The Best Buddy Cop Movies Of All-Time
“What are the best Buddy Cop Movies Of All-Time?” We looked at 124 of the top Buddy Cop films, aggregating and ranking them so we could answer that very question!
The top 32 films, all appearing on 3 or more “Best Buddy Cop” movie lists, are ranked below by how many times they appear. The remaining 75+ movies, as well as the sources we used, are in alphabetical order on the bottom of the page.
Happy Scrolling!
Top 32 Buddy-Cop Movies Of All-Time
32 .) In the Heat of the Night (1967)
Lists It Appears On:
- AMC
- Kegl
- Matts Movie Reviews
An African American detective is asked to investigate a murder in a racist southern town.
31 .) The Guard (2011)
Lists It Appears On:
- High Snobuety
- Movie mezzanine
- Rotten Tomatoes
Two policemen must join forces to take on an international drug- smuggling gang – one, an unorthodox Irish policeman and the other, a straitlaced FBI agent. Sergeant Gerry Boyle is an eccentric small-town cop with a confrontational and crass personality and a subversive sense of humor. A longtime policeman in County Galway, Boyle is a maverick with his own moral code. He has seen enough of the world to know there isn’t much to it and has had plenty of time to think about it. When a fellow police officer disappears and Boyle’s small town becomes key to a large drug trafficking investigation, he is forced to at least feign interest when dealing with the humorless FBI agent Wendell Everett assigned to the case.
30 .) Die Hard: With a Vengeance (1995) directed by John McTiernan
Lists It Appears On:
- AMC
- Babble Top
- High Snobuety
- IMDB
New York detective John McClane is back and kicking bad-guy butt in the third installment of this action-packed series, which finds him teaming with civilian Zeus Carver to prevent the loss of innocent lives. McClane thought he’d seen it all, until a genius named Simon engages McClane, his new “partner” — and his beloved city — in a deadly game that demands their concentration.
29 .) Dragnet (1987)
Lists It Appears On:
- Cltampa
- Games Radar
- Nerdist
- Ranker
LAPD Sgt. Joe Friday — the equally straight-laced nephew of the famous police sergeant of the same name — is paired up with a young, freewheeling detective named Pep Streebeck. After investigating some strange robberies at the local zoo and the theft of a stockpile of pornographic magazines, they uncover cult activity in the heart of the city and are hot on the case to figure out who’s behind it all.
28 .) Lethal Weapon 2
Lists It Appears On:
- Black America Web
- Ranker
- Renegade Cinema
- Rotten Tomatoes
In the opening chase, Martin Riggs and Roger Murtaugh stumble across a trunk full of Krugerrands. They follow the trail to a South African diplomat who’s using his immunity to conceal a smuggling operation. When he plants a bomb under Murtaugh’s toilet, the action explodes!
27 .) Midnight Run (1988)
Lists It Appears On:
- Babble Top
- Games Radar
- Goliath
- Rolling Stone
An accountant embezzles $15 million of mob money, jumps bail and is chased by bounty hunters, the FBI, and the Mafia.
26 .) Point Blank
Lists It Appears On:
- Matts Movie Reviews
- Pajiba
- Ranker
- Ranker
After being double-crossed and left for dead, a mysterious man named Walker single-mindedly tries to retrieve the rather inconsequential sum of money that was stolen from him.
25 .) Red Heat (1988)
Lists It Appears On:
- High Snobuety
- Ranker
- Rotten Tomatoes
- The Cinemaholic
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.
24 .) Rush Hour 2 (2001)
Lists It Appears On:
- Games For Girlss
- Ranker
- The Cinemaholic
- Viraluck
It’s vacation time for Carter as he finds himself alongside Lee in Hong Kong wishing for more excitement. While Carter wants to party and meet the ladies, Lee is out to track down a Triad gang lord who may be responsible for killing two men at the American Embassy. Things get complicated as the pair stumble onto a counterfeiting plot. The boys are soon up to their necks in fist fights and life-threatening situations. A trip back to the U.S. may provide the answers about the bombing, the counterfeiting, and the true allegiance of sexy customs agent Isabella.
