20 Best Cop Movies of All Time 2023

If there’s one genre of movies all men love, it’s cop films. Whether it’s a classic buddy cop mystery, a detective neo-noir, or a flick about cops tracking down a dangerous serial killer, you can’t go wrong with these types of movies.

Cop movies usually contain everything you want from a film; action, violence, intriguing characters, and engaging plots that delve deep into police procedures and the pressures that come with being a cop. Then there are those big, dumb action cop movies with outrageous set pieces and hilarious one-liners. No matter which you prefer, they are all fantastic.

With the recent announcement that Eddie Murphy is returning as Axel Foley in Beverly Hills Cop 4, we wanted to celebrate cop movies by presenting our favorites for you to enjoy. In the immortal words of Inspector Harry Callahan, “You’ve got to ask yourself one question: ‘Do I feel lucky?’ Well do ya, punk?” 

20 Best Cop Movies of All Time

Warner Bros. Pictures

1. Training Day (2001)

The movie that finally won Denzel Washington an Academy Award is a thrilling cop movie about rookie Jake Hoyt (Ethan Hawke) who is assigned to Detective Alonzo Harris’ (Washington) narcotics squad for evaluation to see if he is fit to join the squad. Over the course of 24 hours, Harris messes with Hoyt as you gradually realize he’s a crooked cop in too deep who needs Hoyt to survive the day. 

Director Antoine Fuqua established himself as one of the best modern directors while both Washington and Hawke shine in their roles. Support from Scott Glenn, Tom Berenger,  Cliff Curtis, Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, and Eva Mendes in her debut film role add to the legacy of this action-packed cop drama. 

2. Beverly Hills Cop (1984)

The ideal vehicle for comedian turned actor Eddie Murphy, this 80s classic stars the former SNL cast member as Detroit cop Axel Foley. When his best friend comes to visit and is murdered, Foley decides to head to Beverly Hills (where Mikey has been living) and get to the bottom of his friend’s death. 

Once there Foley hooks up with two local cops, Detective William “Billy” Rosewood (Judge Reinhold) and Sergeant John Taggart (John Ashton), and gets caught up in a drug smuggling operation run by art dealer Victor Maitland (a terrific Steven Berkoff).

One of the original buddy cop movies, Beverly Hills Cop cemented Murphy as a bankable star. Balancing humor with action, the movie has everything you need from a cop movie and spawned two sequels (Beverly Hills Cop II is arguably as good as the original) and a soon-to-be fourth movie featuring most of the original cast. 

3. Police Academy (1984)

Not every cop movie is a serious drama or action flick. Police Academy is a hilarious comedy about a bunch of police recruits and the mischief they get up to. Headlined by Steve Guttenberg (who was huge at the time) and featuring notable performances from Kim Cattrall, Michael Winslow, and G.W. Bailey, Police Academy is at times stupid, but will still have you chuckling along with the exploits of the trainee cops. 

Guttenberg becomes the defacto leader of the bunch of misfit recruits and is at the center of all the drama and pranks that get pulled. Sure, it’s a bit dated and some of the jokes aren’t PC, but Police Academy remains a fantastic comedy that has six sequels and several TV shows, none of which are any good. 

4. Rush Hour (1998)

Many cop movies put two totally different characters together to solve a crime, which is the exact setup of Rush Hour. Chinese Detective Inspector Lee (Jackie Chan) is teamed with LA street cop Detective James Carter (Chris Tucker) as the two attempts to thwart a kidnapping in Los Angeles.

What makes this movie work is the chemistry between Chan and Tucker. Chan is able to show off his martial arts skills and dangerous stunts while Tucker’s improvisational comedy hits a home run. Two sequels followed (neither are great) but the original still remains the best and a great example of a formulaic cop story boosted by great leading men. 

5. Dirty Harry (1971)

Clint Eastwood ushered in a whole new era of brutal cop movies with his portrayal of Inspector “Dirty” Harry Callahan. A San Francisco cop with little regard for rules and regulations, Callahan does whatever he deems necessary to catch the criminals terrorizing his city. 

Inspired by the real-life Zodiac killings, Dirty Harry finds Eastwood’s grizzled cop going rogue as he attempts to track down lunatic killer Scorpio. What follows is a cat and mouse game as Callahan finds his old methods being put to the test as the department tries to clean up its act. 

Eastwood gives one of his greatest performances as the gritty Callahan and went on to reprise the character in a further four movies, although none has the impact of the original. 

6. Die Hard (1988)

No list of the best cop movies is complete without Die Hard. While more of an outright action flick, the movie still involves a cop, down-on-his-luck NYPD Detective John McClane (Bruce Willis). Visiting his wife in LA, it just so happens that the building she works in is taken over by terrorists, led by the charming Hans Gruber (Alan Rickman in his debut movie role). Equipped with nothing more than his badge and quick wit, McClane must attempt to take down the bad guys while rescuing his wife.

