Underrated Cop Movies
by Mikesw1234 | created - 25 Oct 2013 | updated - 02 Aug 2015 | Public- Instant Watch Options
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1. Railroaded! (1947)
Passed | 72 min | Crime, Drama, Film-Noir
A 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.
Director: Anthony Mann | Stars: John Ireland, Sheila Ryan, Hugh Beaumont, Jane Randolph
Votes: 1,802
2. The Naked City (1948)
Not Rated | 96 min | Crime, Drama, Film-Noir
A step-by-step look at a murder investigation on the streets of New York.
Director: Jules Dassin | Stars: Barry Fitzgerald, Howard Duff, Dorothy Hart, Don Taylor
Votes: 15,480
Perhaps the first true police precedural.
3. Stray Dog (1949)
Not Rated | 122 min | Crime, Drama, Film-Noir
During a sweltering summer, a rookie homicide detective tries to track down his stolen Colt pistol.
Director: Akira Kurosawa | Stars: Toshirô Mifune, Takashi Shimura, Keiko Awaji, Eiko Miyoshi
Votes: 18,909
Akira Kurasawa was just as good at Noir as he was at period pieces.
4. Union Station (1950)
Approved | 81 min | Crime, Drama, Film-Noir
A 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.
Director: Rudolph Maté | Stars: William Holden, Nancy Olson, Barry Fitzgerald, Lyle Bettger
Votes: 2,723
5. Dragnet (1954)
Approved | 88 min | Crime, Drama, Film-Noir
Two homicide detectives investigate the brutal shotgun murder of a crime syndicate member.
Director: Jack Webb | Stars: Jack Webb, Ben Alexander, Richard Boone, Ann Robinson
Votes: 1,132
6. Bullitt (1968)
M/PG | 114 min | Action, Crime, Thriller
A nonconformist San Francisco cop is determined to find the underworld kingpin who killed the witness under his protection.
Director: Peter Yates | Stars: Steve McQueen, Jacqueline Bisset, Robert Vaughn, Don Gordon
Votes: 75,759 | Gross: $42.30M
The first truly great car chase in cinema!
7. The Detective (1968)
Approved | 114 min | Crime, Drama, Thriller
While 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.
Director: Gordon Douglas | Stars: Frank Sinatra, Lee Remick, Ralph Meeker, Jack Klugman
Votes: 4,148 | Gross: $14.30M
The novel that this was based on is the prequel to the same novel Die Hard was based on!
8. Across 110th Street (1972)
R | 102 min | Action, Crime, Drama
Two New York City cops go after amateur crooks who are trying to rip off the Mafia and start a gang war.
Director: Barry Shear | Stars: Anthony Quinn, Yaphet Kotto, Anthony Franciosa, Frank Adu
Votes: 7,139 | Gross: $3.60M
A surprisingly great cross between blacksploitation and serious crime thriller.
9. The Seven-Ups (1973)
PG | 103 min | Action, Crime, Drama
A 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.
Director: Philip D'Antoni | Stars: Roy Scheider, Tony Lo Bianco, Victor Arnold, Jerry Leon
Votes: 6,639 | Gross: $2.32M
Another one of the greatest car chases ever!
10. Serpico (1973)
R | 130 min | Biography, Crime, Drama
An honest New York cop named Frank Serpico blows the whistle on rampant corruption in the force only to have his comrades turn against him.
Director: Sidney Lumet | Stars: Al Pacino, John Randolph, Jack Kehoe, Biff McGuire
Votes: 134,582 | Gross: $29.80M
11. The Laughing Policeman (1973)
R | 112 min | Crime, Drama, Thriller
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.
Director: Stuart Rosenberg | Stars: Walter Matthau, Bruce Dern, Louis Gossett Jr., Albert Paulsen
Votes: 3,223 | Gross: $1.36M
12. Detroit 9000 (1973)
R | 106 min | Action, Crime, Drama
After 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.
Director: Arthur Marks | Stars: Alex Rocco, Hari Rhodes, Vonetta McGee, Herbert Jefferson Jr.
Votes: 1,149 | Gross: $3.36M
13. Nighthawks (1981)
R | 99 min | Action, Crime, Thriller
When 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.
