Subgenre Sampler

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Before We Die (TV Series) (2021): Feat. Lesley Sharp, Patrick Gibson, Vincent Regan; 6 part Police drama based on the popular Scandi–noir series of the same name, shifting the setting from Stockholm to Bristol. Follows a…
Whitstable Pearl (TV Mini-series) (2021): Feat. Kerry Godliman, Howard Charles, Frances Barber; Cosy crime miniseries based on the novels by Julie Wassmer about a single mum and ex–police officer who pursues her dream to start a detective…
Bad Boys For Life (2019): Dir. Adil El Arbi, Bilall Fallah
Feat. Will Smith, Martin Lawrence, Vanessa Anne Hudgens; The infamous pair of Miami detectives are back for one last ride in this enjoyably over the top action comedy.
Enemy Within, The (TV Series) (2019): Feat. Jennifer Carpenter, Morris Chestnut, Raza Jaffrey…; Gripping counter–intelligence drama series following an ex–CIA–spy–turned–traitor (Jennifer Carpenter, DEXTER) who is…
London Kills (TV Series) (2019): Feat. Hugo Speer, Sharon Small, Jennie Jacques; British police procedural centering around an elite murder investigation squad in London, and an experienced detective whose judgement is called into…
Manhunt (TV Mini-series) (2019): Dir. Marc Evans
Feat. Martin Clunes, Stephen Wight, Katie Lyons; Solid Brit–cop drama starring Martin Clunes as a London Metropolitan police detective who tracks down a serial killer. Based on the true story…
Wild Bill (TV Mini-series) (2019): Feat. Rob Lowe, Bronwyn James, Rachael Stirling…; British drama with Rob Lowe playing a US police chief who moves to Lincolnshire from Miami with his 14 year old daughter. Hoping to escape a painful…
ABC Murders, The (TV Mini-series) (2018): Dir. Alex Gabassi
Feat. John Malkovich, Andrew Buchan, Eamon Farren…; Three–part adaptation of the Agatha Christie novel with John Malkovich refreshing as retired detective Hercule Poirot who is here targeted by a…
Alienist, The (TV Mini-series) (2018): Feat. Daniel Bruhl, Luke Evans, Dakota Fanning…; Crime drama series that assembles an ad hoc team in mid–1890s New York to investigate a serial killer who is murdering street children. The…
Bletchley Circle, The: San Francisco (TV Mini-series) (2018): Feat. Julie Graham, Rachael Stirling, Crystal Balint…; Set during the thrilling social change of the mid–1950s, these new episodes see two characters from the original British series travel to…
Hard Sun (TV Series) (2018): Feat. Jim Sturgess, Agyness Deyn, Nikki Amuka-Bird…; Neil Cross (LUTHER, SPOOKS) penned this dystopian British crime drama, where two mismatched police officers investigate evidence that a mysterious…
Instinct (TV Series) (2018): Feat. Alan Cumming, Bojana Novakovic, Naveen Andrews; Police procedural based on the novel "Murder Games" by James Patterson, with Alan Cumming playing an academic and married gay man, who is lured back…
Jack Ryan (TV Series) (2018): Feat. John Krasinski, Abbie Cornish, Wendell Pierce…; John Krasinski inhabits the TV incarnation of the action–man role created by Tom Clancy and previously played by Alec Baldwin, Harrison Ford,…
Mystery Road (TV Mini-series) (2018): Dir. Rachel Perkins
Feat. Aaron Pedersen, Judy Davis, Deborah Mailman…; Six–part miniseries based on the outback noir film of the same name, following indigenous detective Jay Swan as he investigates the…
Purity of Vengeance, The (Journal 64) (2018): Dir. Christoffer Boe
Feat. Nikolaj Lie Kaas, Fares Fares; The fourth and final installment in the Danish 'Department Q' detective series initiated by The KEEPER OF LOST CAUSES is a conspiracy thriller…
Rookie, The (TV Series) (2018): Feat. Nathan Fillion, Alyssa Diaz, Richard T. Jones; Police procedural drama with Nathan Fillion playing a small–town guy pursuing his dream of becoming an LAPD officer, and proving himself…
Wellington Paranormal (TV Series) (2018): Dir. Jemaine Clement, Jackie Van Beek
Feat. Karen O’Leary, Mike Minogue, Maaka Pohatu; An inspired spin–off TV series from WHAT WE DO IN THE SHADOWS that expands the role of lovably clueless police officers O'Leary and Minogue…
White Boy Rick (2018): Feat. Matthew McConaughey, Richie Merritt, Bel Powley…; Compelling true crime story from the director of '71, following 14–year old drug trafficker Richard Wershe Jr. who was an undercover informant…
Broadchurch - Series 3 (TV Series) (2017): Feat. David Tennant, Olivia Colman, Jodie Whittaker…; The third and final series has detectives Hardy and Miller investigating a serious sexual assault in the beleagured Dorset village, and explores the…
Prime Suspect 1973 (TV Series) (Prime Suspect: Tennison) (2017): Dir. David Caffrey
Feat. Stefanie Martini, Sam Reid, Blake Harrison…; A retro–dated prequel to Lynda LaPlante's long–running British detective drama series, originally starring Helen Mirren as DCI Jane…
Angie Tribeca (TV Series) (2016): Feat. Rashida Jones, Hayes MacArthur, Jere Burns…; Steve Carell produced spoofing of TV cops with Rashida Jones as lone–wolf detective Angie Tribeca investigating the most serious cases, from…
Dark Heart (TV Series) (2016): Feat. Tom Riley, Charlotte Riley; Crime mini–series set in London, following an alcoholic and workaholic detective investigating a string of horrific murders, all the while…
In Plain Sight (TV Mini-series) (2016): Dir. John Strickland
Feat. Douglas Henshall, Martin Compston, Shauna Macdonald; Three–part drama series covering the crimes committed by serial killer Peter Manuel in Lanarkshire, Scotland in the 1950s, shocking local…
Killing Season, The (TV Series) (2016): Journalistic investigation of a notorious unsolved serial killer case involving ten dead sex workers discovered on Gilgo Beach, Long Island. Believed…
Lethal Weapon (TV Series) (2016): Feat. Damon Wayans, Clayne Crawford; A quintessential "buddy cop" action comedy–drama series based on the 1980s & 90s film franchise created by Shane Black, with Damon Wayans and…
Level, The (TV Series) (2016): Dir. Mark Everest, Andy Goddard
Feat. Karla Crome, Lindsey Coulson, Noel Clarke…; Six–part British crime drama featuring Karla Crome as a detective with the National Crime Division assigned to Brighton CID to investigate the…
Lucky Man (TV Series) (Stan Lee's Lucky Man) (2016): Feat. James Nesbitt, Amara Karan, Sienna Guillory…; CONTRABAND TITLE. Not legally available for sale, rent or trade in New Zealand unless submitted for approval to the NZ Office of Film & Literature…
New Blood (TV Series) (2016): Feat. Mark Strepan, Ben Tavassoli, Mark Addy…; A light–on–its–feet London–based BBC police series from the creator of FOYLE'S WAR that brings together a pair of cheeky…
Secret, The (TV Mini-series) (2016): Dir. Nick Murphy
Feat. James Nesbitt, Genevieve O’Reilly, Jason Watkins…; Award–winning mini–series based on Belfast journalist Deric Henderson's true–life account of the double murder of a couple whose…
War on Everyone (2016): Dir. John Michael McDonagh
Feat. Alexander Skarsgard, Michael Pena, Theo James…; The Irish writer/director of CALVARY and THE GUARD goes Stateside for this comic actioner about two corrupt cops who gleefully blackmail and frame…
Witnesses (TV Mini-series) (2016): Dir. Herve Hadmar
Feat. Thierry Lhermitte, Marie Dompnier, Laurent Lucas; Crime drama set in the north of France centred around a resilient female cop who investigates a wave of strange murders linked to a retired crime…
Black Work (TV Series) (2015): Feat. Sheridan Smith, Matthew McNulty, Geraldine James…; Pacy British crime series with Sheridan Smith as a policewoman who sets out to discover who murdered her husband, an undercover officer.
Broadchurch - Series 2 (TV Series) (2015): Feat. David Tennant, Olivia Colman, Andrew Buchan…; Second season of the compelling mystery series returns to the titular town one year after Danny Latimer's killer was revealed. Inevitably more…
Bureau, The (TV Series) (Le Bureau des Legendes) (2015): Feat. Mathieu Kassovitz; CONTRABAND TITLE. Seasons 1 to 3 are not legally available for sale, rent or trade in New Zealand unless submitted for approval to the NZ Office of…
Coroner, The (TV Series) (2015-2016): Feat. Claire Goose, Matt Bardock; Light and fanciful whodunnit drama series starring Claire Goose as a coroner poring over suspicious corpses in a fictional South Devon coastal town.…
Death in Leon (TV Mini-series) (Muerte en Leon) (2015): Dir. Justin Webster; A non–fiction series about the murder of Isabel Carrasco, a controversial politician and president of the Provincial Council of Leon, Spain.…
iZombie (TV Series) (2015): Feat. Rose McIver, David Anders, Malcolm Goodwin; The hunger for all things dead–but–still–living continues with his amusing twist on the genre, loosely adapted from a comic book…
Norskov (TV Series) (2015): Feat. Thomas Levin, Claus Riis Ostergaard, Jacob Lohmann; CONTRABAND TITLE. Season 1 is not legally available for sale, rent or trade in New Zealand unless submitted for approval to the NZ Office of Film &…
Team, The (TV Series) (2015): Feat. Lars Mikkelsen, Veerle Baetens, Jasmin Gerat; CONTRABAND TITLE. Not legally available for sale, rent or trade in New Zealand unless submitted for approval to the NZ Office of Film & Literature…
True New Zealand Crime Stories (How to Murder Your Wife; Monster of Mangatiti; Venus and Mars; Bloodlines; Siege) (2015): Dir. Riccardo Pellizzeri, John Laing, Peter Burger
Feat. Mark Mitchinson, Craig Hall, Sara Wiseman…; How to Murder Your Wife: A black comedy based on the true story of Alfred Benning's outlandish attempts to murder his overbearing wife in 1977.…
22 Jump Street (2014): Dir. Phil Lord, Chris Miller
Feat. Jonah Hill, Channing Tatum, Peter Stormare…; Jonah Hill and Channing Tatum graduate to college to bust another crime ring in this riotous sequel to the hit TV spin off.
Babylon (TV Mini-Series) (2014): Feat. Brit Marling, Ella Smith, Bertie Carvel…; British comedy–drama set in contemporary London, and following the activities of the Metropolitan Police Service and New Scotland Yard, as they…
Bosch (TV Series) (2014): Feat. Titus Welliver; Titus Welliver stars as Michael Connelly's famed detective in this acclaimed series in which Bosch pursues a murderer while standing trial for the…
Brokenwood Mysteries, The (TV Series) (2014-2017): Feat. Neill Rea, Fern Sutherland; A local stab at the ever popular murder mystery genre with this Kiwiana policier featuring two mismatched detectives investigating a series of…
Chasing Shadows (TV Mini-Series) (2014): Dir. Christopher Menaul, Jim O’Hanlon
Feat. Reece Shearsmith, Alex Kingston, Noel Clarke; British crime series following the work of a missing persons unit, with Reece Shearsmith as a brilliant yet socially awkward detective Sergeant who…
Deliver Us from Evil (2014): Dir. Scott Derrickson
Feat. Eric Bana, Édgar Ramírez, Olivia Munn…; Eric Bana investigates a series of horrific crimes believed to be the work of the devil by a renegade priest. Wedged firmly into the serial…
Fall, The - Series 2 (TV Series) (2014): Feat. Gillian Anderson, Jamie Dornan, John Lynch; Gillian Anderson and Jamie Dornan reprise their roles, and continue their gripping game of cat and mouse through the streets of Belfast.
Hannibal - Season 2 (TV Series) (2014): Feat. Hugh Dancy, Mads Mikkelsen, Caroline Dhavernas…; Further episodes in the grisly, ultra stylised thriller based on Thomas Harris' ubiquitous crime novels, with the grimly compelling relationship…
Happy Valley (TV Series) (2014-2023): Feat. Sarah Lancashire, Steve Pemberton, Siobhan Finneran; Another riveting top–shelf British police drama hot on the heels of BROADCHURCH. Sarah Lancashire stars as a Yorkshire sergeant who suspects a…
Robocop (2014): Dir. José Padilha
Feat. Joel Kinnaman, Gary Oldman, Michael Keaton…; Paul Verhoeven's electric blockbuster about a tormented robotic supercop is rebooted for the 21st century.
True Detective - Season 1 (TV Series) (2014): Dir. Cary Joji Fukunaga
Feat. Matthew McConaughey, Woody Harrelson, Michelle Monaghan…; This superlative HBO policier – a marquee television event in 2014, and the first in an anthology of bespoke detective stories – pairs…
Almost Human (TV Series) (2013): Feat. Karl Urban, Michael Ealy, Minka Kelly…; Futuristic sci–fi series set in the year 2048, where a human cop (Karl Urban) partners up with an android to fight crime as part of a new…
Back in Crime (2013): Dir. Germinal Alvarez
Feat. Jean-Hugues Anglade, Mélanie Thierry, Philippe Berodot; Offbeat police thriller with Anglade as an obsessive cop who finds himself inexplicably transported back in time.