John McTiernan redefined action movies with Die Hard and turned Willis into a star. You can’t really say enough about how thrilling this movie is, with the dialogue much better than your standard action flick.

Since the original, there have been four sequels, and while Die Hard 2: Die Harder and Die Hard With a Vengeance are fantastic, the most recent two, Live Free or Die Hard and A Good Day To Die Hard, are better left unwatched. 

7. Colors (1988)

One of the best films to portray the gang violence that ruled Los Angeles in the 80s, Colors focuses on calm and calculated veteran officer Bob Hodges (Robert Duvall) and his rookie partner, the brash and aggressive Danny McGavin (Sean Penn). Thrust into the middle of a gang war between the Bloods, Crips, and Hispanic gangs, the duo must fight for their lives while making sense of the violence around them.

The film brought much attention to the problems facing LA due to the rising gang violence and was critically praised. Directed by Dennis Hopper, his first film behind the camera in 19 years, Colors stands as a reminder of a dangerous time in LA history that still hasn’t been rectified. 

8. Police Story (1985)

This action comedy franchise stars Jackie Chan in seven movies about a Chinese cop who always seems to get into more trouble than he can handle. While each movie has its pros and cons, the original Police Story is by far the best.

A massive success when released in China, the movie finds Chan’s Sergeant “Kevin” Chan Ka-Kui fighting for his innocence after being framed for murder by a drug lord he tried to put away.

As with all of Chan’s movies, he does his own stunts, with the final fight scene in a shopping mall just incredible. The movie was released to universal acclaim and is cited as one of the greatest Asian action movies of all time. 

9. Maniac Cop (1988)

If you love B-grade horror and cop movies, track down a copy of Maniac Cop. The premises is simple: a violent cop investigating corruption in the force is framed for murder and sent to Sing Sing Prison where he is killed by other inmates. Not happy with the way his life ended, he comes back from the dead to exact revenge on those who wronged him. Brilliant, right? 

Silly, violent, and completely over the top, Maniac Cop is a great watch for B-movie fans. Bruce Campbell stars as the cop trying to stop Officer Matt Cordell (Robert Z’Dar as the Maniac Cop) with great support from Tom Atkins, Richard Roundtree, and Laurene Landon.

If you enjoy this one there are two sequels, with a rumored reboot and TV show also in the works. 

10. Cop Land (1997)

An underrated gem, James Mangold’s Cop Land features some of Sylvester Stallone’s best acting. He plays the partially deaf Freddy Heflin, the Sheriff of a New Jersey town inhabited by corrupt cops. At first, wanting to protect and help his fellow cops, Heflin soon uncovers a conspiracy that causes him to reevaluate his loyalties. 

Mangold’s script is smartly written and matched by his expert direction, with the ensemble cast one of the best of the 90s. Joining Stallone are Robert de Niro, Ray Liotta, Harvey Keitel, Robert Patrick, John Spencer, Janeane Garofalo, Frank Vincent, Peter Berg, Noah Emmerich, and Michael Rapaport. A classic cop movie that still stands up 25 years later. 

11. Bad Boys (1995)

Will Smith and Martin Lawrence are best friends who also happen to be Miami narcotics detectives in the cop comedy Bad Boys. When $100 million of seized heroin is stolen from the police vault, the two have 72 hours to find the drugs and stop the bad guys. Bad Boys is Micahel Bay at his frenzied best, with the fast editing and mind-blowing action set pieces all trademarks of the director found in this fantastic action romp. 

The two leads play off each other well, with the addition of Téa Leoni as the witness they must protect a welcome surprise. Much of the dialogue is improvised while the Porsche driven by Smith was actually owned by Bay.

Despite average reviews, Bad Boys became a hit on VHS, leading to two sequels, 2003s so-so Bad Boys II and 2020s awful Bad Boys for Life. 

12. Lethal Weapon (1987)

If you look up buddy cop movies in the dictionary, you’ll find Lethal Weapon as the definition. Written by Shane Black and directed by Richard Donner, this action-fueled cop movie pairs Mel Gibson’s suicidal Martin Riggs with Danny Glover’s family man Roger Murtaugh. At first, the two struggle to get on, but as they continue to work together they form a bond that becomes the crux of the movie. 

This is another well-rounded flick thanks to Black’s witty script and Donner’s knack for big-set pieces and solid pacing. Gibson and Glover are both fantastic and would join forces for a further three sequels, each featuring Joe Pesic as the comedic third wheel. There’s also a TV series that isn’t as bad as you might think. 

13. Hot Fuzz (2007)

The second movie in Edgar Wright’s Three Flavours Cornetto trilogy, Hot Fuzz is the UK filmmaker’s take on the buddy cop genre. The movie reteams Wright with actors Simon Pegg and Nick Frost.