23 .) Se7en (1995)
Lists It Appears On:
- Games For Girlss
- Matts Movie Reviews
- Ranker
- The Cinemaholic
Two homicide detectives are on a desperate hunt for a serial killer whose crimes are based on the “seven deadly sins” in this dark and haunting film that takes viewers from the tortured remains of one victim to the next. The seasoned Det. Sommerset researches each sin in an effort to get inside the killer’s mind, while his novice partner, Mills, scoffs at his efforts to unravel the case.
22 .) Sherlock Holmes (2009)
Lists It Appears On:
- Matts Movie Reviews
- Ranker
- Screen Rant
- Viraluck
Eccentric consulting detective, Sherlock Holmes and Doctor John Watson battle to bring down a new nemesis and unravel a deadly plot that could destroy England.
21 .) The Last Boy Scout (1991)
Lists It Appears On:
- Cinema
- Flickering Myth
- High Snobuety
- Matts Movie Reviews
When the girl that detective Joe Hallenback is protecting gets murdered, the boyfriend of the murdered girl (ex-football player Jimmy Dix) attempts to investigate and solve the case. What they discover is that there is deep seated corruption going on between a crooked politician and the owner of a pro football team.
20 .) The Nice Guys (2016)
Lists It Appears On:
- Flickering Myth
- Joe
- Ranker
- The Cinemaholic
A private eye investigates the apparent suicide of a fading porn star in 1970s Los Angeles and uncovers a conspiracy.
19 .) Training Day
Lists It Appears On:
- Esquire
- Matts Movie Reviews
- Pajiba
- Ranker
On his first day on the job as a narcotics officer, a rookie cop works with a rogue detective who isn’t what he appears.
18 .) Bad Boys 2
Lists It Appears On:
- Babble Top
- Black America Web
- Cltampa
- Kegl
- Renegade Cinema
Out-of-control, trash-talking buddy cops Marcus Burnett and Mike Lowrey of the Miami Narcotics Task Force reunite, and bullets fly, cars crash and laughs explode as they pursue a whacked-out drug lord from the streets of Miami to the barrios of Cuba. But the real fireworks result when Marcus discovers that playboy Mike is secretly romancing Marcus’ sexy sister.
17 .) Stakeout (1987)
Lists It Appears On:
- Cheet Sheet
- High Snobuety
- Nerdist
- Ranker
- Rotten Tomatoes
Two cops are given the ‘dirty’ job of staking out the home of an escaped convict’s ex-girlfriend. Chris and the beautiful girlfriend accidentally meet and fall in love. Just as Chris’ confesses, the convict appears, but will she betray him ?
16 .) End of Watch (2012)
Lists It Appears On:
- Esquire
- High Snobuety
- Ranker
- The Cinemaholic
- The Ringer
- Viraluck
Two young officers are marked for death after confiscating a small cache of money and firearms from the members of a notorious cartel during a routine traffic stop.
15 .) Starsky & Hutch (2004)
Lists It Appears On:
- Cltampa
- Games Radar
- High Snobuety
- Ranker
- Rotten Tomatoes
- Viraluck
Join uptight David Starsky and laid-back Ken “Hutch” Hutchinson as they’re paired for the first time as undercover cops. The new partners must overcome their differences to solve an important case with help from street informant Huggy Bear and persuasive criminal Reese Feldman.
14 .) 21 Jump Street (2012) directed by Phil Lord
Lists It Appears On:
- Esquire
- Flickering Myth
- IMDB
- Joe
- Ranker
- Screen Rant
- The Cinemaholic
- Viraluck
In high school, Schmidt was a dork and Jenko was the popular jock. After graduation, both of them joined the police force and ended up as partners riding bicycles in the city park. Since they are young and look like high school students, they are assigned to an undercover unit to infiltrate a drug ring that is supplying high school students synthetic drugs.
