The Best Fictional Police Officers of all time Part 2: The Best of The Best Movie cops.
We’re back with part 2 of the best fictional cops of all time! Now we’re gonna dig into the best of the best film cops that served justice and kicked butt doing it on the big screen. Again, this is completely opinion based so you most likely won’t see many of your own personal favorites on this list but don’t worry, I’m sure at least a few of these badass cops will come to you as ones you really love. Hereeeee we go!
- Axl Foley (Beverly Hills Cop 1, 2 and 3)
Beverly Hills Cop, the classic 1984 action comedy was a giant hit in its time and is still a cult classic to this day. It starred Eddie Murphy as the wily, sharp witted, easy going and Bugs Bunny type trickster Axl Foley who was as smart a detective as the best of em as well as just plain fun with his bananas in the tailpipes and just goof ball smart ass disposition.
Personally, Axl was at his very best in the first two movies, Eddie Murphy clearly had a ball with the character, so much so that it translated through the screen and made Axl Foley one of film’s most iconic characters of all time.
2. Martin Riggs and Roger Murtaugh( Lethal Weapon movies)
Riggs and Murtaugh were the prototype for the buddy cop formula and to this day may still be its best. The chemistry between Gibson and Glover was one for the ages and it carried them through four movies. What made Riggs and Murtaugh the best were their individual skills like Riggs’ special forces training and lack of inhibitions and Murtaugh’s level headedness and his old school detective thinking skills. Together they were lethal and the bad guys usually never lived long enough to be arrested. What also makes them iconic is their deep friendship. What started out as two completely different guys that couldn’t stand each other and argued non stop became two best friends and partners that would kill or die for each other in a heartbeat…. and still argue non stop.
3. John McClain (Die Hard movies)
John McClain is certainly one of the most well known action heroes of all time and the 1988 film Die Hard has become both a classic action film and also considered one of the greatest Christmas films, though it’s often debated whether Die Hard is actually a Christmas movie or not.
Die Hard was the movie that launched Bruce Willis to super stardom and his career in films, specifically action movies owe a great debt to Die Hard. It’s certainly one of my favorite movies in both the action and Christmas genres and I can’t let a Christmas go by without watching it.
4. Harry Callahan aka Dirty Harry (Dirty Harry movies)
Clint Eastwood has brought many iconic characters to the screen but none even as close to being as well known or iconic as Inspector Harry Callahan aka “Dirty Harry”. Dirty Harry was no joke and fought fire with fire with some of San Francisco’s worst scumbags with his own brand of old school, brash and aggressive policing. He’s also responsible for some of the most famous catchphrases in cinema and pop culture history:
5. Doug Carlin(Deja Vu)\ John Hobbes(Fallen)\Matt Whitlock(Out of Time)\Lincoln Rhyme(The Bone Collector)\Keith Frazier(Inside Man) Anthony Hubbard(The Seige)\Alonzo Harris(Training Day)(Denzel Washington cop movies)
Okay, this is a cheat because these are multiple characters that were played by Denzel Washington, but, who cares? They were all played to perfection by one of the all time greatest actors of all time. In my humble opinion NOBODY has ever played a better cop than Denzel Washington. His skill at playing manipulative, charm, intelligence, drive and a true alpha male whose totally in charge at all times, especially in interrogation sequences, is what makes him such a brilliant cop in these films. I would place such skilled actors like Andre Braugher, Clint Eastwood, Robert DeNiro, Sidney Portier and Samuel L. Jackson after him in terms of playing the parts of police detectives to perfection.
6. Marcus Burnett and Mike Lowery(Bad Boys 1, 2 and 3)
Bad Boys, Bad Boys, whatchu gonna do? Whatchu gonna do when they come for you? Martin Lawrence and Will Smith are at their very best as the Riggs and Murtaugh of the 90s, Miami Narcotics Detectives Marcus Burnett and Mike Lowery.