Blind Detective (2013): Dir. Johnnie To
Feat. Andy Lau, Sammi Cheng, Yuanyuan Gao; Dir. Johnnie To has a bob each way with this entertaining policier, effortlessly combining action, comedy and slapstick romance. Andy Lau plays the…
Bridge, The - Series 2 (TV Series) (Bron/Broen) (2013): Feat. Sofia Helin, Kim Bodnia, Dag Malmberg; Further episodes in this steely Danish–Swedish murder mystery, with series two investigating the mystery surrounding an abandoned coastal…
Broadchurch - Series 1 (TV Series) (2013): Feat. David Tennant, Olivia Colman, Jodie Whittaker…; Superb addition to the euro crime craze, with Tennant and Colman bringing a surprisingly fresh take on the mismatched partner scenario, as detectives…
Brooklyn Nine-Nine (TV Series) (2013): Feat. Andy Samberg, Stephanie Beatriz, Terry Crews…; Andy Samberg plays a hotshot detective too cocksure for his captain's liking in this irreverent law and order sitcom, very much in the vein of…
Death of a Pilgrim (TV Mini-Series) (2013): Feat. Rolf Lassgard; Fascinating Scandi–conspiracy thriller centred on the assassination of Swedish Prime Minister Olof Palme in 1986, a murder that to this day…
Fall, The - Series 1 (TV Series) (2013): Feat. Gillian Anderson, Jamie Dornan, Laura Donnelly; A dark exemplar of the current wave of female–driven crime dramas, with former X–FILES stalwart Gillian Anderson bringing a steely edge…
Hannibal - Season 1 (TV Series) (2013): Feat. Hugh Dancy, Mads Mikkelsen, Caroline Dhavernas…; A grisly, ultra stylised thriller based on Thomas Harris' ubiquitous crime novels, with the grimly compelling relationship between FBI agent Will…
Harry (TV Series) (2013): Feat. Oscar Kightley, Sam Neill, Hunter Kamuhemu…; Oscar Kightley plays a grieving South Auckland detective swamped by a series of armed robberies in this dark, authentic local policier, a welcome…
R.I.P.D (2013): Dir. Robert Schwentke
Feat. Jeff Bridges, Ryan Reynolds, Kevin Bacon…; This big budget flop is a lot of fun on its own terms: a carefree, unpretentious shoot–em–up about deceased detectives who project the…
Shetland (TV Series) (2013): Feat. Douglas Henshall, Steven Robertson, Alison ODonnell; Created from the novels by Ann Cleeves (VERA), this BBC series follows Detective Inspector Jimmy Perez (Douglas Henshall) and his team as they…
Top of the Lake (TV Series) (2013): Dir. Jane Campion, Gerard Lee
Feat. Elisabeth Moss, Peter Mullan, David Wenham…; An unnerving, atmosphere–rich 'feminist' policier from Australasian auteur Jane Campion, centred on the mystery of a 12–year–old…
Tunnel, The (TV Series) (2013): Feat. Stephen Dillane, Clemence Poesy, Mia Goth; An Anglo/French remake of Scandinavian crime hit THE BRIDGE, centred alternatively on a British and French detective who find themselves working…
Welcome to the Punch (2013): Dir. Eran Creevy
Feat. James McAvoy, Mark Strong, Andrea Riseborough…; James McAvoy and Mark Strong square off as obsessive cop and elusive criminal mastermind respectively in this high–performance thriller set in…
WPC 56 (TV Series) (2013): Feat. Jennie Jacques; In the tradition of JULIET BRAVO, this Birmingham–set police drama follows the trials and triumphs of a woman constable to serving in the…
21 Jump Street (2012): Dir. Phil Lord, Chris Miller
Feat. Jonah Hill, Channing Tatum, Ice-Cube…; It's back to the books for two larrikin junior cops on undercover assignment at a high school harbouring a drug ring, in this cocksure spoof of the…
Alcatraz (TV Series) (2012): Feat. Sarah Jones, Jorge Garcia, Sam Neill…; A short–lived but engrossing policier with a mystery hook – a la LOST – which re–imagines San Francisco's Alcatraz prison as…
End of Watch (2012): Dir. David Ayer
Feat. Jake Gyllenhaal, Michael Pena, Anna Kendrick…; David Ayer, writer of TRAINING DAY, gives us another bracing cautionary tale of Los Angeles law enforcement, here following the good police work of…
Good Cop (TV Series) (2012): Feat. Warren Brown, Kerrie Hayes; A hard–hitting police procedural about a run–down Liverpool constable who turns to increasingly violent and unlawful means in his line of…
Killing, The - Series 3 (TV Series) (Forbrydelsen) (2012): Feat. Sofie Grabol, Søren Malling; Final episodes in the ripping, immensely popular Danish homicide serial weaves a third plot exploring a death linked to the global financial crisis…
Line of Duty (TV Series) (2012): Feat. Lennie James, Martin Compston, Vicky McClure…; Outstanding new British policier deals with corruption and department politics within a special unit whose record crime figures don't quite add up.…
No Limit (TV Series) (2012): Feat. Vincent Elbaz, Anne Girouard; TV series created by Luc Besson following a French intelligence agent who accepts a mission from a mysterious black ops organisation in exchange for…
Place Beyond the Pines, The (2012): Dir. Derek Cianfrance
Feat. Ryan Gosling, Eva Mendes, Bradley Cooper…; Ryan Gosling re–teams with the dir. of BLUE VALENTINE for this equally arresting crime saga that unfolds after a motorcycling drifter's…
Ripper Street (TV Series) (2012): Feat. Matthew MacFadyen, Jerome Flynn, MyAnna Buring; A gritty and gripping period policier which revisits the manhunt for Jack the Ripper in Victorian London. Series One: eight episodes across three…
Safe House (2012): Feat. Errol Shand, Peter Elliot, Morgana O’Reilly…; The infancy of witness protection in New Zealand is given a suspenseful retelling in this quality feature–length production from TVNZ's Sunday…
Sweeney, The (2012): Dir. Nick Love
Feat. Ray Winstone, Ben Drew, Hayley Atwell…; Ray Winstone phones it in as the 'ard as nails Flying Squad detective determined to bring down an old adversary planning a major bank heist. Maximum…
Young Montalbano (TV Series) (Il giovane Montalbano) (2012): Feat. Michele Riondino; The popular Inspector Montalbano lives on in this prequel which employs Andrea Camilleri's earlier books to paint a picture of Montalbano in his…
Arne Dahl (TV Series) (2011): CONTRABAND TITLE. Not legally available for sale, rent or trade in New Zealand unless submitted for approval to the NZ Office of Film & Literature…
Blitz (2011): Dir. Elliott Lester
Feat. Jason Statham, Paddy Considine, Aidan Gillen…; Subtlety–free actioner with Statham as a brutish cop given free reign to bring in a serial cop–killer. Almost oppressively violent with a…
Bridge, The - Series 1 (TV Series) (Bron/Broen) (2011): Feat. Sofia Helin, Kim Bodnia, Dag Malmberg; The Scandi–crime wave continues with this steely Danish–Swedish murder mystery, centred on the discovery of a body straddling the…
Case Sensitive (TV Series) (2011): Feat. Olivia Williams, Darren Boyd, Peter Wight…; Serviceable British policier centred on the case–solving acumen of a male–female detective team whose work regularly descends into…
Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, The (2011): Dir. David Fincher
Feat. Daniel Craig, Rooney Mara, Christopher Plummer…; David Fincher helms this electrifying big–budget remake of the dynamite Swedish thriller, adapted from Stieg Larsson's worldwide bestseller.…
Grimm (TV Series) (2011): Feat. David Giuntoli, Russell Hornsby, Bitsie Tulloch…; A supernaturally gifted homicide detective begins to take on cases linked to creature mythology and fairytale archetypes in this police procedural…
Killing, The (TV Series, US) (2011): Feat. Mireille Enos, Billy Campbell, Michelle Forbes; Absorbing US remake of the hit Danish homicide serial remains faithful to the long–form, deep–focus procedural format of the original…
Once Upon a Time in Anatolia (2011): Dir. Nuri Bilge Ceylan
Feat. Muhammet Uzuner, Firat Tanis, Yilmaz Erdogan; Turkish auteur Nuri Bilge Ceylan directs this masterful long–haul road movie about a convoy of policemen searching for a body on the…
Person of Interest (TV Series) (2011): Feat. Jim Caviezel, Michael Emerson; A rogue CIA agent is recruited by a reclusive computer genius to help run an unwanted crime prediction system he developed for the government. Strong…
Polisse (2011): Dir. Maïwenn
Feat. Karin Viard, Marina Fois, Nicolas Duvauchelle …; A tough, unglamorous insight into the police work of a Parisian Juvenile Protection Unit, whose officers grapple with the moral and personal dilemmas…
Rampart (2011): Dir. Oren Moverman
Feat. Woody Harrelson, Ben Foster, Cynthia Nixon…; Woody Harrelson plays a reckless Los Angeles police officer whose corruption on the job extends to his family and personal life in this profane,…
Scott & Bailey (TV Series) (2011): Feat. Suranne Jones, Lesley Sharp, Rupert Graves…; A tough–minded and level–headed female policier in the spirit of CAGNEY & LACEY (with shades of PRIME SUSPECT), framed around the private…
Shadow Line, The (TV Series) (2011): Dir. Hugo Blick
Feat. Chiwetel Ejiofor, Christopher Eccleston, Rafe Spall…; This quality BBC production builds a compelling and morally complex story around the death of a convicted drugs smuggler, whose murder is…
Silence, The (Das letzte Schweigen) (2011): Dir. Baran bo Odar
Feat. Ulrich Thomsen, Katrin Sass, Wotan Wilke Möhring; German thriller set in 2009, 23 years after the unsolved rape and murder of an 11–year old girl, when a remarkably similar crime attracts the…
Son of No One, The (2011): Dir. Dito Montiel
Feat. Channing Tatum, Al Pacino, Ray Liotta…; Channing Tatum plays a rookie policeman assigned to the neighborhood of his troubled youth in this excitable crooked cop tale. Great cast, though…
Underbelly - Season 4 (TV Mini-series) (Land of the Long Green Cloud) (2011): Feat. Daniel Musgrove, Damien Avery, Grae Burton…; World famous in New Zealand, drug trafficker Marty Johnstone – aka, Mr. Asia – steals the Underbelly spotlight in this locally made…
Zen (TV Series) (2011): Feat. Rufus Sewell, Caterina Murino, Julie Cox…; Short–lived but stylish BBC detective series wades into the overcrowded male crime fighter market with suave Rufus Sewell in the role of…
Blue Bloods (TV Series) (2010-2020): Feat. Tom Selleck, Donnie Wahlberg, Bridget Moynahan; Character driven police procedural set in New York City where an Irish Catholic family has a history of work in law enforcement, with each family…
Castle (TV Series) (2010): Feat. Nathan Fillion, Stana Katic, Jon Huertas; Quirky cop show with a pulp crime writer teaming up with a detective to track down a serial killer.
