Underrated Cop Movies
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- DirectorAnthony MannStarsJohn IrelandSheila RyanHugh BeaumontA beautician and her crooked boyfriend attempt to rob the bookie operation located in the back room, but when the plan goes wrong, they frame an innocent man.
- DirectorJules DassinStarsBarry FitzgeraldHoward DuffDorothy HartA step-by-step look at a murder investigation on the streets of New York.Perhaps the first true police precedural.
- DirectorAkira KurosawaStarsToshirô MifuneTakashi ShimuraKeiko AwajiDuring a sweltering summer, a rookie homicide detective tries to track down his stolen Colt pistol.Akira Kurasawa was just as good at Noir as he was at period pieces.
- DirectorRudolph MatéStarsWilliam HoldenNancy OlsonBarry FitzgeraldA sharp-eyed woman spots a man with a gun on a train and her alert to the railroad police helps them in their search for a ruthless gang who have kidnapped a blind heiress.
- DirectorJack WebbStarsJack WebbBen AlexanderRichard BooneTwo homicide detectives investigate the brutal shotgun murder of a crime syndicate member.
- DirectorPeter YatesStarsSteve McQueenJacqueline BissetRobert VaughnA nonconformist San Francisco cop is determined to find the underworld kingpin who killed the witness under his protection.The first truly great car chase in cinema!
- DirectorGordon DouglasStarsFrank SinatraLee RemickRalph MeekerWhile grappling with his wife's infidelity, an NYPD detective investigates the murder of a gay man, which he discovers is linked to official corruption involving sex and drugs.The novel that this was based on is the prequel to the same novel Die Hard was based on!
- DirectorBarry ShearStarsAnthony QuinnYaphet KottoAnthony FranciosaTwo New York City cops go after amateur crooks who are trying to rip off the Mafia and start a gang war.A surprisingly great cross between blacksploitation and serious crime thriller.
- DirectorPhilip D'AntoniStarsRoy ScheiderTony Lo BiancoVictor ArnoldA tough detective who is part of an elite New York City unit is trying to find out who killed his partner, but uncovers a plot to kidnap mobsters for money.Another one of the greatest car chases ever!
- DirectorSidney LumetStarsAl PacinoJohn RandolphJack KehoeAn honest New York cop named Frank Serpico blows the whistle on rampant corruption in the force only to have his comrades turn against him.
- DirectorStuart RosenbergStarsWalter MatthauBruce DernLouis Gossett Jr.In San Francisco, California, one victim in a mass murder is a police detective. His partner and a new partner investigate in the city's seamy side.
- DirectorArthur MarksStarsAlex RoccoHari RhodesVonetta McGeeAfter a fundraiser for a black politician is robbed, Detroit police put two detectives, one white and one black, on the case, who try to work together under boiling political pressure.
- DirectorBruce MalmuthGary NelsonStarsSylvester StalloneRutger HauerBilly Dee WilliamsWhen one of Europe's most lethal terrorists shows up in New York, an elite undercover cop is assigned to take him down by any means necessary.
- DirectorMichael CiminoStarsMickey RourkeJohn LoneArianeA police detective cracks down on organized crime in Chinatown after the murders of Triad and Mafia leaders.
- DirectorPeter WernerStarsCharlie SheenD.B. SweeneyLara HarrisA rookie cop goes undercover and infiltrates a car thief ring.A pretty cool precurser to movies like Point Break and The Fast and the Furious.
- DirectorRingo LamStarsChow Yun-FatYueh SunDanny LeeAn undercover cop infiltrates a gang of thieves who plan to rob a jewelry store.Tarantino's inspiration for Reservior Dogs.
- DirectorDennis HopperStarsSean PennRobert DuvallMaria Conchita AlonsoAn experienced cop and his rookie partner patrol the streets of East Los Angeles while trying to keep the gang violence under control.
- DirectorRidley ScottStarsMichael DouglasAndy GarciaKen TakakuraTwo NYC cops arrest a Yakuza member and must escort him when he's extradited to Japan.
- DirectorKirk WongJackie ChanStarsJackie ChanKent ChengChristine NgA Special Agent is assigned to protect a wealthy business magnate. However, when the businessman is kidnapped in a daring ambush, he teams up with a seasoned detective to crack the case. But soon he discovers the case isn't that simple.One of Jackie Chan's most serious films.
- DirectorKirk WongStarsDanny LeeCecilia YipAnthony Chau-Sang WongThe head of the Organized Crime and Triad Bureau, Inspector San Lee, will do anything to put triad boss Tung in jail, but he'll have to fight both sides of the law to do it.
