Maybe it's because I recently revisited Running Scared, one of my favorite buddy cop movies, or maybe it's because I've been watching a bunch of Eurocrime movies (with brilliant titles like Live Like a Cop, Die Like a Man) or maybe it's just in honor of this coming week's podcast, but I've got cop movies on the brain. It's one of my favorite subgenres, and one from which I'll watch pretty much any entry. So what are your favorites?
Infernal Affairs. I enjoyed The Departed but it still irks me that Affairs doesn't get the attention it deserves.
ReplyDeleteThe Departed was really good and well done, but if I have the choice of the two to watch on any given night I usually always go with Infernal Affairs. Great stuff. Have you see any of the sequels? I never watched them myself, but have been wanting to.
DeleteIn my opinion the second Infernal Affairs is "fine", while the third is weak. It is pretty hard to match the standard set by the first film anyway.
DeleteOh, and I second Internal Affairs as best cop film.
Agreed!
DeleteThis is too easy. I know the correct answer
ReplyDeleteWolfcop ;)
And close second is
ReplyDeleteManiac Cop
Yep!
DeleteUnfortunately, I'm not a huge fan of this genre, but I did see End of Watch a while back and was much more impressed by it than I had anticipated going in, so I'll go with that.
ReplyDeleteOutside of Die Hard which feels like it sort of doesn't count, Running Scared is actually my answer. So much fun, and outside of a couple of smug "hey, did you guys know I'm a comedian?" moments from Billy Crystal (the car-phone call in particular) I love the chemistry and interplay between Crystal and Hines. Their characters feel like they have a history and like they have lives outside of the movie, which is a welcome rarity for a buddy cop movie.
ReplyDeleteAs for more serious procedural fare, I adore Prince of the City, for my money one of Sidney Lumet's best movies (and I loooooooove me some Sidney Lumet). It's a true story filled with great New York character actors and fabulously grimy cinematography. Treat Williams is fantastic in the lead, and it's intense and involving and the near-three-hour run time goes by in a flash. A truly great movie that seems unjustly forgotten.
Hard Boiled. Still my pick for greatest action movie of all time.
ReplyDeleteI mean, the right answer is Die Hard. But let's ignore that, because Die Hard is always the answer.
ReplyDeleteI'm going to go with Se7en. I love Pitt and Freeman's dynamic, love the characters, love the performances. It's nothing new or original, but I think they do it the best. It's maybe one of 100 black cop/white cop movies, but I love that neither character is defined by their blackness or whiteness. They could've recast this movie with a 1995 Samuel L. Jackson and Harvey Keitel without having to change a single line in the script (what a movie that would be.) It's like they're actual real people, and not silly movie characters. On top of that, Se7en is just fucking awesome.
Going to cheat a little but I gotta go with Blake Edwards' "Pink Panther" series starring Peter Sellers as the inimitable Insp. Jacques Clouseau. They're technically slapstick comedies but (a) the star is a bumbling cop that (b) catches/disrupts crooks' plans (recovering a stolen diamond, foiling a murder plot, stop the mob from killing him by going undercover, etc.) while (c) arguing/driving his supervising officer (Herbert Lom's Dreyfus) crazy with his antics. Sound like cop movies to me. :-)
ReplyDeleteGoing with the first movie that came to mind: Turner and Hooch. I would love to see Tom Hanks return to a role like this. Close second(s): Tango and Cash, Kindergarten Cop and K9.
ReplyDeleteThe original RoboCop.
ReplyDeleteI forgot about Robocop! Yes!
DeleteNot sure if it's my favorite, but Seven is good.
ReplyDeleteL.A. Confidential, Beverly Hills Cop, and The Hard Way.
ReplyDeleteThe Untouchables... does that count? They' technically become agents, but obviously Malone and Stone start off at beat cops.
ReplyDeleteI would love if you guys did a podcast on it one day, as I know opinions on it really differ.
*Treasury agents
DeleteToday my answer is Serpico, but tomorrow it could be something completely different, like Tango and Cash. The day after that it might be Kindergarten Cop. No, kid, it's not a tumor.
ReplyDeleteI gotta also give a shout out to Red Heat. Also im a big fan of The last Boyscout and Bad Boys. And James Woods With Michael J Fox in The Hard way is great fun
ReplyDeleteLast Boy Scout is one of the greatest films ever. Hallenbeck is a P.I. though. I think P.I. movies are a whole different genre.
DeleteThats a fair point. Two different genres.
DeleteEnd of Watch is a great recent cop movie. But all time would probably have to be LA Confidential or Fargo, or Reservoir Dogs, if that's considered a cop movie (which also might be a spoiler). Silence of the Lambs and Witness are so great as well.
ReplyDeleteI wanna give some love to The French Connection because that movie is still fucking awesome.
ReplyDeleteBuddy Cop Movie? "Tango and Cash" is untouchable.
ReplyDeleteBumbling Cop Movie? If inspectors count as cops - my all time fav is "Private Eyes" with Don Knots and Tim Conway. I break out that movie at least once a year.