Cop Out (2010): Dir. Kevin Smith
Feat. Bruce Willis, Tracy Morgan, Seann William Scott…; Juvenile buddy–cop homage features Bruce Willis and Tracy Morgan as a pair of 'odd–couple' detectives seeking to reclaim a rare baseball…
DCI Banks (TV Series) (2010): Feat. Stephen Tompkinson, Caroline Catz, Andrea Lowe; Stephen Tompkinson embodies the firm, working class stock of Peter Robinson's Inspector Alan Banks in this solid British police procedural. Series…
Elite Squad: The Enemy Within (Elite Squad 2) (2010): Dir. José Padilha
Feat. Wagner Moura, Andre Ramiro; This riveting sequel to dir. Padilha's blockbuster policier features a more politically engaged storyline, with plenty of new angles on the…
Five Days (TV Series) (2010): Feat. Suranne Jones, Anne Reid, Bernard Hill…; High concept BBC crime series magnifies the complex thread of events and consequences surrounding a lengthy crime investigation by focusing on five…
Guard, The (2010): Dir. John Michael McDonagh
Feat. Brendan Gleeson, Don Cheadle, Liam Cunningham…; A straitlaced FBI agent (Cheadle) and a raucous Irish cop (Gleeson) buddy up to take down an international drug smuggling ring in this riotous…
Hawaii Five-O (TV Series) (2010): Feat. Alex O'Loughlin, Scott Caan, Daniel Dae Kim…; A souped–up, though still relatively faithful update of the funky surf and sun policier, originally a hit in the late sixties. Alex O'Loughlin…
Luther (TV Series) (2010-2019): Feat. Idris Elba, Saskia Reeves, Indira Varma…; Stylish, swaggering BBC cop show created by SPOOKS–scriptwriter (and currently Wellington resident) Neil Cross stars THE WIRE's Idris Elba as a…
Other Guys, The (2010): Dir. Adam McKay
Feat. Will Ferrell, Mark Wahlberg, Samuel L. Jackson…; Will Ferrell and Mark Wahlberg make for incompatible partners in this absurdist buddy–cop homage from the dir. of STEP BROTHERS and TALLADEGA…
Rizzoli & Isles (TV Series) (2010-2016): Feat. Angie Harmon, Sasha Alexander, Bruce McGill…; Girl–powered police procedural series that teams up Angie Harmon as police detective Jane Rizzoli and Sasha Alexander as medical examiner Dr.…
Rookie Blue (TV Series) (2010): Feat. Missy Peregrym, Gregory Smith; A group of young, incongruously attractive recruits learn the ropes of police work in this highly unrealistic, but nonetheless addictive soap opera…
Sebastian Bergman (TV Series) (Den fördömde) (2010): Feat. Rolf Lassgard; CONTRABAND TITLE. Not legally available for sale, rent or trade in New Zealand unless submitted for approval to the NZ Office of Film & Literature…
Single-Handed (TV Series) (2010): Dir. Colm McCarthy, Anthony Byrne
Feat. Owen McDonnell; Picturesque rural Ireland policier following a big city officer who returns to his home–town to find it seething with a complex web of…
Small Town Murder Songs (2010): Dir. Ed Gass-Donnelly
Feat. Peter Stormare, Jill Hennessy, Martha Plimpton…; Simmering provincial redemption story stars Peter Stormare as a clammy police officer trying to escape his violent past in a small Mennonite…
Thorne (TV Series) (2010): Feat. David Morrissey, Eddie Marsan, Aidan Gillen…; Another top–draw British policier loaded with all the usual suspects: atmosphere, plot twists, and a hard–bitten hero, with David…
Underbelly - Season 3 (TV Mini-series) (The Golden Mile) (2010): Feat. Mitch Bartlett, Natalie Bassingthwaighte, Emma Booth; Sydney’s infamous Kings Cross, circa 1989, is the setting for this latest airing of Australia’s dirty laundry. Although centred on the…
Above Suspicion (TV Series) (2009): Feat. Kelly Reilly, Ciaran Hinds, Shaun Dingwall; British crime series based on the novels written by Lynda La Plante (PRIME SUSPECT). A rookie female detective, determined to prove herself amidst…
Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans (2009): Dir. Werner Herzog
Feat. Nicolas Cage, Eva Mendes, Val Kilmer…; Werner Herzog's spin on the 1992 bad–boy classic delights in seeing a pasty, middle–aged Nicolas Cage cracking up (in all three meanings…
Brooklyn's Finest (2009): Dir. Antoine Fuqua
Feat. Richard Gere, Don Cheadle, Ethan Hawke…; The dir. of TRAINING DAY spins this heavy–handed multi–narrative around three burnt out NYC cops at the end of their tether. Posturing…
Diamond 13 (2009): Dir. Gilles Behat
Feat. Gerard Depardieu, Asia Argento, Olivier Marchal; Downbeat and convoluted thriller with a dying cop roping in his loyal partner in a scheme to steal a shipment of cocaine from a drug…
Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, The (2009): Dir. Niels Arden Oplev
Feat. Michael Nyqvist, Noomi Rapace, Lena Endre; One of the highest–grossing foreign language hits at the NZ box office, this riveting, full–bodied Swedish thriller follows an escalating…
Hunter (TV Mini-series) (2009): Feat. Hugh Bonneville, Janet McTeer; Standard BBC police drama following Detective Superintendent Iain Barclay (Bonneville) and his deputy Detective Sergeant Amy Foster (McTeer) as they…
In the Electric Mist (2009): Dir. Bertrand Tavernier
Feat. Tommy Lee Jones, John Goodman, Peter Sarsgaard…; Improving on previous James Lee Burke adaptation HEAVEN’S PRISONERS, this sturdy New Orleans thriller has Tommy Lee Jones assuming the plum role of…
Killing, The - Series 2 (TV Series) (Forbrydelsen) (2009): Feat. Sofie Grabol, Søren Malling; Further episodes from the ripping, immensely popular Danish homicide serial weaves a secondary plot of intrigue, corruption, and bureaucracy…
Law and Order UK (TV Series) (2009): Feat. Jamie Bamber, Bradley Walsh, Ben Daniels…; Beloved crime show gets a UK version capturing the both excitement and drudgery that made the US version such a success. Initially the heavy…
Lie To Me (TV Series) (2009-2011): Feat. Tim Roth, Kelli Williams, Brendan Hines; Engaging crime drama that sees an unlikely Tim Roth play Cal Lightman, a doctor who has such an uncanny ability to read facial expressions and body…
Moses Jones (TV Mini-Series) (2009): Dir. Michael Offer
Feat. Shaun Parkes, Matt Smith; Grimy, downtrodden policier finds the titular Moses Jones (Parkes) re–assigned to investigate a brutal murder amid London’s Ugandan exile…
Police, Adjective (2009): Dir. Corneliu Porumboiu
Feat. Dragos Bucur, Vlad Ivanov, Irina Saulescu…; An ingenious, pared–back police procedural in the droll tradition of the Romanian New Wave that at once deconstructs the genre, and wittily…
Red Riding Trilogy (1974, 1980, 1983) (2009): Dir. Julian Jarrold, James Marsh, Anand Tucker
Feat. Sean Bean, Andrew Garfield, David Morrissey…; David Peace’s gritty quartet of crime novels receive a stunning translation to the screen with this threesome of British detective thrillers, based…
Secret in Their Eyes, The (El Secreto de sus Ojos) (2009): Dir. Juan José Campanella
Feat. Ricardo Darín, Soledad Villamil, Carla Quevedo; Arresting, well–rounded Argentine crime drama sees a retired court employee become obsessed with a 25–year–old murder case that he…
White Collar (TV Series) (2009-2014): Feat. Matt Bomer, Marsha Thomason, Tim DeKay…; Police procedural series following a hard working and honest FBI agent (Tim DeKay) who makes a work–release deal with a captured con artist…
Whiteout (2009): Dir. Dominic Sena
Feat. Kate Beckinsale, Gabriel Macht, Columbus Short…; Brisk, improbable thriller starring Kate Beckinsale as a U.S. Marshall investigating Antarctica’s first ever homicide on the brink of continent’s…
Ashes to Ashes (TV Series) (2008): Feat. Philip Glenister, Keeley Hawes; Spin–off from BBC drama LIFE ON MARS follows DI Alex Drake (Hawes), a police psychologist from 2008 transported to the 80's after a horrific…
Detective De Luca (TV Series) (2008): Feat. Alessandro Prezioni; Another good looking entry into the Italian crime fiction genre, only this time set during the country's fascist era and along the war torn Bologna…
Flashpoint (TV Series) (2008): Feat. Hugh Dillon, Enrico Colantoni, Sergio Di Zio; High–octane cop show from Canada following the 'Strategic Response Unit', a team of elite police who take on the riskier jobs the rest won't…
Fred Vargas Collection (TV Series) (2008-2010): Dir. Josee Dayan
Feat. Jean-Hugues Anglade, Helene Fillieres, Charlotte Rampling; Four excellent French TV adaptations of crime fiction novelist Fred Vargas' popular policiers, with her famous protagonist, Detective Adamsberg, a…
Go Fast (2008): Dir. Olivier Van Hoofstadt
Feat. Roschdy Zem, Olivier Gourmet; An exciting, if standard issue Gallic policier set around the high–stakes world of narcotics, where an Arab police officer goes undercover to…
Investigator, The (TV Series) (2008): Probing Kiwi crime doco series investigating six unsolved New–Zealand crimes by delving into the pitfalls of the justice system in our country…
Lady Cop and Papa Crook (Daai Sau cha Ji Neui) (2008): Dir. Siu Fai Mak, Felix Chong
Feat. Eason Chang, Sammi Cheng, Tak-bun Wong…; An oil kingpin (Chang) finds himself in alliance with a cop (Cheng) when his son is kidnapped, resulting in an uneasy relationship between the law…
Max Payne (2008): Dir. Jason Moore
Feat. Mark Wahlberg, Mila Kunis, Beau Bridges…; Another over–stylised blockbuster based on a video game, this stars Wahlberg as a particularly grim maverick cop on a mission of revenge to…
Mentalist, The (TV Series) (2008): Feat. Simon Baker, Robin Tunney, Tim Kang; Superior crime series sees Simon Baker play an ex–'psychic' who now uses his remarkable powers of scrupulous observation in the name of the…
Pride and Glory (2008): Dir. Gavin O'Connor
Feat. Colin Farrell, Edward Norton, Jon Voight…; A withdrawn, honest Irish cop becomes tangled in a web of betrayal when his brother's drug bust goes savagely wrong and he is ordered to investigate…
Righteous Kill (2008): Dir. Jon Avnet
Feat. Al Pacino, Robert De Niro, John Leguizamo…; Heavyweight has–beens De Niro and Pacino team up again as a couple of NYPD detectives on the trail of a serial killer, whose signature murders…
Street Kings (2008): Dir. David Ayer
Feat. Keanu Reeves, Hugh Laurie, Forest Whitaker…; LA CONFIDENTIAL author James Ellroy and the writer of TRAINING DAY team up for this ultra–macho, ultra–violent LAPD–centric…
Wallander (TV Series, UK) (2008): Feat. Kenneth Branagh, Sarah Smart, Sadie Shimmin; UK adaptation of Henning Mankell’s crime novels sees Branagh take on the titular role of the grizzled Nordic detective, solving gristly crimes in…
Whitechapel (TV Mini-series) (2008): Feat. Rupert Penry-Jones, Phil Davis, Steve Pemberton; Atmospheric detective show focused on a group of detectives who are trying to track down a Jack The Ripper copycat. Filmed entirely in the East…
American Gangster (2007): Dir. Ridley Scott
Feat. Denzel Washington, Russell Crowe, Chiwetel Ejiofor…; Hefty gangster flick in the tradition of SCARFACE, SERPICO, et. al., but based on an amazing true story: Washington plays Frank Lucas, the driver to…
Brave One, The (2007): Dir. Neil Jordan
Feat. Jodie Foster, Naveen Andrews, Terrence Howard; Jodie’s gotta gun, here playing a radio jock turned vigilante avenging her husband's fatal mugging in Neil Jordan's tough stylish, revenge…
Chrysalis (2007): Dir. Julien Leclercq
Feat. Albert Dupontel, Marie Guillard, Marthe Keller…; Relentless French sci–fi flick shot in gun–metal blue and packed with fine examples of classic and contemporary science–fictional…
Die Hard 4.0 (Live Free or Die Hard) (2007): Dir. Len Wiseman
Feat. Bruce Willis, Timothy Olyphant, Justin Long…; Bruce Willis returns as hardass action copper John McClane, taking on a plugged–in, post–9/11 terrorist cell in this fourth addition to…
East West 101 (TV Series) (2007): Feat. Don Hany, William McInnes, Susie Porter; A contemporary, racially–charged policier by way of blue collar Sydney, observing the volatile working relationship between an old–school…
Elite Squad (Tropa de Elite) (2007): Dir. José Padilha
Feat. Wagner Moura, Andre Ramiro, Caio Junqueira…; Brawny South American policier centred on a special division of Brazilian drug enforcement at war with the drug lords of Rio de Janeiro. Stacked…
Exodus (Cheut ai kup gei) (2007): Dir. Pang Ho-Cheung
Feat. Simon Yam, Nick Cheung, Annie Liu; An indifferent Hong Kong detective slowly becomes convinced that women are conspiring to kill off the entire male species in this curious melange of…
Flock, The (2007): Dir. Wai Keung Lau
Feat. Richard Gere, Claire Danes, Ray Wise…; Creepy thriller with Gere as a vigilant federal agent in pursuit of a recently paroled sex offender. Danes is the rookie along for the…
George Gently (TV Series) (Inspector George Gently) (2007): Feat. Martin Shaw, Lee Ingleby; Retro policier with a superb attention to detail, starring Martin Shaw as the eponymous inspector whose old–school detective methods are caught…
Girl by the Lake, The (La ragazza del lago) (2007): Dir. Andrea Molaioli
Feat. Toni Servillo, Denis Fasolo, Nello Mascia…; A murder–mystery that swept Italy's Academy Awards set in an idyllic North Italian village where a beautiful young girl is found murdered.…
Gone Baby Gone (2007): Dir. Ben Affleck
Feat. Casey Affleck, Michelle Monaghan, Morgan Freeman…; Surprisingly gutsy and sure–footed urban crime drama from actor Ben Affleck, who stays behind the camera to direct his brother, Casey, as a…
Hot Fuzz (2007): Dir. Edgar Wright
Feat. Simon Pegg, Nick Frost, Martin Freeman…; A tour de force of comedy from the creators of SHAUN OF THE DEAD and TV's "Spaced", this fills every corner of its big widescreen with better jokes,…
I Witness (2007): Dir. Rowdy Herrington
Feat. Portia de Rossi, Jeff Daniels, James Spader…; When the bodies of 27 Mexican factory workers are found in an underpass, an American human rights activist gets embroiled in Tijuana's political and…
Invisible Target (Naam yi boon sik) (2007): Dir. Benny Chan
Feat. Nicholas Tse, Jaycee Chan, Shawn Yue…; Unyielding martial arts thriller rumbles with a group of detectives commissioned to take out a local Hong Kong mercenary gang. The expected ass…
Killing, The - Complete Series Boxset (TV Series) (Forbrydelsen) (2007-2012): Feat. Sofie Grabol; The entire 40–episode story arc of the gripping Danish crime thriller – an immensely popular series synonymous with the 'Nordic Noir'…
Killing, The - Series 1 (TV Series) (Forbrydelsen) (2007): Dir. Birger Larsen
Feat. Sofie Grabol, Søren Malling; A ripping Danish homicide serial in the long–form tradition of THE WIRE, which weaves a plot of intrigue, corruption, and bureaucracy around a…
Lewis (TV Series) (2007-2015): Feat. Kevin Whatley, Laurence Fox, Clare Holman…; Spin–off to the popular INSPECTOR MORSE series, this Brit detective drama follows a newly promoted Inspector and his sidekick investigating…
Life (TV Series) (2007): Feat. Damian Lewis, Adam Arkin; Damian Lewis riffs Hugh Laurie’s ‘House’ as an incongruous detective returning to the force to uncover the person who got him locked up for 12…
Mad Detective (2007): Dir. Johnnie To, Wai Ka-Fai
Feat. Lau Ching-wan, Kelly Lin; Flawed yet watchable policier in which a faultily–wired, one–eared detective with psychic leanings (Lau) is brought in to help on a cold…
Moonlight (TV Series) (2007-2008): Feat. Alex O'Loughlin, Sophia Myles, Shannyn Sossamon; Underrated crime series featuring a private investigator that just happens to be a vampire and treads the fine line between his daytime duties and…
Mr. Brooks (2007): Dir. Bruce A. Evans
Feat. Demi Moore, Kevin Costner, Dane Cook…; Cool, conceptual psycho–drama in which Costner and Hurt play two sides of the same character: an on–the–wagon serial killer from…
Noise (2007): Dir. Matthew Saville
Feat. Brendan Cowell, Maia Thomas; An impressive Australian modern 'noir', refreshingly off–centred around a hearing–afflicted cop who is assigned the night shift at a…
Rush Hour 3 (2007): Dir. Brett Ratner
Feat. Chris Tucker, Jackie Chan; Action pals Tucker and Chan are back for all–new buddy–cop Asian fusion antics – and are transplanted to gay Paris to fight the Triads.…
Shoot on Sight (2007): Dir. Jag Mundhra
Feat. Naseeruddin Shah, Greta Scacchi, Om Puri…; Not so much hot potato as lukewarm, this political thriller bases its story on the real–life shooting of an innocent Brazilian man gunned down…
We Own the Night (2007): Dir. James Gray
Feat. Joaquin Phoenix, Mark Wahlberg, Eva Mendes…; Accomplished crime saga concerns a nightclub manager (Phoenix) on the fringe of New York's Russian Mafia, whose lifestyle is jeopardized when family…
Zodiac (2007): Dir. David Fincher
Feat. Jake Gyllenhaal, Mark Ruffalo, Anthony Edwards…; Intense, painstaking thriller from the dir. of SEVEN magnifies San Francisco's unsolved ‘Zodiac’ killings with obsessive compulsion and…
24 - Season 5 (TV Series) (2006): Feat. Kiefer Sutherland; Further episodes in this high–concept TV thriller, covering 24 hours of real time events (an hour per episode) with Kiefer Sutherland as lead…
Anna Pihl (TV Series) (2006-2008): Feat. Charlotte Munck, Iben Hjejle; Praised for its realism, this Danish police drama centres around a Copenhagen policewoman also having to deal with solo parenthood.
