The Best Buddy Cop Films
by jwoehr | created - 07 Dec 2011 | updated - 14 Jan 2016 | Public- Instant Watch Options
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1. Lethal Weapon (1987)
R | 109 min | Action, Crime, Thriller
Two newly paired cops who are complete opposites must put aside their differences in order to catch a gang of drug smugglers.
Director: Richard Donner | Stars: Mel Gibson, Danny Glover, Gary Busey, Mitchell Ryan
Votes: 276,208 | Gross: $65.21M
2. Lethal Weapon 2 (1989)
R | 114 min | Action, Crime, Thriller
Riggs and Murtaugh are on the trail of South African diplomats who are using their immunity to engage in criminal activities.
Director: Richard Donner | Stars: Mel Gibson, Danny Glover, Joe Pesci, Patsy Kensit
Votes: 188,699 | Gross: $147.25M
3. Beverly Hills Cop (1984)
R | 105 min | Action, Comedy, Crime
A freewheeling Detroit cop pursuing a murder investigation finds himself dealing with the very different culture of Beverly Hills.
Director: Martin Brest | Stars: Eddie Murphy, Judge Reinhold, John Ashton, Lisa Eilbacher
Votes: 202,884 | Gross: $234.76M
4. Hot Fuzz (2007)
R | 121 min | Action, Comedy, Mystery
An overachieving London police sergeant is transferred to a village where the easygoing officers object to his fervor for regulations, all while a string of grisly murders strikes the town.
Director: Edgar Wright | Stars: Simon Pegg, Nick Frost, Martin Freeman, Bill Nighy
Votes: 535,051 | Gross: $23.64M
5. Bad Boys (1995)
R | 119 min | Action, Comedy, Crime
Two hip detectives protect a witness to a murder while investigating a case of stolen heroin from the evidence storage room from their police precinct.
Director: Michael Bay | Stars: Will Smith, Martin Lawrence, Lisa Boyle, Michael Taliferro
Votes: 286,169 | Gross: $65.81M
6. Lethal Weapon 3 (1992)
R | 118 min | Action, Crime, Thriller
Martin Riggs and Roger Murtaugh pursue a former LAPD officer who uses his knowledge of police procedure and policies to steal and sell confiscated guns and ammunition to local street gangs.
Director: Richard Donner | Stars: Mel Gibson, Danny Glover, Joe Pesci, Rene Russo
Votes: 178,424 | Gross: $144.73M
7. 48 Hrs. (1982)
R | 96 min | Action, Comedy, Crime
A hard-nosed cop reluctantly teams up with a wise-cracking criminal temporarily paroled to him in order to track down a killer.
Director: Walter Hill | Stars: Nick Nolte, Eddie Murphy, Annette O'Toole, Frank McRae
Votes: 85,207 | Gross: $78.87M
8. Running Scared (1986)
R | 107 min | Action, Comedy, Crime
Two street-wise Chicago cops have to shake off some rust after returning from a Key West vacation to pursue a drug dealer who nearly killed them in the past.
Director: Peter Hyams | Stars: Gregory Hines, Billy Crystal, Steven Bauer, Darlanne Fluegel
Votes: 14,978 | Gross: $38.50M
9. Rush Hour (1998)
PG-13 | 98 min | Action, Comedy, Crime
A loyal and dedicated Hong Kong Inspector teams up with a reckless and loudmouthed L.A.P.D. detective to rescue the Chinese Consul's kidnapped daughter, while trying to arrest a dangerous crime lord along the way.
Director: Brett Ratner | Stars: Jackie Chan, Chris Tucker, Ken Leung, Tom Wilkinson
Votes: 294,429 | Gross: $141.15M
10. Red Heat (1988)
R | 104 min | Action, Comedy, Crime
A tough Russian policeman is forced to partner up with a cocky Chicago police detective when he is sent to Chicago to apprehend a Georgian drug lord who killed his partner and fled the country.
Director: Walter Hill | Stars: Arnold Schwarzenegger, Jim Belushi, Peter Boyle, Ed O'Ross
Votes: 76,000 | Gross: $34.99M
11. Tango & Cash (1989)
R | 104 min | Action, Comedy, Crime
Framed by their ruthless arch-nemesis, a pair of mismatched LAPD officers must put their differences aside to get even with the brutal crime baron who sent them to rot in a maximum-security prison.