Directors: Bruce Malmuth, Gary Nelson | Stars: Sylvester Stallone, Rutger Hauer, Billy Dee Williams, Lindsay Wagner
Votes: 21,684 | Gross: $14.91M
14. Year of the Dragon (1985)
R | 134 min | Action, Crime, Drama
A police detective cracks down on organized crime in Chinatown after the murders of Triad and Mafia leaders.
Director: Michael Cimino | Stars: Mickey Rourke, John Lone, Ariane, Leonard Termo
Votes: 17,629 | Gross: $18.70M
15. No Man's Land (1987)
R | 106 min | Crime, Drama, Thriller
A rookie cop goes undercover and infiltrates a car thief ring.
Director: Peter Werner | Stars: Charlie Sheen, D.B. Sweeney, Lara Harris, Randy Quaid
Votes: 5,417 | Gross: $2.88M
A pretty cool precurser to movies like Point Break and The Fast and the Furious.
16. City on Fire (1987)
R | 101 min | Action, Crime, Drama
An undercover cop infiltrates a gang of thieves who plan to rob a jewelry store.
Director: Ringo Lam | Stars: Chow Yun-Fat, Yueh Sun, Danny Lee, Carrie Ng
Votes: 7,256
Tarantino's inspiration for Reservior Dogs.
17. Colors (1988)
R | 120 min | Action, Crime, Drama
An experienced cop and his rookie partner patrol the streets of East Los Angeles while trying to keep the gang violence under control.
Director: Dennis Hopper | Stars: Sean Penn, Robert Duvall, Maria Conchita Alonso, Randy Brooks
Votes: 29,786 | Gross: $46.62M
18. Black Rain (1989)
R | 125 min | Action, Crime, Drama
Two NYC cops arrest a Yakuza member and must escort him when he's extradited to Japan.
Director: Ridley Scott | Stars: Michael Douglas, Andy Garcia, Ken Takakura, Kate Capshaw
Votes: 59,637 | Gross: $46.21M
19. Crime Story (1993)
R | 103 min | Action, Crime, Drama
A 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.
Directors: Kirk Wong, Jackie Chan | Stars: Jackie Chan, Kent Cheng, Christine Ng, Kar-Ying Law
Votes: 7,434 | Gross: $0.19M
One of Jackie Chan's most serious films.
20. Organized Crime & Triad Bureau (1994)
Unrated | 90 min | Action, Crime, Thriller
The 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.
Director: Kirk Wong | Stars: Danny Lee, Cecilia Yip, Anthony Chau-Sang Wong, Tak-Kwong Chan
Votes: 276
21. Full Alert (1997)
Not Rated | 98 min | Action, Crime, Thriller
Police 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.
Director: Ringo Lam | Stars: Ching Wan Lau, Francis Ng, Amanda Lee, Monica Chan
Votes: 1,322
Hong Kong's version of Heat.
22. G4 te gong (1997)
109 min | Action
With 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 ... See full summary »
Director: Dante Lam | Stars: Julian Cheung, Anthony Chau-Sang Wong, Carman Lee, Monica Chan
Votes: 143
23. Cop Land (1997)
R | 105 min | Crime, Drama, Thriller
The 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.
Director: James Mangold | Stars: Sylvester Stallone, Harvey Keitel, Ray Liotta, Robert De Niro
Votes: 106,231 | Gross: $44.89M
24. The Negotiator (1998)
R | 140 min | Action, Crime, Drama
In 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.
Director: F. Gary Gray | Stars: Samuel L. Jackson, Kevin Spacey, David Morse, Ron Rifkin
Votes: 154,805 | Gross: $44.48M
Samuel L. Jackson and Kevin Spacey. Nuff said!
25. Beast Cops (1998)
TV-MA | 110 min | Action, Crime, Drama
Tung 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.
Directors: Gordon Chan, Dante Lam | Stars: Anthony Chau-Sang Wong, Michael Wong, Stephanie Che, Kathy Chow
Votes: 1,214
26. The Bone Collector (1999)
R | 118 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
A quadriplegic ex-homicide detective and his partner try to track down a serial killer who is terrorizing New York City.