13 .) Kiss Kiss Bang Bang (2005)
Lists It Appears On:
- Cinema
- Flickering Myth
- Games For Girlss
- Games Radar
- High Snobuety
- Matts Movie Reviews
- Screen Rant
- The Cinemaholic
A petty thief posing as an actor is brought to Los Angeles for an unlikely audition and finds himself in the middle of a murder investigation along with his high school dream girl and a detective who’s been training him for his upcoming role…
12 .) Men in Black (1997) directed by Barry Sonnenfeld
Lists It Appears On:
- Black America Web
- Esquire
- High Snobuety
- IMDB
- Ranker
- Rolling Stone
- Screen Rant
- The Cinemaholic
After a police chase with an otherworldly being, a New York City cop is recruited as an agent in a top-secret organization established to monitor and police alien activity on Earth: the Men in Black. Agent Kay and new recruit Agent Jay find themselves in the middle of a deadly plot by an intergalactic terrorist who has arrived on Earth to assassinate two ambassadors from opposing galaxies.
11 .) The Heat (2013) directed by Paul Feig
Lists It Appears On:
- Babble Top
- Esquire
- IMDB
- Kegl
- Ranker
- Rolling Stone
- Rotten Tomatoes
- Screen Rant
Uptight and straight-laced, FBI Special Agent Sarah Ashburn is a methodical investigator with a reputation for excellence–and hyper-arrogance. Shannon Mullins, one of Boston P.D.’s “finest,” is foul-mouthed and has a very short fuse, and uses her gut instinct and street smarts to catch the most elusive criminals. Neither has ever had a partner, or a friend for that matter. When these two wildly incompatible law officers join forces to bring down a ruthless drug lord, they become the last thing anyone expected: Buddies.
10 .) Running Scared (1986)
Lists It Appears On:
- Babble Top
- Black America Web
- Cheet Sheet
- Cinema
- High Snobuety
- Kegl
- Ranker
- Ranker
- Rotten Tomatoes
Two street-wise Chicago cops have to shake off some rust after returning from a Key West vacation to pursue a drug dealer that nearly killed them in the past.
9 .) The Other Guys (2010) directed by Adam McKay
Lists It Appears On:
- Babble Top
- Esquire
- High Snobuety
- IMDB
- Nerdist
- Ranker
- Rotten Tomatoes
- Screen Rant
- Viraluck
NYPD detectives Christopher Danson (Johnson) and P.K. Highsmith (Jackson) are the baddest and most beloved cops in New York City. They don’t get tattoos, other men get tattoos of them. Two desks over and one back, sit detectives Allen Gamble (Ferrell) and Terry Hoitz (Wahlberg). You’ve seen them in the background of photos of Danson and Highsmith, out of focus and eyes closed. They’re not heroes, they’re “the other guys.” But every cop has his or her day and soon Gamble and Hoitz stumble into a seemingly innocuous case no other detective wants to touch that could turn into NYC’s biggest crime. It’s the opportunity of their lives, but do these guys have the right stuff?
8 .) Turner & Hooch (1989)
Lists It Appears On:
- Cinema
- Cltampa
- Flickering Myth
- Games Radar
- Kegl
- Pajiba
- Ranker
- Rolling Stone
- Viraluck
Scott Turner has 3 days left in the local police department before he moves to a bigger city to get some “real” cases, not just misdemeanors. Then Amos Reed is murdered, and Scott Turner sets himself on the case. The closest thing to a witness in the case is Amos Reed’s dog, Hooch, which Scott Turner has to take care of if it’s going to avoid being “put to sleep”.
7 .) Bad Boys (1995)
Lists It Appears On:
- AMC
- Black America Web
- Cinema
- Flickering Myth
- Games Radar
- High Snobuety
- Pajiba
- Ranker
- Screen Rant
- Viraluck
Marcus Burnett is a hen-pecked family man. Mike Lowry is a foot-loose and fancy free ladies’ man. Both are Miami policemen, and both have 72 hours to reclaim a consignment of drugs stolen from under their station’s nose. To complicate matters, in order to get the assistance of the sole witness to a murder, they have to pretend to be each other.
6 .) Beverly Hills Cop (1984)
Lists It Appears On:
- Black America Web
- Cinema
- Cltampa
- High Snobuety
- Nerdist
- Pajiba
- Ranker
- Renegade Cinema
- Rotten Tomatoes
- Viraluck
Tough-talking Detroit cop Axel Foley heads to the rarified world of Beverly Hills in his beat-up Chevy Nova to investigate a friend’s murder. But soon, he realizes he’s stumbled onto something much more complicated. Bungling rookie detective Billy Rosewood joins the fish-out-of-water Axel and shows him the West Los Angeles ropes.