Directors: Andrey Konchalovskiy, Albert Magnoli | Stars: Sylvester Stallone, Kurt Russell, Teri Hatcher, Jack Palance
Votes: 113,477 | Gross: $63.41M
12. K-9 (1989)
PG-13 | 101 min | Action, Comedy, Crime
To stop an elusive criminal, a maverick detective enlists the aid of a police dog who's an unusually intelligent smart alec.
Director: Rod Daniel | Stars: Jim Belushi, Mel Harris, Kevin Tighe, Ed O'Neill
Votes: 35,599 | Gross: $43.25M
13. The Other Guys (2010)
PG-13 | 107 min | Action, Comedy, Crime
Two mismatched New York City detectives seize an opportunity to step up like the city's top cops, whom they idolize, only things don't quite go as planned.
Director: Adam McKay | Stars: Will Ferrell, Mark Wahlberg, Derek Jeter, Eva Mendes
Votes: 288,201 | Gross: $119.22M
14. Alien Nation (1988)
R | 91 min | Action, Sci-Fi
In 1988, Earth makes the first contact with an alien civilization. In 1991, these aliens, known as Newcomers, slowly begin to be integrated into human society after three years of quarantine.
Director: Graham Baker | Stars: James Caan, Mandy Patinkin, Terence Stamp, Kevyn Major Howard
Votes: 16,659 | Gross: $25.22M
15. Kiss Kiss Bang Bang (2005)
R | 103 min | Comedy, Crime, Mystery
After being mistaken for an actor, a New York thief is sent to Hollywood to train under a private eye for a potential movie role, but the duo are thrown together with a struggling actress into a murder mystery.
Director: Shane Black | Stars: Robert Downey Jr., Val Kilmer, Michelle Monaghan, Corbin Bernsen
Votes: 237,317 | Gross: $4.24M
16. Die Hard (1988)
R | 132 min | Action, Thriller
A New York City police officer tries to save his estranged wife and several others taken hostage by terrorists during a Christmas party at the Nakatomi Plaza in Los Angeles.
Director: John McTiernan | Stars: Bruce Willis, Alan Rickman, Bonnie Bedelia, Reginald VelJohnson
Votes: 945,033 | Gross: $83.01M
Bruce Willis and the cop he talks to on the radio.
17. Die Hard with a Vengeance (1995)
R | 128 min | Action, Adventure, Thriller
John McClane and a Harlem store owner are targeted by German terrorist Simon in New York City, where he plans to rob the Federal Reserve Building.
Director: John McTiernan | Stars: Bruce Willis, Jeremy Irons, Samuel L. Jackson, Graham Greene
Votes: 407,976 | Gross: $100.01M
Bruce Willis and Samuel.L Jackson
18. Stakeout (1987)
R | 117 min | Action, Comedy, Crime
Two detectives observe an escaped convict's ex-girlfriend, but complications set in when one of them falls for her.
Director: John Badham | Stars: Richard Dreyfuss, Emilio Estevez, Madeleine Stowe, Aidan Quinn
Votes: 28,509 | Gross: $65.67M
19. Turner & Hooch (1989)
PG | 97 min | Comedy, Crime, Drama
A detective must adopt a rambunctious dog in order to help him find a killer.
Director: Roger Spottiswoode | Stars: Tom Hanks, Mare Winningham, Craig T. Nelson, Reginald VelJohnson
Votes: 76,310 | Gross: $71.08M
20. The Last Boy Scout (1991)
R | 105 min | Action, Comedy, Crime
A private detective's protected female witness is murdered, prompting him and the victim's boyfriend to investigate the crime that leads to a corrupt politician and a crooked football team owner.
Director: Tony Scott | Stars: Bruce Willis, Damon Wayans, Chelsea Field, Noble Willingham
Votes: 111,998 | Gross: $59.51M
21. The French Connection (1971)
R | 104 min | Action, Crime, Drama
A pair of NYPD detectives in the Narcotics Bureau stumble onto a heroin smuggling ring based in Marseilles, but stopping them and capturing their leaders proves an elusive goal.
Director: William Friedkin | Stars: Gene Hackman, Roy Scheider, Fernando Rey, Tony Lo Bianco
Votes: 135,578 | Gross: $15.63M
22. The Hard Way (1991)
R | 111 min | Action, Comedy, Crime
An action movie star researching a role is allowed to tag along with a hardboiled New York City policeman, who finds him superficial and irritating.