Confession of Pain (Seung sing) (2006): Dir. Siu Fai Mak, Wai Keung Lau
Feat. Tony Leung (Chiu-wai), Takeshi Kaneshiro, Shu Qi; The directorial duo behind INFERNAL AFFAIRS eek out this morose and melancholic policier about two troubled detectives tracking down a killer in…
Dark Sea (Mare Nero) (2006): Dir. Roberta Torre
Feat. Luigi Lo Cascio, Anna Mouglalis; Ice cold policier charts a lone cops descent into the sex underworld after the murder of a sexually adventurous teenager. Full of Lynchian…
Dexter (TV Series) (2006): Feat. Michael C. Hall, Julie Benz, Jennifer Carpenter…; Deliciously twisted crime drama series following a forensics investigator encouraged by his adopted father to knock off the dregs of the criminal…
History Of The British Police Force, The (2006): Feat. Brian Cox; Fairly detailed and illuminating history of the British bobby, from the days of Sir Robert Peel's first 'peeler' through to the large–scale…
Inside Man (2006): Dir. Spike Lee
Feat. Denzel Washington, Clive Owen, Jodie Foster…; Proficient, personalised heist thriller from dir. Spike Lee (25TH HOUR) in which a smooth and cold super–crim (Owen) engineers the robbery of…
Jar City (Mýrin) (2006): Dir. Baltasar Kormakur
Feat. Ingvar Eggert Sigurðsson, Agusta Eva Erlendsdóttir, Björn Hlynur Haraldsson; With dirt under its fingernails and ice on its breath, this forensic thriller harnesses the harsh, otherworldly elements of its Icelandic setting to…
Life on Mars (TV Series) (2006): Feat. John Simm; John Simm is a modern day detective inadvertently transported back in time to 1973, where his investigative skills are now obsolete in a…
Miami Vice (2006): Dir. Michael Mann
Feat. Colin Farrell, Jamie Foxx, Gong Li…; A brooding reprise of the cult 80s cop TV series with uber–stylist Michael Mann (HEAT) ramping up the serious atmospherics in a prolonged…
Retribution (2006): Dir. Kiyoshi Kurosawa
Feat. Koji Yakusho, Manami Konishi, Tsuyoshi Ihara; A skin–crawling 'mainstream' J–Horror from subtle spookmeister Kiyoshi Kurosawa, this trades heavily in established genre elements, but…
24 - Season 4 (TV Series) (2005): Feat. Kiefer Sutherland, Elisha Cuthbert; Further episodes in this high–concept TV thriller, covering 24 hours of real time events (an hour per episode) with Kiefer Sutherland as lead…
Assault on Precinct 13 (2005): Dir. Jean-François Richet
Feat. Ethan Hawke, Laurence Fishburne, Drea De Matteo…; Effective update of John Carpenter's 1970s classic in which high–impact action and a fairly convincing raw tenseness carry the wellworn tale of…
Bones (TV Series) (2005-2014): Feat. David Boreanaz, Emily Deschanel; A curious forensic policier positing a new angle on the genre, this partners a brilliant anthropologist (Deschanel) and a cocky FBI agent (Boreanaz)…
Bystanders (Diary of June) (2005): Dir. Kyung-Soo Im
Feat. Yunjin Kim; Proficient Korean thriller grapples with a murder mystery of cryptic diary notes left inside the bodies of murder victims; the handwriting matched to…
Closer, The (TV Series) (2005-2006): Feat. Kyra Sedgwick; Capable and assured detective drama dodges most of the worst cliches of the genre, with Kyra Sedwick playing a talented 'Southern Belle' investigator…
Criminal Minds (TV Series) (2005): Feat. Mandy Patinkin, Thomas Gibson, Lola Glaudini; An elite team of FBI profilers attempt to get under the skin of America's most wanted in this tough, if routine procedural drama. Lead by a…
CSI: Grave Danger (TV Series) (2005): Dir. Quentin Tarantino
Feat. William Petersen; Commissioned by producers to write and direct this fifth season cliffhanger of the forensic crime series, Quentin Tarantino exhumes the "buried…
Hostage (2005): Dir. Florent Emilio Siri
Feat. Bruce Willis, Kevin Pollak, Jonathan Tucker…; Bruce Willis negotiates familiar territory as a SWAT agent drawn into a messy siege in a high–security mansion, where three white–trash…
Inspector Soneri: Fog and Crimes (Nebbie e delitti) (2005): Feat. Luca Barbareschi, Natasha Stefanenko; Inspired by the best–selling crime novels by Valerio Varesi, this atmospheric policier set along the river Po, with Barbareschi as the brooding…
Jesse Stone [Movie Series] (2005-2015): Feat. Tom Selleck, Jane Adams, Saul Rubinek…; Based on the detective novels by Robert B. Parker, Tom Selleck plays his eponymous law enforcement officer from Massachusetts in this series of…
Man, The (2005): Dir. Les Mayfield
Feat. Samuel L. Jackson, Eugene Levy; Manic–aggressive comedy concerning a foul–mouthed Detroit policeman (Jackson) who ends up conscripting an innocent salesman (Levy) to his…
Miss Congeniality 2: Armed and Fabulous (2005): Dir. John Pasquin
Feat. Sandra Bullock, William Shatner, Treat Williams…; Bullock returns as the tomboy FBI detective, this time on a downward spiral through losing her partner, being made the advertised 'face of the FBI',…
Murder Take One (The Big Scene) (2005): Dir. Jin Jang
Feat. Ha-kyun Shin, Seung-Won Cha; Thwarted by a television agreement consigning an ongoing homicide investigation to the prying eyes of a Reality TV show, prosecutor Choi (Cha) must…
Wallander (TV Series) (2005): Feat. Krister Henriksson, Johanna Sällström; Suspenseful Scandinavian procedural finds drama within the inner–workings of a police force in southern Sweden, chiefly between the series’…
36 Quai Des Orfevres (2004): Dir. Olivier Marchal
Feat. Gerard Depardieu, Daniel Auteuil; Gerard Depardieu and Daniel Auteuil partner again for this straight–faced policier as two veteran cops who compete for the top job while trying…
Eagle, The (TV Series) (A Crime Odyssey) (2004): Feat. Jens Albinus; An expert Danish thriller dealing in international terrorism and cross–border crime, this involves the usual task force machinations of special…
Last Shot, The (2004): Dir. Jeff Nathanson
Feat. Alec Baldwin, Matthew Broderick, Toni Collette…; Zany comedy a nifty premise, has Broderick play a wannabe director who gets the 'greenlight' without realising he is part of an elaborate FBI…
New Police Story (2004): Dir. Benny Chan
Feat. Jackie Chan, Nicholas Tse, Daniel Wu; A groundbreaking fourth (or possibly fifth) entry in Jackie Chan's martial arts series about the life of a reckless Hong Kong policeman, here…
Spartan (2004): Dir. David Mamet
Feat. Val Kilmer, Derek Luke, William H. Macy…; An expert 'special ops' agent (Kilmer) is sucked headfirst into a wild, yet plausible conspiracy involving the kidnapping of the US president's…
Starsky and Hutch (2004): Dir. Todd Phillips
Feat. Ben Stiller, Owen Wilson, Will Ferrell…; With this updated comic riff on the iconic cop show of the 1970s, Ben Stiller and Owen Wilson repeat the winning formula of hits like ZOOLANDER and…
Suspect Zero (2004): Dir. E. Elias Merhige
Feat. Ben Kingsley, Aaron Eckhart, Carrie-Anne Moss; A foreboding blood hunt in the stylish tradition of SEVEN, with serial–killer Kingsley and FBI–man Eckhart circling each other in a fog…
Blackjack (TV Series) (2003-2007): Dir. Peter Andrikidis
Feat. Colin Friels, Vince Colosimo, Kate Beahan…; Tenacious Aussie crime series centred on a detective banished to work in the police archives section, who uses his new surrounds to solve long…
Blue Murder (TV Series) (2003): Feat. Caroline Quentin; Pragmatic crime series featuring British comedian Caroline Quentin as a detective at the top of her game, trying to juggle her demanding career and…
In the Cut (2003): Dir. Jane Campion
Feat. Meg Ryan, Mark Ruffalo, Jennifer Jason Leigh…; An uncomfortable, darkly ‘feminist’ thriller for which Meg Ryan deflowers her star persona, playing a troubled forty–something who…
Infernal Affairs 2 (Mou gaan dou II) (2003): Dir. Wai Keung Lau, Siu Fai Mak
Feat. Edison Chen, Shawn Yue, Carina Lau…; Solid prequel to the hit Hong Kong policier, goes back in time to the era of the 1991 and moves forward in three acts to the Chinese handover,…
Infernal Affairs 3 (Mou gaan dou III) (2003): Dir. Wai Keung Lau, Siu Fai Mak
Feat. Andy Lau, Tony Leung (Chiu-wai), Leon Lai…; Actual sequel to the hit Hong Kong gangland–cop thriller attempts valiantly to tie up loose ends, both picking up where corrupt cop Ming (Lau)…
Last Detective, The (TV Series) (2003): Feat. Peter Davison; The ironically moniker Constable "Dangerous" Davies livens up this comic policier about an inept but persistent detective saddled with the most…
Memories of Murder (Salinui chueok) (2003): Dir. Joon-ho Bong
Feat. Kang-ho Song, Sang-kyung Kim, Roe-ha Kim; A darkly lyrical thriller, set around the true–life hunt for South Korea's first documented serial killer in 1986, during the years of Chun…
Mystic River (2003): Dir. Clint Eastwood
Feat. Sean Penn, Tim Robbins, Kevin Bacon…; Dignified crime thriller shot in unfussy style by old pro Clint Eastwood, this is less thrilling than a reliable entertainment, with the emotional…