Pegg is an overachieving London cop sent to a quiet village by his superiors after upstaging them. While there he becomes friends with Frost’s lazy police constable as the two stumble upon a murder conspiracy concerning some of the town’s most important residences. 

This is part action movie, part comedy, with Wright’s take on the cop movie genre one of the more entertaining of recent years. The chemistry between Pegg and Frost hooks you in while the final shootout in the village is as good as any “serious” action movie. 

14. End of Watch (2012)

A surprise packet when released in 2012, End of Watch stars Jake Gyllenhaal and Michael Pena as two cops patrolling South Los Angeles. While the plot surrounds local drug traffickers, the main aim of writer and director David Ayer was to show the friendship and comradery between policemen who risk their lives for each other daily. 

One of the things that strikes you about End of Watch is how realistic it is, with both Gyllenhaal and Pena spending five months of intensive training riding with police and learning how to fire weapons and deal with life on the harsh streets of LA. 

15. Seven (1995)

What seems like a simple police procedural turns into a nightmare about a serial killer basing his murders on the seven deadly sins. The retiring Morgan Freeman and young upstart Brad Pitt are tasked with cracking the case. They find themselves on a dark path involving torture and death before the unforgettable climax that will have you screaming, “What’s in the box!”

Seven is David Fincher at his creepy best, with the movie full of twists and turns with a surprise killer who pops up towards the end. 

16. The French Connection (1971)

Gene Hackman is hard-assed detective Jimmy “Popeye” Doyle on the trail of French heroin smuggler Alain Charnier in William Friedkin’s The French Connection. Teamed with Roy Scheider’s Buddy “Cloudy” Russo, the two stop at nothing to capture their man, with the electric climax sure to have you questioning the morals of Popeye.

Based on a true story, The French Connection was a smash hit and well received by critics and fans. Friedkin’s directing is stylish and the mid-movie car chase is one of the best ever committed to film. The movie won five Academy Awards and led to a sequel fictional sequel that takes off directly after the first movie. 

17. The Departed (2006)

Martin Scorsese can do no wrong. His career is filled with cinematic masterpieces, with The Departed arguably his best movie of the 21st century. “Billy” Costigan Jr. (Leonardo DiCaprio) is a recently graduated police officer who is tasked with going undercover in Boston crime boss Frank Costello’s (a creepy Jack Nicholson) crew and taking them down from the inside. Unbeknownst to Billy, Costello has a mole in the police department, Staff Sergeant Colin Sullivan (Matt Damon). 

A remake of the Hong Kong action film Infernal Affairs, Costigan Jr. and Sullivan spend the film trying to uncover each other while keeping their identities hidden in Scorsese’s fast-paced cop drama. While some of the dialogue is a bit naff, the cinematography is great and the ensemble cast fantastic, with Martin Sheen, Mark Wahlberg, Ray Winstone, Vera Farmiga, Alex Baldwin, and Anthony Anderson all terrific.  

18. L.A. Confidential (1997)

Based on James Ellroy’s best-selling novel of the same name, L.A. Confidential is a police drama set during the 1950s. Corrupt cops, murder, and a femme fatale are all part of this crime neo-noir from acclaimed filmmaker Curtis Hanson. Strangely for a big-budget Hollywood movie, Hanson cast two unknown Australians in the lead roles, Guy Pearce and Russell Crowe. While the studio was worried, they backed Hanson, and it turned out to be a good thing. 

Both actors are incredible, with Pearce a by-the-book square and Crowe an aggressive rule breaker, with the two joining forces to stop police corruption. The ensemble cast includes Kevin Spacey, Danny Devito, Kim Basinger, David Strathairn, and James Cromwell.

19. Serpico (1973)

Based on the true story of Frank Serpico, a New York City cop who spoke out against corruption in the force and almost lost his life. Al Pacino takes on the role of Serpico and is at his paranoid best as he becomes ostracized by his fellow officers for speaking out against the corruption inside the four walls of the precinct. 

The film was critically acclaimed and won several awards, with Pacino’s powerful performance coming off the back of The Godfather and confirming him as one of the best up-and-coming actors of the 70s. 

20. Heat (1995)

Arguably the greatest movie of all time, Heat is Micheal Mann’s magnum opus. It focuses on two men, Robert de Niro’s career criminal out for one last score and Al Pacino’s bombastic robbery-homicide detective who is chasing him down. If you need to know any more about this near three-hour crime epic, then you probably aren’t a fan of cop movies. 

Everything about this movie is perfection, from the tight script and solid direction to the plausible storyline and ensemble cast (which includes Val Kilmer, Tom Sizemore, Danny Trejo, Ashley Judd, Jon Voight, Amy Brenneman, Ted Levine, and more). If you only watch one movie on this list, make it Heat. 

Categories: Entertainment
Source: Tekmonk Famous Biography