- DirectorRingo LamStarsChing Wan LauFrancis NgAmanda LeePolice Inspector Pao is trying to catch Mak Kwan, a gang member who is first arrested, but then escapes from the prison. By chance, Pao realizes that the target of Kwan's gang is the H. K. Jockey Club.Hong Kong's version of Heat.
- DirectorDante LamStarsJulian CheungAnthony Chau-Sang WongCarman LeeWith the retreat of the British government from Hong Kong, the S.B. Team, an elite secret police force, is also on its way out. However, this team of highly trained cops have one final mission together and they are in for the fight of their lives!
- DirectorJames MangoldStarsSylvester StalloneHarvey KeitelRay LiottaThe Sheriff of a suburban New Jersey community, populated by New York City police officers, slowly discovers the town is a front for mob connections and corruption.
- DirectorF. Gary GrayStarsSamuel L. JacksonKevin SpaceyDavid MorseIn a desperate attempt to prove his innocence, a skilled police negotiator accused of corruption and murder takes hostages in a government office to gain the time he needs to find the truth.Samuel L. Jackson and Kevin Spacey. Nuff said!
- DirectorGordon ChanDante LamStarsAnthony Chau-Sang WongMichael WongStephanie CheTung is a street cop in Hong Kong who's friends with a Triad named Fai. Fai hires a hit man to murder a business rival; the hit goes wrong and Fai, implicated in the incident, goes on the run.
- DirectorPhillip NoyceStarsDenzel WashingtonAngelina JolieQueen LatifahA quadriplegic ex-homicide detective and his partner try to track down a serial killer who is terrorizing New York City.A precurser to CSI.
- DirectorJames FoleyStarsChow Yun-FatMark WahlbergRic YoungWith the aid from a New York City policeman, a top immigrant cop tries to stop drug-trafficking and corruption by immigrant Chinese Triads, but things get complicated when the Triads try to bribe the policeman.
- DirectorDante LamStarsDaniel WuAlex ToSamuel PangAn undercover cop badly injured in a raid is blamed for the raid's failure and thrown out of the police department. His injuries result in his being paralyzed form the waist down, and doctors tell him that if he doesn't have an operation within a few months, the paralysis will be permanent. His friends in the police department decide that, since the underworld was responsible for their friend's injuries, the money for the operation should come from them, and they set out to get it.
- DirectorMathieu KassovitzStarsJean RenoVincent CasselNadia FarèsA murder detective must follow the footsteps of a brutal killer within the secrets of a classist college.
- DirectorRon SheltonStarsKurt RussellVing RhamesScott SpeedmanA robbery homicide investigation triggers a series of events that will cause a corrupt LAPD officer to question his tactics.
- DirectorJoe CarnahanStarsRay LiottaJason PatricChi McBrideWhen the trail goes cold on a murder investigation of a policeman, an undercover narcotics officer is lured back to the force to help solve the case.
- DirectorAndrew LauAlan MakStarsAndy LauTony Leung Chiu-waiAnthony Chau-Sang WongA story between a mole in the police department and an undercover cop. Their objectives are the same: to find out who is the mole, and who is the cop.Scorsese's The Departed was a remake of this.
- DirectorYves SimoneauStarsMichael MadsenRon LivingstonRay BakerAfter a failed bank robbery, two heavily armed men hold the Los Angeles Police Department at bay for 44 minutes.
- DirectorJohnnie ToStarsSimon YamSuet LamRuby WongWhen an obnoxious detective loses his gun to four young thugs, it's up to the P.T.U. (Police Tactical Unit) and their iron-willed leader to recover the weapon and clean up the mess before daybreak.
- DirectorJohnnie ToStarsRichie JenKelly ChenNick CheungAfter a disastrous failure to stop a robber gang, the police attempt to redeem themselves through a series of publicity stunts and shootouts.
- DirectorWilson YipStarsDonnie YenSimon YamSammo Kam-Bo HungA near retired inspector and his unit are willing to put down a crime boss at all costs while dealing with his replacement, who is getting in their way. Meanwhile, the crime boss sends his top henchmen to put an end to their dirty schemes.
- DirectorJosé PadilhaStarsWagner MouraAndré RamiroCaio JunqueiraIn 1997 Rio de Janeiro, Captain Nascimento has to find a substitute for his position while trying to take down drug dealers and criminals before the Pope visits.If City of God was a liberal's take on how messed up things are in Rio de Janeiro, this is a hardcore right-winger's take on it.
- DirectorDante LamStarsLeon LaiRichie JenBaoqiang WangFacing a corrupt bureau, a police captain tries to prove his partner's innocence by teaming up with a narcotics officer with mysterious motives.
- DirectorAlberto RodríguezStarsInma AlcántaraAndrés BlancoJavier BergerA squad of four undercover cops are charged with cleaning up the streets of Seville from drugs and prostitution.