NCIS (TV Series) (2003-2007): Feat. Mark Harmon, Sasha Alexander; Globe–trotting TV crime series focused on a group of detectives investigating curly crimes connected to the Navy and Marine corps. A riveting…
New Tricks (TV Series) (2003): Feat. Alun Armstrong, James Bolam, Amanda Redman…; Solidly commended British crime series set around a trio of retired police detectives (Armstrong, Bolam and Waterman), led by the rather brash Amanda…
Planman, The (2003): Dir. John Strickland
Feat. Robbie Coltrane, Graham Crowden; Ingenious two–part thriller in which Robbie Coltrane, in a near–reprise of his CRACKER role, plays a clever Scottish lawyer who in his…
Blood Work (2002): Dir. Clint Eastwood
Feat. Clint Eastwood, Anjelica Huston, Jeff Daniels; FBI–profiler Clint Eastwood is coaxed out of retirement when he learns of the background of the heart transplant he has just undergone after a…
City By the Sea (2002): Dir. Michael Caton-Jones
Feat. Robert De Niro, Frances McDormand; Robert De Niro faces a personal and professional dilemma as a decent cop/bad father who discovers that the prime suspect in the murder of his partner…
CSI Miami (TV Series) (2002): Feat. David Caruso, Rory Cochrane; Episodes from the first series of the Florida–based spinoff from the successful forensic procedural series. David Caruso follows William…
Dark Blue (2002): Dir. Ron Shelton
Feat. Kurt Russell, Ving Rhames, Brendan Gleeson…; Unexpectedly sharp police drama lifted from a James Ellroy story and placed into Los Angeles on the eve of the 1992 riots. Expressing the…
Hunted, The (2002): Dir. William Friedkin
Feat. Tommy Lee Jones, Benicio Del Toro, Connie Nielsen; Hunt–and–kill thriller with Del Toro playing a psychically wounded veteran of Kosovo, who back in America begins stalking deer hunters in…
Infernal Affairs (2002): Dir. Wai Keung Lau, Siu Fai Mak
Feat. Andy Lau, Tony Leung (Chiu-wai), Anthony Wong…; This dynamic cops ‘n’ robbers spectacle is populist Hong Kong film–making at its most slick and sophisticated. Infused with more than a…
Insomnia (2002): Dir. Christopher Nolan
Feat. Al Pacino, Robin Williams, Hilary Swank…; Consummate thriller from the director of “Memento” is an exemplary remake that follows closely yet deftly refines the well–regarded yet…
Missing Gun, The (Xun qiang) (2002): Dir. Chuan Lu
Feat. Wen Jiang; Wound–up thriller set in a small and eccentric Chinese village, where a policeman wakes one morning with a hangover to find his…
Narc (2002): Dir. Joe Carnahan
Feat. Ray Liotta, Jason Patric; Both raw–boned and stylish, this low–budget policier explores the brutal killing of an undercover cop and the uncertain motives of the…
Red Dragon (2002): Dir. Brett Ratner
Feat. Anthony Hopkins, Edward Norton, Ralph Fiennes…; Betraying the odds after the lackluster “Hannibal”, this accomplished ‘prequel’ based on Thomas Harris’ novel of the same name more than…
Wire in the Blood (TV Series) (2002): Feat. Robson Green, Hermione Norris, Simone Lahbib; Terrific tough–as–nails UK detective show focused on a compassionate clinical psychologist (Green) and an ambitious Detective Inspector…
Wire in the Blood - Prayer of the Bone (2002): Feat. Robson Green; Feature–length spin–off episode from the acclaimed Brit crime series 'Wire in the Blood' – centred on a fatigued psychotherapist /…
Wire, The - Season 1 (TV Series) (2002): Feat. Dominic West, Idris Elba, Wood Harris…; Tough, patient HBO TV policier (from David Simon, creator of HOMICIDE: LIFE ON THE STREETS) follows the Baltimore drug scene from both the police and…
Without a Trace (TV Series) (2002): Feat. Anthony LaPaglia, Marianne Jean-Baptiste; Television crime drama from the Jerry Bruckheimer stable (see also CSI) that traces the investigations of the FBI's Missing Persons Squad, led by the…
Fast and the Furious, The (2001): Dir. Rob Cohen
Feat. Paul Walker, Vin Diesel, Michelle Rodriguez; A shameless pleasure for petrol–heads, this not particularly deep action–drama set amid the world of street–drags, gets its message…
Inspector Lynley Mysteries, The (TV Series) (2001-2008): Feat. Nathaniel Parker, Sharon Small, Lesley Vickerage; British crime drama based on the novels by American writer Elizabeth George centred around the detective work and personality and class clash of the…
Law and Order: Criminal Intent (TV Series) (2001-2004): Feat. Vincent D'Onofrio, Kathryn Erbe, Jamey Sheridan…; One of the various spin–offs to the long–running crime drama LAW AND ORDER, in which D'Onofrio and Erbe track down the bad guys for the…
Messiah (TV Series) (2001-2005): Feat. Ken Stott, Frances Grey, Michelle Forbes; Grisly BBC serial in the tradition of PRIME SUSPECT and CRACKER shadows the case solving of a partially–deaf detective with a disturbed nose…
Murder In Mind (TV Series) (2001): Excellent star–studded series of self–contained stories on the theme of murder, generally centered around apparently 'normal people' who…
Murphy's Law (TV Series) (2001-2007): Feat. James Nesbitt, Mark Benton, Claudia Harrison…; BBC TV drama starring James Nesbitt as a tough talking, maverick Irish cop who moves to London and takes on the criminal underworld after his…
Nero Wolfe (TV Series) (A Nero Wolfe Mystery) (2001): Feat. Timothy Hutton, Maury Chaykin, Bill Smitrovich…; Witty 40's–set detective series based on the series of Rex Stout novels, following the investigations of a sensitive detective and his right…
Training Day (2001): Dir. Antoine Fuqua
Feat. Denzel Washington, Ethan Hawke, Snoop Dogg…; Denzel Washington luxuriates in an Oscar–winning performance as a slimeball LA cop, who casually metes out brutal street–justice at every…
Burnside (TV Series) (2000): Feat. Christopher Ellison; Bearable Detective spin–off series of THE BILL, with Christopher Ellison reprising the riveting character of Detective Frank Burnside, who…
CSI (TV Series) (Crime Scene Investigation) (2000-2001): Feat. William Petersen; Highly watchable forensic TV drama that follows the fortunes of a police unit in Las Vegas who use tiny clues and the latest scientific methods to…
MPD - Psycho (TV Series) (2000): Dir. Takashi Miike
Feat. Naoki Hosaka; Takashi Miike's TV series is an appropriately psychotic riff on a policier, featuring a detective with 32 personalities chasing a serial killer who…
Rebus (TV Series) (2000-2007): Feat. John Hannah; John Hannah takes on the now familiar role of a Scottish Detective Inspector in the first few episodes of this whodunit crime series set on the…
Shaft (2000): Dir. John Singleton
Feat. Samuel L. Jackson, Richard Roundtree, Toni Collette…; Despite the excellent pedigree of those involved – Samuel L Jackson, Richard Roundtree, dir. John Singleton, Toni Collette – this revival…
Tell Me Something (2000): Dir. Chang Yoon-Hyung
Feat. Han Suk-gyu, Shim Eun-ha; A fine slice of Korean “giallo”, this is detective pulp of the lacquered–black, rain–drenched variety, with perverse/macabre…
Traffic (2000): Dir. Steven Soderbergh
Feat. Michael Douglas, Benicio Del Toro, Catherine Zeta-Jones…; A masterful, suitably complex address of the ‘drug problem’ and how it enslaves consumers, dealers, policy–makers and law–enforcers…
Turbo (TV Series) (2000-2001): Feat. Roberto Farnesi; Addictive mystery series with the canine detective Turbo tracking villains against the sun–drenched vistas of Tuscany.
Unit One (TV Series) (Rejseholdet) (2000-2004): Feat. Mads Mikkelsen; CONTRABAND TITLE. Series 1 to 4 are not legally available for sale, rent or trade in New Zealand unless submitted for approval to the NZ Office of…
Waking The Dead (TV Series) (2000): Feat. Trevor Eve, Sue Johnston, Wil Johnson; Flash and cerebral British series has a 'cold case' police squad of professional but complex investigators assigned to research unsolved crimes. With…
Corruptor, The (1999): Dir. James Foley
Feat. Chow Yun-Fat, Mark Wahlberg; Hong Kong superstar Chow Yun–Fat finds a suitable Hollywood side–dish in Mark Wahlberg (a better choice than Mira Sorvino anyway), for a…
Inspector Montalbano (TV Series) (Commissario Montalbano) (1999-2018): Feat. Luca Zingaretti, Katharina Böhm, Cesare Bocci; Based on the global bestsellers by Andrea Camilleri, this series of telemovies is set around a world–weary, though not cynical, Sicilian…
Law and Order: Special Victims Unit (TV Series) (SVU) (1999-2004): Feat. Richard Belzer, Christopher Meloni, Mariska Hargitay…; Another batch of law–enforcers plie their grim vocation, in this LAW AND ORDER satellite series, wherein a special team investigate…
Redball (1999): Dir. Jon Hewitt
Feat. Belinda McClory, John Brumpton; Blistering low–budget Australian cop thriller centered around detective JJ Wilson (Belinda McClory) and her attempts to bring a child killer to…
Vice, The (TV Series) (1999): Feat. Caroline Catz, Marc Warren, Ken Scott; Edgy Bafta Award Winning TV detective drama series focusing on the London Metro Squad examining crime and unsolved murder in the sex industry.