Dirty Cop Movie? "Bad Lieutenant" is obvious - maybe "Romeo is Bleeding".
Cop with Dog? K-9
Maniac Cop? "Maniac Cop"
This poll needs more Demolition Man. Send a maniac to catch a maniac!
ReplyDeleteI formally convey my agreement.
DeleteLethal Weapon & Lethal Weapon 2. If it wasn't for the enormous amount of assholery that Mel Gibson has shown in his later years, I would be more surprised that nobody has mentioned it. "Hot Fuzz" and "Hard Boiled" are up there ti
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
Delete*too.
DeleteToo many to pick just one...
ReplyDeleteBeverley Hills Cop.
Stakeout.
Jaws (Chief Brody is the greatest cop ever).
Seven.
Hot Fuzz.
Bad Boys.
Speed.
Fargo.
Cop Land.
Heat.
Ex Cop Subgenre:
Midnight Run
The Last Boy Scout.
Easily Lethal Weapon. I tried to think of a cooler answer, but nothing else is as awesome for me personally. It's probably one of my top 20 or so favorite movies ever. I honestly even like all the sequels, except maybe 3.
ReplyDeleteI always thought the fourth one was quite underrated.
DeleteMe too. It's definitely its own thing, but as a comedy it works pretty well.
DeleteBTW, R.I.P. Taylor Negron, aka Milo in "The Last Boy Scout" who just passed away from cancer. A good cop movie is only as good as the antagonist he/she faces, and Milo was among the more bad-ass henchman to ever appear in movies.
ReplyDeleteSecond that. He was great. Last Boy Scout is the best. "Can you help me officer? There seems to be too many bullets in this gun."
DeleteThanks for the headsup JM.
DeleteFeel so bummed over this one. Loved Taylor's work. The Whoopee Boys, or, more recently, as Daviday, the snooty waiter on Curb, etc, etc.
RIP Taylor.
Milo: Just once, I would like to hear you scream, in pain.
ReplyDeleteHallenbeck: Play some rap music.
RIP Brad Stephen Negron
Brilliant actor. Painter and Comedian
Milo: Can we do a formal introduction here?
Joe Hallenbeck: Who gives a fuck? You're the bad guy, right?
Milo: I am the bad guy.
Joe Hallenbeck: And I'm supposed to be trembling with fear, something like that?
Milo: Something like that.
Joe Hallenbeck: Fine. I'll start trembling in a minute
"Pablo, take Chet's corpse into the other room and fix Mr. Hallenbeck a drink."
DeleteDirty Harry for my honorable mention. The '70s produced a lot of great cop films, seeing The French Connection listed above reminded me of this..
ReplyDeleteDefinitely my honorable mention, too.
DeleteMy favourite is easily Silence of the Lambs. My second is Hot Fuzz.
ReplyDeleteI drew up a top 20 (including those two) but it is in no particular order.
I really love cop movies so this will be hard!
Infernal Affairs, Fargo, The Untouchables, Die Hard,
Point Break, The Heat, The Raid 2, Police Story,
Assault on Precinct 13, Lethal Weapon, RoboCop
48 Hours, Serpico, 21 Jump Street, Witness
The Taking of Pelham 1, 2, 3, Speed and Reservoir Dogs.
An Honorary Mention goes to Dirty Harry and The Big Racket which I discovered in Junesploitation.
Great list Gabby. I forgot how good "Assault on Precinct 13" is. 1976 version that is.
DeleteThank you Tom, agreed I haven't seen the other one! It has some of the most brilliantly built suspense moments. You're right about the 70s- bad, it was ass era for cop movies. ERA.
DeleteNailed it Gabby.
DeleteFavourite cop flick?
ReplyDeleteOff the top of my head:
Friedkin's To Live And Die In L.A.
And I second Prince Of The City.
Holy shit, how did I forget about To Live and Die in L.A.? That movie is amazing.
DeleteGreat call on To Live and Die in L.A. SO GOOD.
DeleteLA Confidential, Bad Lieutenant, Training Day, Street Kings, and of course The French Connection.
ReplyDeleteSci-fi Cops: Trancers, Robocop
ReplyDeleteBad/Cheesy Movie Cops: Action USA!
Hero Worship Cops: Die Hard, Lethal Weapon
Bad Cops: Bad Lieutenant(s)
Funny Cops: Hot Fuzz, The Other Guys
Horror Movie Cops: Jaws, The Exorcist III
Vigilante Cops: Dirty Harry, Bullitt
Clandestine Cops: The Departed, Hard Boiled
1. Excellent screen name.
Delete2. Thank you for mentioning Trancers. It's like someone gets me.
Yes to Trancers! I knew I had more from Junesploitation I was forgetting!
DeleteCop Land, Seven, Only The Lonely and Short Time
ReplyDeleteGuilty Pleasure: R.O.T.O.R.
Just remembered One False Move. Need to watch that again.
ReplyDelete