Subgenre Sampler

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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.
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…
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…
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.
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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,…
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…
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.…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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)…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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,…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
Robocop 3 (1993): Dir. Fred Dekker
Feat. Robert Burke, Nancy Allen, Rip Torn…; Replacing Peter Weller in this final installment is Robert Burke.
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…
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…
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…
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?!
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
Cobra (1986): Dir. George P. Cosmatos
Feat. Sylvester Stallone; Gruesome post–RAMBO vehicle for Sly Stallone as a tough city cop.
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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.…
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…
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…
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.
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.
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…
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.
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 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…
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.
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.
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…

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Subgenre Sampler