Martial Law (TV Series) (1998-2000): Feat. Sammo Hung, Arsenio Hall; Action–comedy series starring prolific Hong Kong actor/director/producer Sammo Hung (and frequent Jackie Chan collaborator) as a Chinese law…
One Tough Cop (1998): Dir. Bruno Barreto
Feat. Stephen Baldwin, Christopher Penn, Gina Gershon; Based on the NYPD memoirs of Bo Dietl, this proficient thriller benefits from the machismo of hardline cops Stephen Baldwin and partner Chris Penn,…
Replacement Killers, The (1998): Dir. Antoine Fuqua
Feat. Chow Yun-Fat, Mira Sorvino; Debut US big–screen for the golden–boy of Hong Kong action – Chow Yun–Fat – he whose placid composure will always mask…
Rush Hour (1998): Dir. Brett Ratner
Feat. Jackie Chan, Chris Tucker; Crackerjack no–brainer puts an East–West spin on the odd–couple–buddy–cop formula with Chinaman Jackie Chan (modest,…
Snake Eyes (1998): Dir. Brian De Palma
Feat. Nicolas Cage, Gary Sinise; Morally dubious cops Nicolas Cage and Gary Sinise investigate an assassination during a pro–boxing match. Esteemed hack Brian De Palma…
Stalker's Apprentice, The (1998): Dir. Marcus D.F. White
Feat. Peter Davison, James Bolam, Kathleen Turner; A book editor uses a writer's manuscript about a serial killer as a template for his own homicidal fantasies in this punchy, at times lurid British…
Versace Murder, The (1998): Dir. Menahem Golan
Feat. Franco Nero, Steven Bauer; Hackmeister General Golan is at it again with this predictably schlocky treatmenr of the tragic slaying of fashion designer Versace. Franco Nero…
Advocates, The (1997): Feat. Ewan Stewart, Isla Blair, Rachel Weisz…; Obscure Scottish legal drama contrasting high powered lawyers with the sleazy underbelly of Edinburgh's streets, and the inevitable merging of the…
Cop Land (1997): Dir. James Mangold
Feat. Sylvester Stallone, Robert De Niro, Harvey Keitel…; Brooding, shadowy conception of the American Dream gone rotten, pivots on a smouldering role for Sly Stallone, as a shell–shocked cop gone to…
Cure (1997): Dir. Kiyoshi Kurosawa
Feat. Koji Yakusho, Masato Hagiwara, Tsuyoshi Ujiki…; Delivering one of the great, unsung horror movies, dir. Kiyoshi Kurosawa plumbs the depths of societal malaise with this novel take on serial…
Downtime (1997): Dir. Bharat Nalluri
Feat. Paul McGann; A good crack from the Brits at the action–thriller genre, starring Paul McGann as a troubled ex–copper who helps a solo–mum escape…
Duggan (TV Series) (Death in Paradise, Sins of the Fathers) (1997-1998): Dir. Yvonne MacKay
Feat. John Bach; Detective inspector John Bach heads up these made–for–TV policiers as a recluse drawn into a murder cases near his Marlborough Sounds…
Fire Down Below (1997): Dir. Felix Enrique Alcala
Feat. Steven Seagal, Randy Travis, Levon Helm; The vicious yet eco–friendly Steven Seagal points his hose toward a rank case of enviromental damage in the coal–belt of Kentucky, where…
Full Alert (1997): Dir. Ringo Lam
Feat. Lau Ching-wan, Francis Ng; Quality police thriller with realistic drama, bracing action and strong sense of locale – regarded as one of the last 'classics' from the…
Hana-Bi (1997): Dir. Takeshi Kitano
Feat. Takeshi Kitano, Kayoko Kishimoto, Ren Osusi; 'Beat' Takeshi cements his reputation as the modern visionary of Japanese cinema with his most celebrated film to date, returning as the formidably…
Insomnia (1997): Dir. Erik Skjoldbjaerg
Feat. Stellan Skarsgard; An edgy, ingeniously plotted psychological thriller about an amoral Swedish detective whose murder investigation in Northern Norway (where the sun…
Midsomer Murders (TV Series) (1997): Feat. John Nettles, Daniel Casey, Jane Wymark…; A worthwhile British police drama in the tradition of Agatha Christie's MISS MARPLE, in which a veteran detective Inspector Barnaby (Nettles) and his…
Homicide - The Movie (1996): Dir. Jean De Segonzac
Feat. Daniel Baldwin, Ned Beatty, Richard Belzer…; A special movie–length episode of the cult TV crime series "Homicide – Life on the Streets", which was probably the grittiest and…
Inspector Wexford Collection, The (TV Mini-series) (1996-2000): Feat. George Baker, Sadie Frost; Collection of commended adaptations based on the Ruth Rendell novels and centred on the recurring Rendell character of Inspector Wexford – an…
Silent Witness (TV Series) (1996): Feat. Amanda Burton, Emilia Fox, William Gaminara; Acclaimed, long–running BBC forensic series, originally focused around expert pathologist Dr Sam Ryan (Burton). This is darker and more complex…
Bad Boys (1995): Dir. Michael Bay
Feat. Will Smith, Martin Lawrence; Will Smith and Martin Lawrence ride their wave of their current popularity with this buddy cop movie that maximises their likeable personas. A…
Blue Murder (Mini-Series) (1995): Dir. Michael Jenkins
Feat. Richard Roxburgh, Tony Martin, Steve Bastoni…; Hard–nosed, confrontational broadside on the NSW police force, based on the illegal undertakings of a corrupt detective and a career criminal…
Dangerfield (TV Series) (1995): Feat. Nigel Le Vaillant, Amanda Redman; Small–town BBC fare stars Nigel Le Vaillant as a successful GP whose moonlighting as a police surgeon puts pressure on his understaffed…
Fair Game (1995): Dir. Andrew Sipes
Feat. William Baldwin, Cindy Crawford, Steven Berkoff…; Producer Joel Silver fashions a vehicle for the marquee name and face of supermodel Cindy Crawford. William Baldwin provides her with brawny…
Hamish MacBeth (TV series) (1995-1997): Feat. Robert Carlyle; The town of Lochdubh in the Scottish Highlands forms a droll and scenic setting for this smalltown policier set around the put–upon local…
McCallum (TV Series) (1995-1998): Feat. John Hannah; Above–par crime series trails the private and professional life of the titular forensic pathologist as he becomes entangled in various murder…
Seven (Se7en) (1995): Dir. David Fincher
Feat. Brad Pitt, Morgan Freeman, Gwyneth Paltrow…; Director David Fincher imbues the hackneyed serial–killer genre with astonishing directorial flair, while bringing an influential 'underground'…
Usual Suspects, The (1995): Dir. Bryan Singer
Feat. Kevin Spacey, Gabriel Byrne, Stephen Baldwin…; Find out who 'Keyser Soze' is, or who you thought he was, in this utterly captivating, original caper movie that unfolds a series of flashbacks in…
City Hunter (1994): Dir. Wong Jing
Feat. Jackie Chan, Chingmy Yau, Joey Wong; Jackie Chan is the popular Japanese comic book character Ryu Saeba: part detective, part mercenary, all womanizer – is contracted to return the…
Due South (TV Series) (1994): Feat. Paul Gross; CRASH dir. Paul Haggis served as creator of this offbeat, mildly popular fish–out–of–water policier about a Canadian Mountie in…
Inspector Rex (TV Series) (1994-2004): Feat. Tobias Moretti; Austrian TV series, with a sizable cult following around the world (especially in Australia), in which a lone policeman and his German Shepherd…
Tekwar (TV Series) (1994-1996): Feat. Greg Evigan, Eugene Clark, William Shatner; Ropey but enjoyable future–noir adapted from William Shatner's sci–fi novels, about a police officer framed for murder and trafficking…
Timecop (1994): Dir. Peter Hyams
Feat. Jean-Claude Van Damme, Mia Sara, Ron Silver…; Big–budget sci–fi film disabled by a banal script and a leaden leading man. Jean Claude Van Damme plays a 21st Century cop who tracks…
Treasure Hunt (1994): Dir. Ricky Lau
Feat. Chow Yun-Fat; CIA operative Chow Yun–Fat falls in love while on secret assignment at mainland Shaolin monastery. Bubble–headed romance with some action…
Wycliffe (TV Series) (1994): Dir. Jack Shepherd
Feat. Bill Nighy, Jack Shepherd; Edgy novel based detective drama following the feats of a conventional trench coat clad superintendent investigating small town crime. Effectively…
Boiling Point (1993): Dir. James B. Harris
Feat. Wesley Snipes, Dennis Hopper, Viggo Mortensen; Cop thriller rises above its familiar plot through the likeable heavyweight cast.
Crime Story (1993): Dir. Kirk Wong
Feat. Jackie Chan; A serious Jackie Chan movie for which he even nabbed a HK oscar! Based on a true story involving police corruption and a kidnapping ring, the…
Demolition Man (1993): Dir. Marco Brambilla
Feat. Sylvester Stallone, Wesley Snipes, Sandra Bullock…; Sylvester Stallone and Wesley Snipes are cryogenically thawed in a totalitarian, crime–free L.A. in 2032 where their cop/villain…
Homicide (TV Series) (Life On The Street) (1993-1999): Dir. Barry Levinson
Feat. Richard Belzer, Ned Beatty, Yaphet Kotto…; Award–winning cop drama, from the creator of THE WIRE, centred on a group of homicide detectives investigating grisly crimes on the tough…
NYPD Blue (TV Series) (1993): Feat. David Caruso, Dennis Franz, Amy Brenneman…; "Groundbreaking" TV cop show that wasn't so much groundbreaking as a slick 90s rehash of the likes of 'Hill Street Blues'. But despite all the fast…
Rising Sun (1993): Dir. Philip Kaufman
Feat. Wesley Snipes, Sean Connery, Harvey Keitel; Wesley Snipes and Sean Connery are buddy–cops with a murder–mystery on their hands in Tokyo. A glitzy, unsubtle working of Michael…
Robocop 3 (1993): Dir. Fred Dekker
Feat. Robert Burke, Nancy Allen, Rip Torn…; Replacing Peter Weller in this final installment is Robert Burke.
Between the Lines (TV Series) (1992): Feat. Neil Pearson, Tom Georgeson, Siobhan Redmond…; CONTRABAND TITLE. Not legally available for sale, rent or trade in New Zealand unless submitted for approval to the NZ Office of Film & Literature…
Deep Cover (1992): Dir. Bill Duke
Feat. Laurence Fishburne, Jeff Goldblum; Principled cop Larry Fishburne goes into deep cover to penetrate a dangerous drug cartel and forms a partnership with with drug–dealing…
Hard-Boiled (1992): Dir. John Woo
Feat. Chow Yun-Fat, Tony Leung (Chiu-wai), Anthony Wong; An action film to end all action films, John Woo's technical command of the genre reaches its peak with this ballistic ballet in which Chow…
L627 (1992): Dir. Bertrand Tavernier
Feat. Didier Bezace, Jean-Paul Comart; A sharp, unsentimental depiction of the daily grind that a Paris drugs–squad detective must endure, contending with dealers, addicts and…
Maigret (TV Series) (1992-1993): Feat. Michael Gambon, Jack Galloway; Michael Gambon plays Chief Inspector Jules Maigret of the Paris Surete in this realistic crime series centred on Maigret's investigations into…
Nails (1992): Dir. John Flynn
Feat. Dennis Hopper, Anne Archer, Tomas Milan…; Dennis Hopper kicks butt as Harry Niles, a veteran cop 'as hard as nails'. After his partner is taken out by Cuban assassins, Harry uncovers a…
Police Story 3 (Supercop) (1992): Dir. Stanley Tong
Feat. Jackie Chan, Michelle Yeoh; Jackie Chan returns as death–defying maverick cop Ka Kui, while Michelle Yeoh offers some savvy sidekick. From the director of Jackie's first…
Stop! Or My Mom Will Shoot (1992): Dir. Roger Spottiswoode
Feat. Sylvester Stallone, Estelle Getty, JoBeth Williams…; Taking a leaf out of Arnie's playbook, Sylvester Stallone tries his hand at comedy – sending up his tough guy persona as a mommy's boy who has…
Commish, The (TV Series) (1991-1995): Feat. Michael Chiklis; Impressionable cop series set in small–town America with Michael Chiklis taking on the role of local police commissioner attempting to balance…
Highway Patrolman (1991): Dir. Alex Cox
Feat. Roberto Sosa, Bruno Bichir, Vanessa Bauche; A wayward film–maker returns to form in using road–movie conventions to enrich this tale of poverty, drugs, prostitution and rampant…
Homicide (1991): Dir. David Mamet
Feat. Joe Mantegna, William H. Macy, Natalija Nogulich…; An absorbing, sophisticated psychological drama from the playwright–turned–director who blessed the genre with HOUSE OF GAMES. Joe…
Last Boy Scout, The (1991): Dir. Tony Scott
Feat. Bruce Willis, Damon Wayans, Danielle Harris; Willis and Wayans team as the wise–cracking 'good' guys in another bloody buddy–cop outing from the LETHAL WEAPON/DIE HARD team.
Martial Law (1991): Dir. Steve Cohen
Feat. Cynthia Rothrock, Chad McQueen, David Carradine; Ropey early American action vehicle for martial–arts queen Cynthia Rothrock (who cut her teeth in Hong Kong) playing second fiddle to Chad (son…
Prime Suspect (TV Series) (1991-2003): Dir. Christopher Menaul
Feat. Helen Mirren, Tom Bell, Tom Wilkinson…; Helen Mirren stars as DCI Tennison in seven award–winning (Emmy and BAFTA) mini–series from the pen of Lynda La Plante.
Ripoux Contre Ripoux (1991): Dir. Claude Zidi
Feat. Philippe Noiret, Thierry Lhermitte, Guy Marchand; Sequel to LES RIPOUX reunites the odd couple of petty corrupt cops for another comic round of mischevious errors.
Death Warrant (1990): Dir. Deran Sarafian
Feat. Jean-Claude Van Damme; The muscles from Brussels does it again and goes undercover in a penitentiary to find out who's been topping inmates.
Die Hard 2 (1990): Dir. Renny Harlin
Feat. Bruce Willis; Another difficult Christmas for cop Bruce Willis when he is stranded at a Washington Airport. No, it couldn't be...more terrorists?!
Impulse (1990): Dir. Sondra Locke
Feat. Theresa Russell, Jeff Fahey, George Dzundza; Theresa Russell plays a cop who yields to corruption while undercover as a streetwalker. Under–rated police thriller is intelligently played…
Inspector Alleyn Mysteries, The (TV Series) (1990): Feat. Patrick Malahide; Detective series plucked from the novels of famed crime writer Ngaio Marsh follows Detective Inspector Roderick Alleyn as he suavely solves crime in…
Internal Affairs (1990): Dir. Mike Figgis
Feat. Richard Gere, Andy Garcia, Nancy Travis…; Richard Gere plays a repugnant cop that will do just about anything for a buck, or a kick. Andy Garcia is the investigator who adopts a personal…
Loose Cannons (1990): Dir. Bob Clark
Feat. Dan Aykroyd, Gene Hackman, Dom DeLuise…; Clunky buddy cop comedy has Gene Hackman and Dan Aykroyd teaming up to fight crime, only one of them suffers from split personality disorder.
One False Move (1990): Dir. Carl Franklin
Feat. Bill Paxton, Cynda Williams, Billy Bob Thornton; Naive county sheriff Bill Paxton gets a chance at the big–time when two vicious criminals sweep through his sleepy town. Things lighten up…
Q & A (1990): Dir. Sidney Lumet
Feat. Nick Nolte, Armand Assante, Timothy Hutton…; Lengthy, sometimes incoherent thriller from genre specialist Sidney Lumet, set amid a not entirely unfamiliar cesspit of NYC corruption. Notable for…
Robocop 2 (1990): Dir. Irvin Kershner
Feat. Peter Weller; Peter Weller returns as the cyber–policeman in this violent sequel.