5 .) Tango & Cash (1989)
Lists It Appears On:
- AMC
- Babble Top
- Cinema
- Cltampa
- High Snobuety
- Kegl
- Nerdist
- Ranker
- Screen Rant
- Viraluck
Ray Tango and Gabriel Cash are narcotics detectives who, while both being extremely successful, can’t stand each other. Crime Lord Yves Perret, furious at the loss of income that Tango and Cash have caused him, frames the two for murder. Caught with the murder weapon on the scene of the crime, the two have no alibi. Thrown into prison with most of the criminals they helped convict, it appears that they are going to have to trust each other if they are to clear their names and catch the evil Perret.
4 .) Rush Hour (1998) directed by Brett Ratner
Lists It Appears On:
- Black America Web
- Cinema
- Cltampa
- Esquire
- Games For Girlss
- High Snobuety
- IMDB
- Nerdist
- Ranker
- Rotten Tomatoes
- Screen Rant
- The Cinemaholic
- Viraluck
When Hong Kong Inspector Lee is summoned to Los Angeles to investigate a kidnapping, the FBI doesn’t want any outside help and assigns cocky LAPD Detective James Carter to distract Lee from the case. Not content to watch the action from the sidelines, Lee and Carter form an unlikely partnership and investigate the case themselves.
3 .) 48 Hrs. (1982) directed by Walter Hill
Lists It Appears On:
- AMC
- Babble Top
- Black America Web
- Cltampa
- Esquire
- Flickering Myth
- Goliath
- IMDB
- Kegl
- Movie mezzanine
- Nerdist
- Ranker
- Renegade Cinema
- Rolling Stone
- Screen Rant
- Viraluck
A hard-nosed cop reluctantly teams up with a wise-cracking criminal temporarily paroled to him, in order to track down a killer.
2 .) Hot Fuzz (2007) directed by Edgar Wright
Lists It Appears On:
- AMC
- Babble Top
- Cinema
- Cltampa
- Esquire
- High Snobuety
- IMDB
- Joe
- Kegl
- Matts Movie Reviews
- Matts Movie Reviews
- Movie mezzanine
- Nerdist
- Pajiba
- Ranker
- Renegade Cinema
- Rolling Stone
- Rotten Tomatoes
- Screen Rant
- The Cinemaholic
- Viraluck
As a former London constable, Nicholas Angel finds it difficult to adapt to his new assignment in the sleepy British village of Sandford. Not only does he miss the excitement of the big city, but he also has a well-meaning oaf for a partner. However, when a series of grisly accidents rocks Sandford, Angel smells something rotten in the idyllic village.
1 .) Lethal Weapon (1987) directed by Richard Donner
Lists It Appears On:
- AMC
- Babble Top
- Black America Web
- Cinema
- Cltampa
- Esquire
- Flickering Myth
- Goliath
- High Snobuety
- IMDB
- Joe
- Kegl
- Matts Movie Reviews
- Matts Movie Reviews
- Movie mezzanine
- Nerdist
- Pajiba
- Ranker
- Screen Rant
- The Cinemaholic
- The Ringer
- Viraluck
Veteran buttoned-down LAPD detective Roger Murtaugh is partnered with unhinged cop Martin Riggs, who — distraught after his wife’s death — has a death wish and takes unnecessary risks with criminals at every turn. The odd couple embark on their first homicide investigation as partners, involving a young woman known to Murtaugh with ties to a drug and prostitution ring.
