50 Coolest Movie Cops

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By published

Best of the boys in blue

Cop Land (1997)

Se7en (1995)

The Cool Cop: Detective William R. Somerset

Coolest Moment: “You know, this isn’t going to have a happy ending.” Somerset shares a few pearls of wisdom with his young partner Detective Mills. He’s right.

If He'd Been From Blighty: He’d probably be exactly the same – a perfect gent with a knife-sharp IQ.

The Naked Gun (1988)

The Cool Cop: Detective Frank Drebin

Coolest Moment: Drebin manages to save the queen from an assassination attempt - but in the klutziest way possible.

If He'd Been From Blighty: His run-in with Queen Elizabeth would lead to the reinstating of the death penalty, and he’d get hanged for treason.

Heat (1995)

The Cool Cop: Lieutenant Vincent Hanna

Coolest Moment: Hanna meets Neil McCauley in a restaurant for a little civilised conversation that involves a creepy dream involving all of Hanna’s past victims.

If He'd Been From Blighty: The two gents would be wearing ties – none of this top-button-undone rubbish.

Fargo (1996)

The Cool Cop: Marge Olmstead Gunderson

Coolest Moment: Marge saves the day after getting a hunch and swinging by the lake, where she discovers Gaear shoving Carl's body into a wood chipper. She shoots and arrest him. What a heroine.

If She'd Been From Blighty: No-one would offer her their seat on the tube, even though she’s fit to drop a baby at any moment.

Bad Lieutenant (2009)

The Cool Cop: Terrence McDonagh

Coolest Moment: “Shoot him, his soul is still dancing!” McDonagh flips out while high, and dissolves into a giggling fit while meeting with drug dealers.

If He'd Been From Blighty: He’d be stationed in the druggy underworld that is Cornwall.

Casablanca (1942)

The Cool Cop: Captain Louis Renault

Coolest Moment: Renault walks off into the fog - having suggested to Rick that they join the Free French at Brazzaville - making for one of the most iconic closing moments in cinema history.

If He'd Been From Blighty: He’d have been called Lewis, which just doesn’t have to same ring to it.

Terminator 2: Judgement Day (1991)

The Cool Cop: T-1000

Coolest Moment: He’s not a real cop, but the T-1000 certainly looks the part posing as one. As far as cool moments go, the final showdown with Arnie in a steel mill is mucho impressive.

If He'd Been From Blighty: He wouldn’t have had those cool wheels, which would just be sad.

Serpico (1973)

The Cool Cop: Frank Serpico

Coolest Moment: “What’s this for?” Serpico quietly demands, as he’s handed a police badge while lying in a hospital bed.

If He'd Been From Blighty: He probably wouldn't still have that awesome surname...

Hard Boiled (1992)

The Cool Cop: Inspector ‘Tequila’ Yuen

Coolest Moment: In a Hong Kong teahouse, Yuen busts open a birdcage to reveal several firearms before taking out a group of gun smugglers with style .

If He'd Been From Blighty: The guns would’ve been hidden in a teapot. Or a copy of Nuts magazine.

Joshua Winning

Josh Winning has worn a lot of hats over the years. Contributing Editor at Total Film, writer for SFX, and senior film writer at the Radio Times. Josh has also penned a novel about mysteries and monsters, is the co-host of a movie podcast, and has a library of pretty phenomenal stories from visiting some of the biggest TV and film sets in the world. He would also like you to know that he "lives for cat videos..." Don't we all, Josh. Don't we all.