Rookie, The (1990): Dir. Clint Eastwood
Feat. Clint Eastwood, Charlie Sheen; A low–point for Eastwood before his meteoric come–back. His veteran cop teams with straight–laced Sheen, who reluctantly rely on…
Campion (TV Series) (1989-1990): Feat. Peter Davison, Brian Glover, Andrew Burt; Eccentric detective series sees Peter Davison play the titular Albert Campion, who, along with his melancholy sidekick Lugg, solve mind–bending…
In The Line of Duty (In The Line of Duty 4: The Witness) (1989): Dir. Yuen Woo Ping
Feat. Donnie Yen, Cynthia Khan , Michael Wong…; Although the fourth in a film series about a flashy martial–arts cop, this is generally considered the best, with Yen taking his police job in…
K-9 (1989): Dir. Rod Daniel
Feat. James Belushi, Mel Harris, Ed O'Neill; Buddy cop action–comedy starring James Belushi as a bad–tempered San Diego police detective who becomes targeted by an international drug…
Killer, The (1989): Dir. John Woo
Feat. Chow Yun-Fat; Action at break–neck speed with a body–count to match the running time, this smorgasbord of super–violence with lashings of good…
Sea of Love (1989): Dir. Harold Becker
Feat. Ellen Barkin, Al Pacino, John Goodman; Murder suspect Ellen Barkin and detective Al Pacino have a very dangerous liaison in this sexy, hi–tension whodunnit. A first class entry with…
Tiger On the Beat (1989): Dir. Liu Chia Liang
Feat. Chow Yun-Fat, Conan Lee; Chow Yun Fat buddies up with martial artiste Conan Lee as a pair of mismatched cops in hot pursuit of an international drug syndicate, climaxing in a…
Action Jackson (1988): Dir. Craig R. Baxley
Feat. Carl Weathers, Craig T. Nelson, Sharon Stone; Sports hero turned actor Carl Weathers lends charisma as the titular Detroit cop driven by vengeance to stay on the trail of dastardly auto magnate…
Colors (1988): Dir. Dennis Hopper
Feat. Sean Penn, Robert Duvall; A grim portrait of law enforcement. Mismatched police partners are assigned to the rife gang–related problems in South–Central L.A.
Dead Pool, The (1988): Dir. Buddy Van Horn
Feat. Clint Eastwood, Liam Neeson, Jim Carrey…; Dirty Harry investigates a series of bizarre death threats.
Die Hard (1988): Dir. John McTiernan
Feat. Bruce Willis, Bonnie Bedelia, Alan Rickman…; Star–making role for Bruce Willis as an ordinary cop who runs into international terrorism at the top of a skyscraper on Christmas Eve. …
Police Story 2 (1988): Dir. Jackie Chan
Feat. Jackie Chan, Maggie Cheung; Jackie Chan directs this follow–up to his landmark hit, playing a demoted detective who must use his wiles to track down bomb–scare…
Red Heat (1988): Dir. Walter Hill
Feat. Arnold Schwarzenegger, James Belushi, Peter Boyle…; Director reworks his 48HRS for Arnie and Belushi as mismatched cops on a mission in Moscow.
Cop (1987): Dir. James B. Harris
Feat. James Woods, Brian Dennehy; James Woods gives another intense performance enduring the occupational hazards of crime–fighting. Based on the James Ellroy novel 'Blood On…
Dragnet (1987): Dir. Tom Mankiewicz
Feat. Tom Hanks, Dan Aykroyd, Christopher Plummer…; Amiably silly buddy–cop comedy that both parodies and pays homage to television crime drama of the 1950s and 60s. Dan Aykroyd plays the "old…
Inspector Morse (TV Series) (1987): Feat. John Thaw; Much–loved British TV Series that follows the criminal cases of Morse, probably John Thaw's most famous character – the cantankerous…
Loner, The (Le Solitaire) (1987): Dir. Jacques Deray
Feat. Jean-Paul Belmondo, Jean-Pierre Malo, Pierre Vernier; Sub–par Belmondo outing has him play the routine jaded cop out to avenge his partner's death. Low on stunts but high on cruelty this is one for…
Robocop (1987): Dir. Paul Verhoeven
Feat. Peter Weller, Nancy Allen, Ronny Cox…; Loaded with sweat–breaking violence and suspense, dir. Paul Verhoeven never surpassed this stunning dystopian satire about a prototype cyborg…
Wiseguy (TV Series) (1987-1990): Feat. Ken Wahl, Kevin Spacey, Tim Curry…; Influential 80's crime series featuring the appealing Ken Wahl as an undercover FBI agent attempting to infiltrate the Mafia and destroy them from…
Cobra (1986): Dir. George P. Cosmatos
Feat. Sylvester Stallone; Gruesome post–RAMBO vehicle for Sly Stallone as a tough city cop.
Crime Story (TV Series) (1986-1988): Dir. Abel Ferrara
Feat. Dennis Farina, Andrew Dice Clay; Genre stylist Michael Mann (COLLATERAL) followed up MIAMI VICE with this good–looking crime story set in hardboiled 60s Chicago. Dennis Farina…
Off Beat (1986): Dir. Michael Dinner
Feat. Judge Reinhold, Meg Tilly, Harvey Keitel; Comedy about a likeable librarian who impersonates a police officer at a charity function as a favour to a friend, but then finds himself in the…
Sledge Hammer! (TV Series) (1986): Feat. David Rasche, Harrison Page, Anne-Marie Martin; GET SMART meets DIRTY HARRY in this riotous late–night spoof detailing the exploits of unorthodox Inspector 'Sledge Hammer', a loose cannon of…
Code of Silence (1985): Dir. Andrew Davis
Feat. Chuck Norris, Henry Silva, Dennis Farina; One of action star Chuck Norris's best films is this non–martial arts vehicle in which he plays a streetwise plainclothes cop who takes down a…
Dempsey & Makepeace (TV Series) (1985): Feat. Michael Brandon, Glynis Barber; Glynis Barber attained minor cult status as the smart, sexy partner of a rough and tumble New York cop (Brandon), mismatched of course in this…
P.D. James Collection, The (TV Series) (1985-1998): Feat. Roy Marsden; Award winning drama collections written by P.D. James detailing the challenges of a disciplined detective commander solving a series of scandalous…
Police Story (1985): Dir. Jackie Chan
Feat. Jackie Chan, Brigitte Lin, Maggie Cheung; The incomparable Jackie Chan – a mix of Bruce Lee and Buster Keaton – is in prime form here, weaving his brand of sly Asian humour into a series…
To Live and Die in L.A. (1985): Dir. William Friedkin
Feat. William Petersen, Willem Dafoe, John Pankow; Super–charged policier with slimeball cop Petersen on the trail of big–time counterfeiters led by Dafoe. Swirlingly paced, with a car…
Witness (1985): Dir. Peter Weir
Feat. Harrison Ford, Kelly McGillis, Josef Sommer…; Cop Harrison Ford goes undercover at an Amish community after one of their young witnesses a murder. Consummate Hollywood thriller, quite brilliantly…
Beverly Hills Cop (1984): Dir. Martin Brest
Feat. Eddie Murphy, Judge Reinhold, Steven Berkoff; Eddie Murphy as Axel Foley has never been funnier than in this winning combo of action and comedy.
Blue Thunder (TV Series) (1984): Feat. James Farentino, Dana Carvey; Television series based on the 1983 movie of the same name about the law enforcers and tacticians operating the Blue Thunder helicopter and its…
City Heat (1984): Dir. Richard Benjamin
Feat. Clint Eastwood, Burt Reynolds, Jane Alexander…; Effective self–parody from Eastwood and Reynolds as unlikable cops who team together to clean up gangster–ridden Kansas City in the…
Future Cop (Trancers) (1984): Dir. Charles Band
Feat. Tim Thomerson, Helen Hunt; The most imaginative film from prolific Z–movie producer Charles Band follows cynical future cop Jack Deth on his mission to terminate evil…
Miami Vice (TV Series) (1984): Dir. Thomas Carter
Feat. Don Johnson, Philip Michael Thomas; One of the premiere TV–fantasies of the 1980s – pastel–suited vice–cops Crockett and Tubbs (Don Johnson and Phillip Michael…
Miss Marple (TV Series) [Joan Hickson] (1984-2002): Dir. Julian Amyes
Feat. Joan Hickson, Paul Eddington, Kevin Whatley…; Best–loved BBC series featuring Agatha Christie's 'Miss Marple', played definitively by the great Joan Hickson. Set in the sleepy, yet…
My New Partner (Les Ripoux) (1984): Dir. Claude Zidi
Feat. Philippe Noiret, Thierry Lhermitte; The genial Phillipe Noiret plays a slobbish corrupt cop saddled with a straight–laced partner in this hilarious caper comedy. It's a delight…
Runaway (1984): Dir. Michael Crichton
Feat. Tom Selleck, Cynthia Rhodes, Gene Simmons…; Micheal Crichton writes and directs this whimsical, entertaining cops and robots action–adventure starring Tom Selleck as a police officer who…
Tightrope (1984): Dir. Richard Tuggle
Feat. Clint Eastwood, Genevieve Bujold, Dan Hedaya…; Eastwood boldly portrays an obsessed cop, forced to confront his own disturbed sexuality when on the trail of a sex murderer on the lurid streets of…
Agatha Christie: Partners in Crime (TV Series) (1983): Feat. Francesca Annis, James Warwick, Reece Dinsdale; Crisp adaptation of some of Dame Agatha's lesser known short mysteries. The protagonists here are husband and wife sleuths Tommy and Prudence…
Chiefs (TV Mini Series) (1983): Dir. Jerry London
Feat. Charlton Heston, Keith Carradine, Brad Davis…; A well–regarded television series stretching across three generations of policemen in a small city in the American South, beset by changing…
Corrupt (a.k.a Copkiller; Order Of Death; L'assassino Dei Poliziotti) (1983): Dir. Roberto Faenza
Feat. Harvey Keitel, John Lydon, Nicole Garcia…; Surprisingly intense thriller has Harvey Keitel playing a dodgy NYC detective taunted by disturbed youth John Lydon (formerly 'Johnny Rotten' of the…
Murder In Coweta County (1983): Dir. Gary Nelson
Feat. Johnny Cash, Andy Griffith, June Carter-Cash; A gritty fact–based policier about a cold–blooded land baron in 1940s rural Georgia (Griffiths) who murders a black tenant farmer and…
Sudden Impact (1983): Dir. Clint Eastwood
Feat. Clint Eastwood; Eastwood directs this fourth Dirty Harry outing with magnum force.
48hrs (48 Hours) (1982): Dir. Walter Hill
Feat. Eddie Murphy, Nick Nolte, Annette O'Toole…; Eddie Murphy excels in his film debut as a street–smart ex–con who teams up with veteran cop Nick Nolte to track down some bad…
Cagney and Lacey (TV Series) (1982): Feat. Sharon Gless, Tyne Daly; Women’s Lib. makes headway into New York’s crime fighting ranks in this sturdy eighties policier propelled by two staunch female detectives in a…
Firefox (1982): Dir. Clint Eastwood
Feat. Clint Eastwood, Freddie Jones, David Huffman; Eastwood directs himself as a Vietnam vet assigned to steal a supersonic prototype from the Russians. Slow to start but gives way to some fine…
Fort Apache: The Bronx (1982): Dir. Daniel Petrie
Feat. Paul Newman, Danny Aiello; Taut urban policier finds Bronx cop Paul Newman in a moral quandary over fellow officer Danny Aiello (who's just thrown a Puerto Rican teenager off a…
New York Ripper (1982): Dir. Lucio Fulci
Feat. Jack Hedley, Daniela Doria; A sadistic tale from Italian dir. Fulci (THE BEYOND) which concerns a killer roaming New York City and murdering women while babbling like 'Donald…
T.J. Hooker (TV Series) (1982-1986): Feat. William Shatner, Heather Locklear, Adrian Zmed; Former STAR TREK–ker Shatner made a recovery to television fame for this affable cop drama, playing a tough but compassionate veteran who…
Bergerac (TV Series) (1981): Feat. John Nettles, Terence Alexander; Classic of its kind. Roguish Bergerac races around Jersey trying to thwart jewel thieves, terrorists, murderers and general no gooders. Great fun,…
Hill Street Blues (TV Series) (1981): Feat. Daniel J. Travanti, Michael Conrad, Veronica Hamel…; Steven Bochco's progressive eighties policier found dramatic substance and acclaim in its realistic and ethnically diverse portrayal of the lives of…
Night Hawks (1981): Dir. Bruce Malmuth
Feat. Sylvester Stallone, Billy Dee Williams, Rutger Hauer…; Two undercover NYC cops are faced with the unenviable task of tracking down Europe's number one terrorist in this underrated 80's action flick.…
Prince of the City (1981): Dir. Sidney Lumet
Feat. Treat Williams; A rookie cop is victimised and ostracised after blowing the whistle on a corruption ring in his own precinct. This epic, highly detailed treatment of…
Sharky's Machine (1981): Dir. Burt Reynolds
Feat. Burt Reynolds, Vittorio Gassman, Brian Keith…; Burt Reynolds assumed directing duties for this sleazy cop–thriller about political corruption. Mixes exciting, gory action–scenes with…
First Deadly Sin, The (1980): Dir. Brian G. Hutton
Feat. Frank Sinatra, Faye Dunaway, Bruce Willis…; Probably Ol' Blue Eyes' last decent film, giving an understated, effective performance as a pressured NYC detective hunting a serial killer and…
Gentle Touch, The (TV Series) (1980): Feat. Jill Gascoine, William Marlowe; Ground–breaking police drama featuring Britain's first female TV detective fighting crime and the demands of being a solo mother. Jill Gascoine…
Juliet Bravo (TV Series) (1980): Feat. Stephanie Turner, David Ellison, Noel Collins; Massively popular – although rather dated – UK police series focused on a female police officer who takes charge of a fictional…
Magnum P.I. (TV Series) (1980): Dir. Roger Young
Feat. Tom Selleck, John Hillerman, Roger E. Mosley…; After a tour of duty in Vietnam, the ever–affable Tom Selleck cruises Hawaii in his Porsche as a private investigator. Classic,…
Onion Field, The (1979): Dir. Harold Becker
Feat. James Woods, John Savage; Sporadically intense drama based on a real–life cop–killing in 1960s California, notable for James Woods' creepy debut as, you guessed…
Law And Order (TV Mini-Series) (1978): Dir. Les Blair
Feat. Peter Dean, Derek Martin; Discerning Brit crime series focusing on three men involved in a bungled armed robbery – the Criminal, the Inspector and the Lawyer and played…
Vegas (TV Series) (Vega$) (1978): Feat. Robert Urich, Tony Curtis; Although Michael Mann is credited as creator of this splashy 70s detective series (in which Sin City is at its gaudy and ostentatious best), the…
Big Sleep, The (1977): Dir. Michael Winner
Feat. Oliver Reed, Robert Mitchum, Joan Collins…; Having switched the setting of Chandler's classic Marlowe mystery to the U.K, it's still a hard act to follow after the magnificent performance of…
Murder Most English (TV Series) (The Flaxborough Chronicles) (1977): Feat. Anton Rodgers, Christopher Timothy; Based on the Colin Watson mysteries, this Ever–so–English detective series follows two English detectives as they solve particularly…
Professionals, The (TV Series) (1977-1983): Dir. William Brayne
Feat. Lewis Collins, Martin Shaw, Gordon Jackson; CI5 hard–men Bodie and Doyle shoot first and then ask no questions in their dirty (but necessary) line of work. A seminal TV Series of the…
Enforcer, The (1976): Dir. James Fargo
Feat. Clint Eastwood, Tyne Daly, Bradford Dillman…; For sheer hokey excitement, Clint's third outing as Dirty Harry is worth a revisit.