The 75+ Additional Best Buddy Cop Movies
| # | Movies | Directors | Lists |
| 33 | 2 Guns | Kegl | |
| – | – | – | Ranker |
| 34 | 22 Jump Street (2014) | Ranker | |
| – | – | – | The Cinemaholic |
| 35 | Cop Out (2010) | Games For Girlss | |
| – | – | – | The Cinemaholic |
| 36 | Dumb and Dumber (1994) | Goliath | |
| – | – | – | Rolling Stone |
| 37 | Freebie And The Bean (1974) | Cheet Sheet | |
| – | – | – | Games Radar |
| 38 | L.A. Confidential (1997) | High Snobuety | |
| – | – | – | The Ringer |
| 39 | Money Train (1995) | Ranker | |
| – | – | – | High Snobuety |
| 40 | Planes, Trains and Automobiles (1987) | Goliath | |
| – | – | – | Rolling Stone |
| 41 | Police Story 3: Supercop (1992) | High Snobuety | |
| – | – | – | Cheet Sheet |
| 42 | Superbad (2007) | Goliath | |
| – | – | – | Rolling Stone |
| 43 | The Hard Way (1991) | AMC | |
| – | – | – | Games Radar |
| 44 | 16 Blocks | Ranker | |
| 45 | 21 Bounce Road (2012) | Games For Girlss | |
| 46 | 22 Bounce Road (2014) | Games For Girlss | |
| 47 | A Piece of the Action |
Black America Web
|
|
| 48 | Alien Nation | Ranker | |
| 49 | Angel and Butterman, Hot Fuzz | IFC | |
| 50 | Armed and Dangerous | Ranker | |
| 51 | Artists and Models’ (1955) | Rolling Stone | |
| 52 | Beavis and Butthead Do America’ (1996) | Rolling Stone | |
| 53 | Beverly Hills Cop II’ (1987) | The Ringer | |
| 54 | Beverly Hills Cop III |
Matts Movie Reviews
|
|
| 55 | Black Rain (1989) | High Snobuety | |
| 56 | Blue Streak |
Black America Web
|
|
| 57 |
Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969)
|
Goliath | |
| 58 | Collision Course (1989 | AMC | |
| 59 | Deadly Weapon (1987) | Games For Girlss | |
| 60 | Die Hard’ (1988) | The Ringer | |
| 61 | Fargo’ (1996) | The Ringer | |
| 62 | Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas’ (1998) | Rolling Stone | |
| 63 | Finish of Watch (2012) | Games For Girlss | |
| 64 | First Blood | Ranker | |
| 65 | Friday and Streebek, Dragnet | IFC | |
| 66 | Grumpy Old Men (1993) | Goliath | |
| 67 | Hammond and Cates, 48 Hrs. | IFC | |
| 68 | Hard Boiled | Nerdist | |
| 69 |
Harold and Kumar Go to White Castle’ (2004)
|
Rolling Stone | |
| 70 | Heat’ (1995) | The Ringer | |
| 71 | Last Action Hero | Ranker | |
| 72 | Lee and Carter, Rush Hour | IFC | |
| 73 | Let’s Be Cops (2014) | The Cinemaholic | |
| 74 | Loaded Weapon 1 (1993) | Games Radar | |
| 75 | Loose Cannons | Ranker | |
| 76 | Males In Black (1997) | Games For Girlss | |
| 77 | Marked for Death | Ranker | |
| 78 | Maximum Risk | Ranker | |
| 79 | Miami Vice | Ranker | |
| 80 | Narc |
Matts Movie Reviews
|
|
| 81 | National Security | Ranker | |
| 82 | Ocean’s Eleven | Ranker | |
| 83 |
Raymond Tango and Gabriel Cash, Tango & Cash
|
IFC | |
| 84 | Ride Along |
Black America Web
|
|
| 85 | Riggs and Murtaugh, Lethal Weapon | IFC | |
| 86 | Righteous Kill | Ranker | |
| 87 | RoboCop’ (1987) | The Ringer | |
| 88 |
Romy and Michelle’s High School Reunion’ (1997)
|
Rolling Stone | |
| 89 | Rush Hour 3 | Ranker | |
| 90 | Samurai Cop (1991) | Flickering Myth | |
| 91 | Scorching Fuzz (2007) | Games For Girlss | |
| 92 | Shakedown | Ranker | |
| 93 | Shanghai Noon | Ranker | |
