Image credit: Warner Bros., New Line Cinema, SPE, Rogue Pictures, Open Road Films
There's just something about two mismatched cops tackling crime and cracking jokes that never gets old.
1. "Lethal Weapon" (1987) In this 1987 classic, we've got two L.A. detectives—Martin Riggs, who's still mourning his wife and is a bit unhinged, and Roger Murtaugh, who's just too old for this...well, you know.
They're on the hunt for drug smugglers but let's be honest, the movie shines because of the duo's chemistry. Riggs jumps off a building to save a suicidal man; Murtaugh diffuses a bomb in his toilet. In the end, they take down the bad guys and save Murtaugh's daughter. Iconic stuff, really.
2. "Rush Hour" (1998) Chris Tucker and Jackie Chan, enough said. Tucker's LAPD detective James Carter teams up with Chan's Hong Kong inspector Lee to rescue the kidnapped daughter of a Chinese diplomat. Cue the culture-clash hilarity and jaw-dropping stunts. They chase a bad guy through the crowded streets of LA and demolish a whole building level in an epic fight scene.
3. "Bad Boys" (1995) Oh man, Will Smith and Martin Lawrence are a laugh riot in this one. Playing Miami detectives Mike Lowrey and Marcus Burnett, they're tasked with recovering $100 million in stolen heroin. The twists? Marcus has to pretend to be the suave Mike, and there's a witness they have to protect. They raid a nightclub, engage in a high-speed chase with the KKK, and finally uncover an internal mole.
All with snappy one-liners and flashy action. It raked in over $141 million, making it a bona fide hit.
4. "Hot Fuzz" (2007) Ever imagined what would happen if a by-the-books British cop gets teamed with a small-town officer who's thrilled by action movies?
Simon Pegg's Nicholas Angel is a London cop so good that he's making everyone else look bad. He's reassigned to a sleepy town and partners with Danny Butterman, played by Nick Frost. They investigate a series of "accidents" and discover a murderous cult within the town council.
5. "The Other Guys" (2010) Let's hear it for the underdogs! Will Ferrell and Mark Wahlberg play Allen Gamble and Terry Hoitz, two desk-bound NYPD detectives.
When the city's beloved hero cops die in a silly accident, these two seize the chance to step up. They dive into a convoluted case involving billionaire investor David Ershon, manage to survive a building explosion, and yes, there's even a slow-motion sequence where Ferrell brandishes a wooden gun.
A box-office success, the movie grossed more than $170 million worldwide.
6. "21 Jump Street" (2012) Remember that '80s TV show about young-looking cops going undercover in high schools? Well, it got the big-screen treatment with Jonah Hill and Channing Tatum, and it's glorious.
Hill's character, Morton Schmidt, is the nerdy guy turned cop, while Tatum's Greg Jenko is the jock turned... well, not-so-smart cop. They go undercover to bust a high-school drug ring and end up reversing their own high school roles. They botch up a few times, get expelled, but finally bust the ring in a wild prom night showdown.
7. "Tango & Cash" (1989) You can't talk about rewatchable buddy cop movies without mentioning this late '80s gem. Sylvester Stallone's Tango is the smooth, well-dressed LA cop, while Kurt Russell's Cash is the rough-around-the-edges maverick. Both framed for a crime they didn't commit, they have to break out of prison and clear their names.
There's a monster truck, there's a high-tech assault van, and heck, there's even a helipad battle! This movie's so '80s, it hurts—in the best way possible, of course.
8. "End of Watch" (2012) This one hits different. Starring Jake Gyllenhaal and Michael Peña as LAPD officers Taylor and Zavala, the movie opts for a grittier, more realistic tone. It's not all jokes and giggles; these guys stumble upon a drug cartel's operations while on routine patrol.
There's intense car chases, a horrific discovery of human trafficking victims, and some very close calls with death. They become targets and find themselves in an intense firefight in the film's climax.
9. "Kiss Kiss Bang Bang" (2005) This one's a dark horse, and I mean that in the best way. Robert Downey Jr. plays Harry Lockhart, a small-time crook pretending to be an actor. He gets paired up with Val Kilmer's gay detective, Perry van Shrike, for a role he's auditioning for. They end up neck-deep in a real-life murder investigation involving a failed actress, a mysterious corpse, and even some Russian roulette.
It's smart, it's witty, and it's one hell of a murder mystery.
10. "Men in Black" (1997) Okay, they're not exactly cops, but come on, it's Tommy Lee Jones and Will Smith fighting aliens! Jones plays the veteran Agent K, who recruits Smith's NYPD officer James Edwards, later Agent J, into the secret agency. There's a galaxy on a cat's collar, an alien cockroach in an Edgar suit, and lots of funky gadgets like the Neuralyzer.
It's a wild ride from start to finish, punctuated with the unforgettable tune of "Here come the Men in Black!"
_15545.webp)