Marcus and Mike finally came back to us in 2020 with the third Bad Boys film Bad Boys for Life and the fans couldn’t have been happier to ride with the bad boys again. The chemistry between Martin and Will elevated a script that both and director Michael Bay admitted was weak but the amazing chemistry and iconic characters of Marcus and Mike made Bad Boys a franchise for the ages. These are the type of badass cops I’d want to protect me that’s for sure.
Marcus and Mike were always there for each other and the best of friends who needed each other on the field and wanted each other when they needed someone to watch their back. Badassness and high body counts aside, the love between these two partners and brothers is what makes them so iconic.
7. Officer Amelia Donaghy (The Bone Collector)
Not only one of the few great female cop roles in a movie but also one of the best. Amelia Donaghy played by the talented Angelina Jolie was a beat cop tasked to assist Lincoln Rhyme the quadriplegic ex-homicide detective in catching a serial killer terrorizing New York. She has an instinct for forensics as Lincoln says:
She’s a sharp cop who already has what it takes to be a brilliant homicide detective herself one day.
8. Danny Roman and Chris Sapien (The Negotiator)
It is criminal how underrated The Negotiator is as a film yet it’s one of my personal favorites because the story is fantastic, the mystery was well sketched out and the actors were at the top of their game. In my humble opinion neither Samuel L. Jackson or Kevin Spacey have ever been better than as hostage negotiators Danny Roman and Chris Sapien. Both were so convincing in their roles and both were equally sharp, cunning and skilled which made them a perfect match for each other and eventually perfect partners.
9. Scott Roper (Metro)
Another hostage negotiator movie, only this one really focused more on Eddie Murphy’s Scott Roper as not just a cop but as a man trying to get his woman back, deal with the loss of a good friend, train up a new partner and bonding with him and trying to win in a game of mental chess with a ruthless serial killer, the one who took out his good friend.
Scott Roper is one of Eddie’s best roles yet one of his least known ones, but, I’m sure Eddie really enjoyed it because he got to stretch his legs acting wise more than he usually does. Roper was such a multi dimensional character with so many facets and colors to his personality that any actor would cherish the chance to take on that type of role as well as take part in a film that blended comedy, action, romance, thriller and drama all in one movie yet did it seamlessly.
So if you haven’t seen Metro or The Negotiator for that matter GO SEE THEM. I guarantee you won’t be disappointed.
10. Virgil Tibbs (In The Heat of The Night)
“They call me Mr. Tibbs!” The role that Sidney should’ve won an Oscar for helped establish Sidney as more than just the “Negro star” but a true movie star. Sidney Portier is one of our greatest actors and along with another brilliant actor Rod Steiger, was part of one of the greatest mystery-drama films of all time. Also what Tibbs does to a certain racist creep is one of the most shocking and applause inducing moments in movie history:
11. Lee and Carter (Rush Hour)
These two are one of the funniest duos of all time and also one of the most original pairings ever thought of. Just imagine: Jackie Chan, the Chinese martial arts movie superstar and Chris Tucker the fast and high talking black comedian from Friday together in a movie? It was a crazy idea that worked and became apart of cinema history.
12. Officer Annie Lewis(Robocop 1, 2 and 3)
Another awesome female cop, Annie Lewis was Alex Murphy aka Robocop’s partner for all three movies and is one of the best movie cops because she’s dedicated, smart, strong, kick ass and just a beautiful woman on top of everything else.
13. Lorna Cole (Lethal Weapon 3 and 4)
Lorna was the perfect woman for Martin Riggs of the Lethal Weapon movies. She was every bit as violent, kick ass and crazy as he was, only hid it better than Riggs did. Like Joe Pesci’s Leo Getz, Rene Russo’s Lorna Cole fit right in with Glover and Gibson and became a welcome member of the Lethal Weapon family.
So there we have it. The end of our Best Fictional Cops lists and I hope I gave all these amazing boys and gals in blue their due. Til next time, folks!