Starsky and Hutch (TV Series) (1976): Dir. George McCowan, Don Weis
Feat. David Soul, Paul Michael Glaser; The quintessential leather–jacketed, mirror–shaded 70s TV show presented a cool cop pose, with violent, all–American morals.
Barney Miller (TV Series) (1975): Feat. Hal Linden, Barbara Barrie, Abe Vigoda…; This offbeat '70s sitcom about the drudgery and ordinary absurdity of everyday police work remains a cult favourite among TV aficionados and…
Brannigan (1975): Dir. Douglas Hickox
Feat. John Wayne, Richard Attenborough, Judy Geeson…; Effective late–career casting for Wayne, playing a Chicago cop who pursues a criminal across the Atlantic to London. Although featuring a…
French Connection 2, The (1975): Dir. John Frankenheimer
Feat. Gene Hackman, Fernando Rey, Bernard Fresson…; Hackman reprises his role as Lt. Doyle, where unfinished business leads him to perilous encounters on French soil.
SWAT (TV Series) (S.W.A.T.) (1975): Feat. Steve Forrest, Robert Urich; One of the tough cop shows of the seventies that follows the covert missions of the LAPD's elite force. Season 1 (13 episodes) available over 3…
McQ (1974): Dir. John Sturges
Feat. John Wayne, Eddie Albert, Diana Muldaur…; John Wayne plays it tough in this neo–noir as a grizzled Seattle cop investigating the murder of his best friend and the corruption within the…
Rockford Files, The (TV Series) (1974-1975): Feat. James Garner, Noah Jr. Beery, Joe Santos…; In the spirit of 'Cold Case' this detective thriller series stars James Garner as an easy going plaid jacket attired investigator pursuing unsolved…
Super Cops, The (1974): Dir. Gordon Parks Snr.
Feat. Ron Leibman, David Selby, Pat Hingle…; 70's buddy cop movie which was released almost simultaneously with the more well–known and similar SERPICO, and lifted from relative obscurity…
Zodiac (TV Series) (1974): Feat. Anton Rodgers, Anouska Hempel; A skeptical detective opens his mind to the unorthodox when he teams up with a young astrologer in this eccentric, short–lived crime series.
Kojak (TV Series) (1973-1978): Dir. Joseph Sargent
Feat. Telly Savalas, Ned Beatty; Popular 70s cop show that turned Telly Savalas's funky, lollipop sucking, glow–domed police lieutenant into a cultural icon. Highly quotable,…
Kojak Collection, The (The Marcus-Nelson Murders, The Belarus File, The Price of Justice) (1973-1987): Dir. Joseph Sargent, Robert Markowitz, Alan Metzger
Feat. Telly Savalas, Marjoe Gortner, Jose Ferrer…; Telly Savalas stars as the tough but witty sleuth who became a small screen icon in the 1970's. This set features the three feature–length TV…
Laughing Policeman, The (1973): Dir. Stuart Rosenberg
Feat. Walter Matthau, Bruce Dern, Anthony Zerbe; Police procedural loosely based on the Swedish novel of the same name, set in the aftermath of a horrific shootout on a public bus. A detective…
Magnum Force (1973): Dir. Ted Post
Feat. Clint Eastwood; Dirty Harry sequel in which supercool Clint tracks down a ruthless vigilante ring. The irony is purely intentional.
Offence, The (1973): Dir. Sidney Lumet
Feat. Sean Connery, Trevor Howard, Vivien Merchant…; One of the better Lumet films. Sean Connery – in a rare impressive performance – as a British cop who loses control while interrogating a…
Revolver (Blood in the Streets) (1973): Dir. Sergio Sollima
Feat. Oliver Reed, Fabio Testi; Equal turns punchy and preposterous, this 'spaghetti crime thriller' involves a prison warden (Reed) who is drawn into an intricate web of deceit…
Serpico (1973): Dir. Sidney Lumet
Feat. Al Pacino; Pacino plays a tough, non–conformist cop who exposes police corruption and suffers persecution. Influential, authentic crime drama.
Stone Killer, The (1973): Dir. Michael Winner
Feat. Charles Bronson, Martin Balsam, Jack Colvin…; Charles Bronson and director Michael Winner duet for this pre–DEATH WISH actioner about a disgraced NYC cop who joins the L.A.P.D. where he…
Across 110th Street (1972): Dir. Barry Shear
Feat. Anthony Quinn, Yaphet Kotto, Anthony Franciosa; Three black youths steal from the mob, urging Anthony Quinn to prevent an explosion of ethnic unrest. A brutal excursion through the streets of 70s…
Dirty Money (Un Flic) (1972): Dir. Jean-Pierre Melville
Feat. Alain Delon, Richard Crenna, Catherine Deneuve; Final film by the suspense–specialist Melville (LE SAMOURAI), spins a familiar tale of cops and bank–robbers involving Alain Delon,…
Streets of San Francisco, The (TV Series) (1972-1980): Feat. Karl Malden, Michael Douglas; Top–notch 70's crime show with granite–faced veteran Karl Malden and newcomer Michael Douglas sharing the billing with the photogenic and…
Van Der Valk (TV Series) (1972-1992): Feat. Barry Foster, Joanna Dunham, Michael Latimer…; A hugely popular police procedural series starring Barry Foster as Van der Valk, a no–nonsense Dutch detective and head of the Amsterdam CID…
Cannon (TV Series) (1971-1976): Feat. William Conrad; Popular 70s cop show that pitched itself somewhere between COLUMBO and THE STREETS OF SAN FRANSISCO, memorably featured big guy William Conrad as LA…
Dirty Harry (1971): Dir. Don Siegel
Feat. Clint Eastwood; Classic genre film with Clint Eastwood as Inspector Callaghan, a dynamic cop determined to bring in a psycho–killer, even if he has to break a…
French Connection, The (1971): Dir. William Friedkin
Feat. Gene Hackman, Fernando Rey, Roy Scheider…; An influential crime picture based on the largest narcotics seizure of all time. Won the Oscar for Best Picture for its realistic portrait of New…
Max and the Junkmen (Max Et Les Ferrailleurs) (1971): Dir. Claude Sautet
Feat. Romy Schneider; French crime drama set in the noir shaded streets of Paris follows a frustrated detective getting tangled up in a love triangle after commissioning a…
McMillan & Wife (TV Series) (1971-1977): Feat. Rock Hudson, Susan Saint James; Mild crime series centred on a husband and wife detective team solving crime and bringing felons to justice on the streets of San Francisco. More…
Organization, The (1971): Dir. Don Medford
Feat. Sidney Poitier; Poitier takes on heroin traffickers in an adept second sequel to IN THE HEAT OF THE NIGHT.
McCloud (TV Series) (1970-1977): Feat. Dennis Weaver, J.D. Cannon, Ken Lynch…; Nicely executed crime series following an ex–sheriff from "out west" that joins up with a New York City police squadron to nab the baddies by…
Special Branch (TV Series) (1969-1974): Feat. Derren Nesbitt, Fulton MacKay; Brit detective series revolving around England's finest police duo tackling the bad guys of the local district. This series still holds appeal to a…
Strange Report (TV Series) (1969): Feat. Anthony Quayle, Kaz Garas, Anneke Wills; Wily Anthony Quayle is Adam Strange, ex–police officer turned criminologist charged with cleaning up murder sprees and other unsolvable cases…
Adam-12 (TV Series) (1968-1975): Feat. Kent McCord, Martin Milner, William Boyett; Cult cop show following the lives of two LAPD officers shot in a gritty docudrama style, and distinguished by a strict adherence to realism that…
Bullitt (1968): Dir. Peter Yates
Feat. Steve McQueen, Jacqueline Bisset, Robert Vaughn…; A taut, action–packed cop thriller boasting the most spectacular car chase to be committed to screen, through the streets of San Fransisco.
Detective, The (1968): Dir. Gordon Douglas
Feat. Frank Sinatra, Lee Remick, Ralph Meeker…; Interestingly dark and unsentimental policier has Frank Sinatra play an embattled cop investigating the murder of a wealthy homosexual while trying…
Hawaii Five-O (TV Series) (1968): Feat. Jack Lord, James MacArthur; Cult policier set in the sunny underworld of Hawaii with a special task force assigned to combat crime in paradise. While best remembered for its…
Mod Squad, The (TV Series) (1968-1969): Feat. Michael Cole, Peggy Lipton, Clarence Williams III; Love beads, afros and hipster pants abound in this jive–talkin' police series that tapped into the excitement and paranoia of the 60's youth…
Dragnet (TV Series) (1967): Feat. Jack Webb, Harry Morgan; The classic hard–case, ultra–realistic sixties police procedural, with officers Friday and Gannon cleaning up the mean streets of…
Ironside (TV Series) (1967): Dir. James Goldstone, Leo Penn
Feat. Raymond Burr; Raymond Burr followed 'Perry Mason' with this different, but equally classic TV–series, shedding the lawyer role for a stint as a…
Madigan (1967): Dir. Don Siegel
Feat. Richard Widmark, Henry Fonda; Possibly the last film in which cops and crooks dress in snappy fedora hats and dark coats, a craggy Richard Widmark plays the addled NY Inspector…
Doulos, Le (The Finger Man) (1963): Dir. Jean-Pierre Melville
Feat. Jean-Paul Belmondo, Serge Reggiani; Eschewing the French New Wave movement in favour of homage to the then ‘passe’ genre of film noir, dir. Jean–Pierre Melville adds shades of…
Grim Reaper, The (La Commare Secca) (1962): Dir. Bernardo Bertolucci
Feat. Carlotta Barilli, Lorenza Benedetti, Clorinda Celani; Dir. Bertolucci's first film – with trademark technical virtuosity already in evidence – is a whodunnit about a prostitute murdered in a…
Z Cars (TV Series) (1962): Feat. Brian Blessed, Joseph Brady; Three episodes of the vintage British police series including the very first story.
FBI Story, The (1959): Dir. Mervyn LeRoy
Feat. James Stewart, Vera Miles, Murray Hamilton…; This official ‘biopic’ of the FBI, seen through the eyes of career agent James Stewart from 1924 to the late 1950s, has sturdy…
Sapphire (1959): Dir. Basil Dearden
Feat. Nigel Patrick, Yvonne Mitchell, Michael Craig…; Scandalous subject–wise for post–war Britain, where a murdered black woman is discovered to have been posing as white. Obviously dated…
77 Sunset Strip (TV Series) (1958- 1964): Feat. Efrem Zimbalist Jr., Sammy Jr. Davis, Roger Moore; Efrem Zimbalist and Roger Smith are dashing young PI's in this slick police TV series from the 60s. Two eps. include guest appearances from Sammy…
Detective Story (1951): Dir. William Wyler
Feat. Kirk Douglas, Eleanor Parker, Cathy O'Donnell…; Kirk Douglas is his grizzled, hard–bitten self as one of several detectives trying to get through the work day at a busy Brooklyn…
Blue Lamp, The (1950): Dir. Basil Dearden
Feat. Dirk Bogarde, Patrick Doonan, Jack Warner; A confident, precisely–judged thriller set in post–war London, with feral petty–crooks Dirk Bogarde and Patrick Doonan being hunted…
Street With No Name, The (1948): Dir. William Keighley
Feat. Mark Stevens, Richard Widmark, Lloyd Nolan…; One of the grittier film noirs of the 1940s, evokes its tale of corruption, mob violence and FBI infiltration with a semi–documentary surface.…
M... Worst Crime of All (1931): Dir. Fritz Lang
Feat. Peter Lorre; A chilling expressionist classic starring Peter Lorre as psychotic child molester. Dir. Lang masterfully fills the screen with understated but…

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