The Best 80s Cop Movies

Police Academy

New rules enforced by the Lady Mayoress mean that sex, weight, height and intelligence need no longer be a factor for joining the Police Force. This opens the floodgates for all and sundry to enter the Police Academy, much to the chagrin of the instructors. Not everyone is there through choice, though. Social misfit Mahoney has been forced to sign up as the only alternative to a jail sentence and it doesn't take long before he falls foul of the boorish Lieutenant Harris. But before long, Mahoney realises that he is enjoying being a police cadet and decides he wants to stay... while Harris decides he wants Mahoney out!

Police Academy

Lethal Weapon

Roger Murtaugh has just turned 50, and only has a few more years to go before he retires from the Los Angeles Police Department. Martin Riggs has just lost his wife in an accident, and doesn't care if he lives or dies. When they are paired together, Murtaugh has problems with Riggs suicidal attitude towards work, as they investigate a drugs baron dubbed "The General".

Lethal Weapon

The Untouchables

Young Treasury Agent Elliot Ness arrives in Chicago and is deternimed to take down Al Capone but he learns that it's not going to be easy, because Capone has the police in his pocket. But Ness meets Jimmy Malone a veteran patrolman and probably the most honorable one in the force. He asks Malone to help him get Capone but Malone warns him that if he goes after Capone, he is going to war. They recruit academy cadet, George Stone and Treasury agent Oscar Wallace, who is also an accountant, who wants to prosecute Capone for tax evasion. When they make headway, Capone tries to get them but they are untouchable.

The Untouchables

Action Jackson

Jericho "Action" Jackson is a Detroit police sergeant who was demoted from lieutenant for almost tearing the arm off of sexually violent sociopath Sean Dellaplane, whose father is Peter Dellaplane, a major car manufacturer. But Dellaplane himself is violent as well. Dellaplane kills his wife Patrice by shooting her. And then he plants her body in Jackson's apartment, framing Jackson. Dellaplane won't miss Patrice very much, because he has a drug-addicted mistress named Sydney Ash. He keeps Sydney hooked with a free supply of heroin. Jackson suspects Dellaplane of masterminding a murder spree against local officials from the auto workers' union. Dellaplane's mission is to gain a political power base and choose the next president of the United States. Because of what happened to Dellaplane's son Sean, Dellaplane has taken a particular dislike to Jackson. Jackson gets Sydney's help in going after Dellaplane.

Action Jackson

Beverly Hills Cop

Axel Foley is a Detroit cop who after the murder of his friend travels to California to investigate and track down the killer, who he believes operate an arts dealership as a cover in Beverly Hills. He teams up with two reluctant detectives from the Beverly Hills police force who were supposed to keep a watch on him, especially after seeing Foley's different approach to tackling the situations which is not acceptable by the chief of the local police.

Beverly Hills Cop

Turner & Hooch

Scott Turner has 3 days left in the local police department before he moves to a bigger city to get some "real" cases, not just misdemeanors. Then Amos Reed is murdered, and Scott Turner sets himself on the case. The closest thing to a witness in the case is Amos Reed's dog, Hooch, which Scott Turner has to take care of if it's going to avoid being "put to sleep".

Turner & Hooch

The Naked Gun

Police Squad's own granite-jawed, rock-brained cop, Frank Drebin, bumbles across a mind-control scheme to assassinate Queen Elizabeth. Detective Nordberg, Jane Spencer, a stuffed beaver, two baseball teams an odd assortment of others joining the wacko goings-on.

The Naked Gun

Stakeout

After a brutal murderer escaped from prison, it is ordered that all of his possible contacts are put under survey. His former girlfriend Maria McGuire, who ceased contact with him long ago, is observed by four cops. The night-team is formed by Chris Leece and Bill Reimers, who work as partners normally, too. Maria proves to be a very cute young woman, and Chris, who bugs her appartment as Telephone-Bill, falls for her. Now, everytime he is with her, his partner has to watch his friend enjoy life and he himself has to get out before the other team comes in. But when Maria's ex arrives surprisingly, Telephone Bill and his partner find themselves in deep trouble.

Stakeout

Dragnet

Friday and Streebek are assigned to some very strange robberies, like i.e. the stealing of one bat, a 30 foot long snake and the mane of a lion from a zoo. All the latest BAIT magazines were also recently stolen, and some chemicals that when are mixed correctly develops a very deadly gas. All these thefts have one thing in common; visit cards with the word "PAGAN" left at the crime scenes. Solving these crimes, including why plenty of police vehicles have been stolen lately, involves the usual; to drink coffee at strip tease bars, rescue kidnapped virgins from drowning and lose their jobs.

Dragnet

48 Hrs.

Oddball cop and tough guy, Jack Cates is the only survivor of a cop shooting and in hunting down the murderer collects Reggie Hammond from jail for 48 hours. Hammond is oddly motivated to help. The killer is searching for his stash of cash. Cates and Hammond who have the Black-white, cop-crook thing to work out make surprisingly good partners as they navigate through the city looking for their suspect.

48 Hrs.