50 Most Corrupt Movie Cops

Features
By published

Pariahs of the police world

Jack Vincennes - L.A. Confidential (1997)

Avery Cross - The Place Beyond The Pines (2012)

The Corrupt Cop: A low-level police officer who becomes celebrated after his takedown of bank robber Luke Glanton.

Lowest Moment: Cross becomes involved in shady activities when his corrupt colleagues steal the money found at Glanton’s home and give him the bulk of it in exchange for planting evidence for them. Thankfully for all Bradley Cooper fans out there, Cross shows remorse for his actions and eventually sets about making amends.

Sheriff Charlie Wade - Lone Star (1996)

The Corrupt Cop: A former sheriff with a reputation for being brutal and all-the-way corrupt, whose skeleton is suddenly discovered years after his disappearance.

Lowest Moment: As main character Sheriff Sam Deeds investigates the apparent murder, he discovers that Wade bullied the local Mexican community and murdered the father of Sam’s girlfriend after he was found smuggling illegal immigrants across the border.

Lou Ford - The Killer Inside Me (2010)

The Corrupt Cop: A well-respected Texan deputy sheriff who hides a rather unpleasant side to himself: he is a sociopath who gets off on violent sexual tendencies.

Lowest Moment: In order to extort money from a wealthy businessman, Conway, Lou savagely beats his prostitute lover Joyce until he thinks he has killed her and then shoots dead Conway’s son, implicating him in what looks like a murder/suicide case.

Eldon Perry - Dark Blue (2002)

The Corrupt Cop: An alcoholic, dirty LA detective partaking in illegal activities while carrying out his duties, all set against the backdrop of the Rodney King trials.

Lowest Moment: Chasing an unarmed ex-con out of his house and, once caught up, instructing his colleague to kill the (innocent) suspect, so that he can be used as the scapegoat for a bigger scheme.

Rick Santoro - Snake Eyes (1998)

The Corrupt Cop: Colourful Atlantic City police detective who becomes embroiled in a conspiracy to murder the US Defense Secretary.

Lowest Moment: Not including his wardrobe? That would just be general shady low-life deals, such as blackmail, bribes and pay-offs.

Remy Bressant - Gone Baby Gone (2007)

The Corrupt Cop: Sneaky detective who conspires to fake a kidnapping of a young girl in order to take the drug money recently stolen by the parents for himself.

Lowest Moment: Upon being found out, Remy stages a robbery at a bar in order to kill the former partner in his crime. Thankfully, the bartender foils the plan, shooting Remy in the back.

Vincent Della Pesca - The Hurricane (1999)

The Corrupt Cop: A racist police lieutenant obsessed with nailing boxer Rubin Carter for a triple-murder case.

Lowest Moment: Hounding Carter for more than 20 years, eventually framing him for the murder causing Carter to be given three consecutive life sentences.

Joe Cooper - Killer Joe (2011)

The Corrupt Cop: A Texan police detective who moonlights as a contract killer.

Lowest Moment: With Chris Smith unable to front Joe’s fee for killing his mother, Joe instead takes his simple-minded, child-like sister Dottie as a ‘retainer’, engaging in a sexual relationship with her in the process.

Max Eckhardt Batman (1989)

The Corrupt Cop: Dishonest police lieutenant on the payroll of mob boss Carl Grissom.

Lowest Moment: Under strict orders from Grissom, Eckhardt takes part in a plan to enact revenge on gangster Jack Napier by ambushing him at the Axis Chemicals factory and killing him. Things go wrong though when Commissioner Gordon arrives and takes charge and Napier ends up shooting Eckhardt in the chest.