and The Negotiator (1998)

Notable Exceptions: Dark Blue (2002), Miami Vice (2006), Narc (2002), Training Day (2001), and We Own the Night (2007)