Best cop dramas

[Cail]

Saw this at the same site that had the action movie list.

insidemovies.moviefone.com/2010/01/06/best-cop-dramas/

And of course, I disagree.

I don't think you can talk about great cop movies without Training Day, Narc, and Dark Blue. Then ya gotta have To Live and Die in L.A. and Touch of Evil.

I totally agree with Serpico, The Departed, Dirty Harry, and The French Connection.

Bullitt? Great car chase, not much of a movie though.

And I think Manhunter and Heat deserve spots too.

[Mr. Broken]

I liked Copland, decent story, great cast, gratuitous use of the f-word.

[danlo]

Heat and L. A. Confidential...The Blue Knight was pretty dang cool

Spoiler

albiet very depressing when George Kennedy shoots himself in the head

...I liked Copland too...very realistic.

[matrixman]

While not an aficionado of cop dramas, I'm baffled by the absence of Heat. I finally bought the film on blu-ray a couple of weeks ago, and was amazed by it all over again. One of the greatest films ever made, never mind "just" a good cop/crime drama.

One of the reader comments mentioned Internal Affairs. That film definitely gets a vote from me.

[Montresor]

and Dark Blue.

Wow! Someone else who actually knows this film. I loved it. Kurt Russell's best performance, for sure.

The list on that site is ok but, I don't see anyway Dirty Harry couldn't be #1. As good as the French Connection is, Dirty Harry just eclipses it in influence and originality, I think.

I'd also add the Anglo-French film The Day of the Jackal (the original). Excellent film.

[Cail]

Day of the Jackal was great, as was Copland. I totally forgot about Internal Affairs. What a great performance from Richard Gere.

[jacob Raver, sinTempter]

Interesting list. I've only seen Serpico, Departed, Witness and LA Confidential from it...Mines is,

1- Infernal Affairs (simply the greatest of its genre ever)
2- Departed (the American remake of IA)
3- Heat
4- Witness
5- Narc
6- Serpico
7- Lethal Weapons
8- LA Confidential
9-Training Day

[dANdeLION]

Fargo should have made the list.

[danlo]

I thought Jackal was more of a spy thriller...oh well...I, apparently, need to see Internal Affairs (actually I may have seen it, let me think, crap I usually have a photographic memory for these sort of things...sh..) and Narc...

[matrixman]

I agree with you about Day of the Jackal, danlo - if we're gonna be splitting hairs about genres.
But that's part of the fun of these lists, eh? Great film, in any case.

Remember Internal Affairs yet? More importantly, how could you forget having seen such a good movie?

[dlbpharmd]

No Naked Gun? That's bullshit!

j/k

[lorin]

I thought The Beast was very good. Lost with the death of Swayze.

[jacob Raver, sinTempter]

I've never seen Internal Affairs... 6.3 at imdb, looks decent.