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1. The Departed (2006)
directed by Martin Scorsese
featuring Leonardo DiCaprio, Matt Damon, Jack Nicholson, Mark Wahlberg, Martin SheenLegendary director Martin Scorsese takes the helm for this tale of questionable loyalties and blurring identities set in the South Boston organized ... More
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2. The Wire [TV Series] (2002)
directed by Edward Bianchi
In time-honored American tradition, two tough bureaucracies clashed head-on in the weekly cable-TV police drama The Wire. The difference here was ... More
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3. NCIS [TV Series] (2003)
Combining the best elements of JAG and CSI, the CBS crime series Navy NCIS focused on an elite, independent unit of the U.S. Navy, which, in its ... More
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5. NCIS: Season 01 (2003)
Navy NCIS: Naval Criminal Investigative Service was the somewhat redundant official title of this popular "procedural" series during its first season ... More
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6. Training Day (2001)
directed by Antoine Fuqua
featuring Denzel Washington, Ethan Hawke, Scott GlennThe Fast and the Furious (2001) screenwriter David Ayer follows up that fast-paced action hit with this gritty cop drama from director Antoine Fuqua. ... More
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8. The Red Light Sting (1984)
directed by Rod Holcomb
Originally and imprudently titled The Whorehouse Sting, this fact-based, made-for-TV melodrama casts Beau Bridges as federal agent Frank Powell, who ... More
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9. The Wire: Season 01 (2002)
Setting the tone for all seasons to come, season one of HBO's The Wire divides its attention equally between cops and dealers, offering a ... More
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10. Serpico (1974)
directed by Sidney Lumet
featuring Al Pacino, Tony Roberts, Jack Kehoe, Cornelia Sharpe, Barbara Eda-YoungAdapted by Waldo Salt and Norman Wexler from Peter Maas's book, Sidney Lumet's drama portrays the real-life struggle of an honest New York City cop ... More
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11. Rampart (2011)
directed by Oren Moverman
featuring Woody Harrelson, Sigourney Weaver, Robin Wright, Ned Beatty, Ben FosterList of all editionsDirector Oren Moverman reteams with Woody Harrelson for Rampart, a brutally honest portrait of a corrupt Los Angeles police officer. Dave Brown ... More
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12. The Wire: Season 02 (2003)
List of all editionsThe Baltimore "drug wars" enter a new phase (with a few diversions along the way) as The Wire launches its second season of 12 hour-long episodes. ... More
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13. Bad Lieutenant (1992)
directed by Abel Ferrara
featuring Harvey Keitel, Frankie Thorn, Zoe Tamerlis, Anthony Ruggiero, Victoria Bastel, Eddie DanielsList of all editionsIf police lieutenant Harvey Keitel's life could get any more sordid, he could probably sell tickets. The least of his vices is gambling, which has ... More
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14. NCIS: Season 04 (2006)
List of all editionsStill not completely recovered from the serious injuries incurred during the near-apocalyptic Season Three finale of NCIS, Leroy Jethro Gibbs (Mark ... More
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15. Hawaii Five-O: Season 01 (1968)
List of all editionsHawaii Five-0 got off to one of the best running starts of an police show in history, with a feature-length pilot episode that had a plot involving ... More
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16. The Wire: Season 04 (2006)
List of all editionsDavid Simon's masterful social commentary went back to school, quite literally, in the fourth season, which focuses on Baltimore's crumbling ... More
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17. The Wire: Season 03 (2004)
List of all editionsSeason three of The Wire continues the series' even-handed dissection of the Baltimore "drug wars," as seen through the eyes of both the police ... More
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18. Beyond the Law (1992)
directed by Larry Ferguson
featuring Charlie Sheen, Linda Fiorentino, Michael Madsen, Courtney B. Vance, Rip TornList of all editionsAn emotionally distraught cop is traumatized by memories of an abusive childhood in which he was forced to kill the uncle who was abusing him. Fired ... More
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19. Criminal Minds [TV Series] (2005)
directed by Richard Shepard
List of all editionsThe CBS procedural drama Criminal Minds centered around the FBI's elite Behavioral Analysis Unit, whose job it was to psychologically profile the ... More
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20. Elite Squad (2007)
directed by José Padilha
featuring Wagner Moura, André Ramiro, Caio Junqueira, Milhem Cortaz, Fernanda MachadoList of all editionsFor decades, the South American metropolis of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, has clocked in as staggeringly lethal. Its violence-scarred and blood-strewn ... More
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21. Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans (2009)
directed by Werner Herzog
featuring Nicolas Cage, Eva Mendes, Val Kilmer, Xzibit, Fairuza BalkList of all editionsAbel Ferrara's cult crime drama Bad Lieutenant is given a sister film with this Werner Herzog-helmed production that takes its inspiration from the ... More
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22. Northern Lights (2009)
directed by Mike Robe
featuring LeAnn Rimes, Eddie Cibrian, Rosanna ArquetteList of all editionsNorthern Lights is one of four made-for-TV movies adapted from Nora Roberts' romance novels for the Lifetime channel in 2009 (along with Tribute, ... More
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23. NCIS: Season 02 (2004)
List of all editionsWith the inauguration of its second season, this popular "procedural" series streamlines its title, forsaking the cumbersome Navy NCIS: Naval ... More
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24. The Shield: Season 01 (2002)
List of all editionsThe first season of The Shield almost instantly establishes Detective Vic Mackey (Michael Chiklis) as "Not Your Typical TV Cop." The leader of the ... More
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25. The Shield: Season 03 (2004)
List of all editionsFans of The Shield were outraged when, at the end of the series' second season, it looked as if popular supporting character Officer Danielle "Danny" ... More