| 94 | Shaun of the Dead |
Matts Movie Reviews
|
|
| 95 | Showdown in Little Tokyo | Ranker | |
| 96 | Sideways’ (2004) | Rolling Stone | |
| 97 | Some Like It Hot’ (1959) | Rolling Stone | |
| 98 | Spies Like Us (1985) | Games Radar | |
| 99 | Step-Brothers’ (2008) | Rolling Stone | |
| 100 | Stir Crazy’ (1980) | Rolling Stone | |
| 101 | Stray Dog | Movie mezzanine | |
| 102 | Supercop | Rotten Tomatoes | |
| 103 | Swingers (1996) | Goliath | |
| 104 | Sykes and Sam Francisco, Alien Nation | IFC | |
| 105 | The Blues Brothers’ (1980) | Rolling Stone | |
| 106 | The Departed’ (2006) | The Ringer | |
| 107 | The French Connection (1971) | High Snobuety | |
| 108 | The Glimmer Man | Ranker | |
| 109 | The Good Guys (2016) | Games For Girlss | |
| 110 | The Raid’ (2011) and | The Ringer | |
| 111 | The Rock (1996) | Michael Bay | IMDB |
| 112 | The Trip’ (2010) | Rolling Stone | |
| 113 | Thelma & Louise (1991) | Goliath | |
| 114 | Theodore Rex (1995 | AMC | |
| 115 | Tommy Boy’ (1995) | Rolling Stone | |
| 116 | Up in Smoke’ (1978) | Rolling Stone | |
| 117 | War on Everyone (2016) | Joe | |
| 118 | Wasabi |
Renegade Cinema
|
|
| 119 | Wayne’s World’ (1992) | Rolling Stone | |
| 120 | White Chicks | Ranker | |
| 121 | White Men Can’t Jump’ (1992) | Rolling Stone | |
| 122 | Who Framed Roger Rabbit | Ranker | |
| 123 | Wild Wild West | Ranker | |
| 124 | Withnail and I’ (1987) | Rolling Stone |
28 Best Buddy Cop Film Sources/Lists
| Source | Article |
| AMC | Classic Ten – Buddy Cop Movies |
| Babble Top | Bad Boys For Life! The 10 Greatest Buddy Cop Movies Ever Made … |
| Black America Web | Our Favorite Buddy Cop Movies of All-Time |
| Cheet Sheet | 4 Funny Buddy Cop Movies You May Have Forgotten |
| Cinema | Cop Out – Top 10 Buddy Cop Movies |
| Cltampa | The Top 10 Buddy Cop Movies of all time |
| Esquire | 10 Best Buddy-Cop Movies – The Best Movies About Cops |
| Flickering Myth | 10 Great Buddy Cop Movies Not Written or Directed By Shane Black |
| Games For Girlss | 14 Best Buddy Cop Movies of All Time |
| Games Radar | 25 Funniest Buddy Cop Movies |
| Goliath | Top 10 Buddy Movies Of All Time – Goliath |
| High Snobuety | Get Ready for ‘The Nice Guys’ With 22 of Our Favorite Buddy Cop … |
| IFC | 7 Mismatched Buddy Cop Duos Who Play By Their Own Rules – IFC |
| IMDB | 10 Best Buddy Cop Movies Of All Time |
| Joe | 5 brilliant buddy cop movies you really need to see |
| Kegl | Top 10 Buddy Cop Movies of All Time |
| Matts Movie Reviews | Top Ten / Buddy Cop Movies/ Matt’s Movie Reviews |
| Movie mezzanine | Cop Stars: The Best Buddy Cop Films |
| Nerdist | Punch It! – The Ten Best Buddy Cop Movies |
| Pajiba | The Best Buddy Cop Movies |
| Ranker | The Best Buddy Cop Movies |
| Renegade Cinema | Best Buddy Cop Movies: Renegade Staff Picks |
| Rolling Stone | It Takes Two: Top 25 Best Buddy Comedies – Rolling Stone |
| Rotten Tomatoes | 12 Great Buddy Cop Pairings in Movies |
| Screen Rant | 12 Best Buddy Cop Movies of All Time |
| The Cinemaholic | 14 Best Buddy Cop Movies of All Time |
| The Ringer | Who Is the Best Movie Cop of the Past 30 Years? |
| Viraluck | The Best Buddy Cop Movies |