Director: John Badham | Stars: Michael J. Fox, James Woods, Stephen Lang, Annabella Sciorra
Votes: 22,278 | Gross: $25.90M
23. 15 Minutes (2001)
R | 120 min | Action, Crime, Drama
A homicide detective and a fire marshal must stop a pair of murderers who commit videotaped crimes to become media darlings.
Director: John Herzfeld | Stars: Robert De Niro, Edward Burns, Kelsey Grammer, Avery Brooks
Votes: 51,928 | Gross: $24.40M
24. L.A. Confidential (1997)
R | 138 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
As corruption grows in 1950s Los Angeles, three policemen - one strait-laced, one brutal, and one sleazy - investigate a series of murders with their own brand of justice.
Director: Curtis Hanson | Stars: Kevin Spacey, Russell Crowe, Guy Pearce, Kim Basinger
Votes: 617,471 | Gross: $64.62M
25. Beverly Hills Cop II (1987)
R | 100 min | Action, Comedy, Crime
Axel Foley returns to Beverly Hills to help Taggart and Rosewood investigate Chief Bogomil's near-fatal shooting and the series of "alphabet crimes" associated with it.
Director: Tony Scott | Stars: Eddie Murphy, Judge Reinhold, Jürgen Prochnow, Ronny Cox
Votes: 130,256 | Gross: $153.67M
26. Another 48 Hrs. (1990)
R | 95 min | Action, Comedy, Crime
Jack Cates once again enlists the aid of ex-con Reggie Hammond - this time to take down The Iceman, a ruthless drug lord operating in the San Francisco bay area.
Director: Walter Hill | Stars: Eddie Murphy, Nick Nolte, Brion James, Kevin Tighe
Votes: 44,492 | Gross: $80.82M
27. 21 Jump Street (2012)
R | 109 min | Action, Comedy, Crime
A pair of underachieving cops are sent back to a local high school to blend in and bring down a synthetic drug ring.
Directors: Phil Lord, Christopher Miller | Stars: Jonah Hill, Channing Tatum, Ice Cube, Brie Larson
Votes: 598,162 | Gross: $138.45M
28. 22 Jump Street (2014)
R | 112 min | Action, Comedy, Crime
After making their way through high school (twice), big changes are in store for officers Schmidt and Jenko when they go deep undercover at a local college.
Directors: Phil Lord, Christopher Miller | Stars: Channing Tatum, Jonah Hill, Ice Cube, Nick Offerman
Votes: 405,802 | Gross: $191.72M
29. The Heat (I) (2013)
R | 117 min | Action, Comedy, Crime
An uptight FBI Special Agent is paired with a foul-mouthed Boston cop to take down a ruthless drug lord.
Director: Paul Feig | Stars: Sandra Bullock, Michael McDonald, Melissa McCarthy, Demián Bichir
Votes: 181,209 | Gross: $159.58M
30. 2 Guns (2013)
R | 109 min | Action, Comedy, Thriller
Two hardened criminals get into trouble with the US border patrol after meeting with a Mexican drug lord, and then revelations start to unfold.
Director: Baltasar Kormákur | Stars: Denzel Washington, Mark Wahlberg, Paula Patton, Bill Paxton
Votes: 225,279 | Gross: $75.61M
31. Men in Black (1997)
PG-13 | 98 min | Action, Adventure, Comedy
James, an NYC cop, is hired by Agent K of a secret government agency that monitors extraterrestrial life on Earth. Together, they must recover an item that has been stolen by an intergalactic villain.
Director: Barry Sonnenfeld | Stars: Tommy Lee Jones, Will Smith, Linda Fiorentino, Vincent D'Onofrio
Votes: 612,504 | Gross: $250.69M
32. Bad Boys II (2003)
R | 147 min | Action, Comedy, Crime
Two loose-cannon narcotics cops investigate the flow of Ecstasy into Florida from a Cuban drug cartel.
Director: Michael Bay | Stars: Will Smith, Martin Lawrence, Gabrielle Union, Jordi Mollà
Votes: 266,949 | Gross: $138.61M
33. In the Heat of the Night (1967)
Approved | 110 min | Drama, Mystery, Thriller
A black Philadelphia police detective is mistakenly suspected of a local murder while passing through a racially hostile Mississippi town, and after being cleared is reluctantly asked by the police chief to investigate the case.
Director: Norman Jewison | Stars: Sidney Poitier, Rod Steiger, Warren Oates, Lee Grant
Votes: 83,517 | Gross: $24.38M
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