Director: Phillip Noyce | Stars: Denzel Washington, Angelina Jolie, Queen Latifah, Michael Rooker
Votes: 184,722 | Gross: $66.52M
A precurser to CSI.
27. The Corruptor (1999)
R | 110 min | Action, Crime, Thriller
With 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.
Director: James Foley | Stars: Chow Yun-Fat, Mark Wahlberg, Ric Young, Paul Ben-Victor
Votes: 19,127 | Gross: $15.16M
28. Chung chong ging chaat (2001)
Not Rated | 94 min | Action
An 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 ... See full summary »
Director: Dante Lam | Stars: Daniel Wu, Alex To, Samuel Pang, Tony Ho
Votes: 241
29. The Crimson Rivers (2000)
R | 106 min | Crime, Mystery, Thriller
A murder detective must follow the footsteps of a brutal killer within the secrets of a classist college.
Director: Mathieu Kassovitz | Stars: Jean Reno, Vincent Cassel, Nadia Farès, Dominique Sanda
Votes: 65,578 | Gross: $0.63M
30. Dark Blue (2002)
R | 118 min | Crime, Drama, Thriller
A robbery homicide investigation triggers a series of events that will cause a corrupt LAPD officer to question his tactics.
Director: Ron Shelton | Stars: Kurt Russell, Ving Rhames, Scott Speedman, Michael Michele
Votes: 24,042 | Gross: $9.06M
31. Narc (2002)
R | 105 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
When 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.
Director: Joe Carnahan | Stars: Ray Liotta, Jason Patric, Chi McBride, Dan Leis
Votes: 43,063 | Gross: $10.46M
32. Infernal Affairs (2002)
R | 101 min | Action, Crime, Drama
A 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.
Directors: Andrew Lau, Alan Mak | Stars: Andy Lau, Tony Leung Chiu-wai, Anthony Chau-Sang Wong, Eric Tsang
Votes: 131,269 | Gross: $0.17M
Scorsese's The Departed was a remake of this.
33. 44 Minutes: The North Hollywood Shoot-Out (2003 TV Movie)
R | 103 min | Action, Crime, Drama
After a failed bank robbery, two heavily armed men hold the Los Angeles Police Department at bay for 44 minutes.
Director: Yves Simoneau | Stars: Michael Madsen, Ron Livingston, Ray Baker, Douglas Spain
Votes: 5,471
34. PTU (2003)
R | 85 min | Action, Crime, Drama
When 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.
Director: Johnnie To | Stars: Simon Yam, Suet Lam, Ruby Wong, Maggie Siu
Votes: 5,147
35. Breaking News (2004)
TV-14 | 90 min | Action, Crime, Drama
After a disastrous failure to stop a robber gang, the police attempt to redeem themselves through a series of publicity stunts and shootouts.
Director: Johnnie To | Stars: Richie Jen, Kelly Chen, Nick Cheung, Yong You
Votes: 5,769
36. Kill Zone (2005)
Not Rated | 93 min | Action, Crime, Thriller
A 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.
Director: Wilson Yip | Stars: Donnie Yen, Simon Yam, Sammo Kam-Bo Hung, Jing Wu
Votes: 13,187
37. Elite Squad (2007)
R | 115 min | Action, Crime, Drama
In 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.
Director: José Padilha | Stars: Wagner Moura, André Ramiro, Caio Junqueira, Milhem Cortaz
Votes: 110,070 | Gross: $0.01M
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.
38. Fire of Conscience (2010)
R | 106 min | Action, Crime, Mystery
Facing a corrupt bureau, a police captain tries to prove his partner's innocence by teaming up with a narcotics officer with mysterious motives.
Director: Dante Lam | Stars: Leon Lai, Richie Jen, Baoqiang Wang, Vivian Hsu
Votes: 1,040
39. Unit 7 (2012)
Not Rated | 96 min | Action, Drama, Thriller
A squad of four undercover cops are charged with cleaning up the streets of Seville from drugs and prostitution.
Director: Alberto Rodríguez | Stars: Inma Alcántara, Andrés Blanco, Javier Berger, Manuel Bernal
Votes: 6,281
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