Animals were harmed in these films
This multi-award-winning movie follows two detectives, played by Brad Pitt and Morgan Freeman. They hunt a serial killer, played by Kevin Spacey, using the seven deadly sins as his motive for murder.
This buddy cop comedy features Mark Wahlberg and Will Ferrell playing two cops who step up to the plate to be the next best cops in New York City. The two are a very mismatched pair, and nothing entirely goes as planned.
Not the traditional buddy cop setup, this film follows a hard-nosed cop, played by Nick Nolte, who reluctantly teams up with a wise-cracking criminal (Eddie Murphy) to track down a killer.
This action comedy film follows an uptight FBI special agent who is paired with a foul-mouthed Boston cop, played by Sandra Bullock and Melissa McCarthy, to take down a drug lord.
The film departs from the preceding series of the same name in being predominantly a comedy. Ben Stiller and Owen Wilson play Starsky and Hutch. The film also features Snoop Dogg.
In this Disney animated film, a rookie bunny (Ginnifer Goodwin) and a con artist fox (Jason Bateman) must work together to uncover a conspiracy in a city of animals.
The murder mystery brings together a private eye, a struggling actress, and a thief. The film stars Robert Downey Jr., Val Kilmer, and Michelle Monaghan.
This buddy cop comedy stars Dan Aykroyd playing a straight-laced detective (and nephew of Joe Friday from the original 1951 television series). Aykroyd’s character is forced to work with a smart aleck detective, played by Tom Hanks, to solve a mystery.
The classic buddy cop setup features a mismatched police duo, played by Sylvester Stallone and Kurt Russell. They have to put their differences aside to settle the score with an evil kingpin who put them behind bars.
This playful departure has all the ingredients of a classic buddy cop film, except for one difference–one of the partners in a German Shepherd. Jim Belushi stars.
This funny buddy cop film follows two detectives, played by Richard Dreyfuss and Emilio Estevez, observing an escaped convict's ex-girlfriend. Complications set in when one of them falls for her.
The film follows Colin Farrell and Jamie Foxx as detectives whose characters' lives become uncomfortably intertwined. The movie is an adaptation of the '80s show of the same name.
The Academy Award-winning American mystery drama follows a black police detective (played by Sidney Poitier) from Philadelphia becoming involved in a murder investigation in a small town in Mississippi. He is forced to work with a racist local police chief (played by Rod Steiger).
Yun-Fat Chow and Mark Wahlberg play New York City police officers ordered to stop drug trafficking and corruption by immigrant Chinese triads.
Michael J. Fox plays a movie star who is allowed to tag along with a tough New York City policeman, played by James Woods, who finds him incredibly irritating.
Sources: (IMDb)
See also: The best missing persons crime movies
The legendary duo that is Robert De Niro and Al Pacino teamed up again in this action-packed thriller playing two veteran cops out for dangerous criminals who have escaped justice.
This comedy thriller is also a slight departure from the typical buddy cop genre as Russell Crowe and Ryan Gosling play two private investigators who team up. It becomes their mission to investigate a missing girl and an adult film star’s death in a bizarre series of events.
This crime thriller film stars Patrick Swayze and Keanu Reeves. Reeves plays an undercover FBI agent who develops a complex relationship with the leader of a group of bank robbers (Swayze).
‘The French Connection’ is the second-oldest buddy cop film in this gallery, but is by no means outdated. A pair of NYC cops (played by Gene Hackman and Roy Scheider) stumble onto a drug smuggling job in this movie.
‘Lethal Weapon’ is one of the most famous of the buddy cop genre films. Two cops, played by Mel Gibson and Danny Glover, are complete opposites paired to catch a gang of drug smugglers.
This one stars Jonah Hill, Channing Tatum, Ice Cube, and Brie Larson. A pair of amateur cops are sent back to high school as undercover agents to bring down a drug ring. The movie is an adaptation of the late '80s TV series starring Johnny Depp.
The film is the first installment of the prolific series where two police officers, played by Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones, work for a secret organization that monitors interactions with aliens.
Shot documentary-style, this buddy cop drama stars Jake Gyllenhaal and Michael Peña as two police officers, partners, and friends working in LA when they run into criminal forces greater than themselves.
This film is also a slight departure from the classic buddy cop setup, but still feels like it fits the genre because of the unlikely partnership between a mild-mannered chemist (Nicolas Cage) and an ex-con (Sean Connery).
This comedy follows a skilled London police officer, played by Simon Pegg, who gets transferred to work in a small town and partners up with a dim local officer, played by Nick Frost. Together they uncover that the town has a surprisingly dark secret.
The second installment of the buddy cop series follows two cool detectives, played by Will Smith and Martin Lawrence, protecting a witness and investigating the flow of illegal drugs.
Buddy cop movies make up a classic genre. They’re usually thrillers or comedies, or both, involving two police officers (or partners) who are forced to work together to solve crimes. We typically watch the two officers struggle to get along because of their differences in outlooks on life and usually see them eventually learn from each other and complement each other’s personalities.
Almost everyone has enjoyed watching a classic buddy cop movie at some point. This gallery lists some of the greatest ever. Click through to find out which ones you’ve seen, and discover some others that are worth watching.
Bruce Willis plays a detective who teams up with the boyfriend of one of his witnesses who was murdered, played by Damon Wayans, to investigate the crime.
Arnold Schwarzenegger and Jim Belushi are forced to partner up to fight crime, Schwarzenegger playing a tough Russian police officer, and Belushi a cocky Chicago detective.
Directed by John Lee Hancock, the film follows the untold true story of two detectives, played by Kevin Costner and Woody Harrelson, who brought down the infamous American criminal couple Bonnie and Clyde.
This classic features a star-studded cast of Bruce Willis, Jeremy Irons, and Samuel L. Jackson. A Harlem store owner is targeted by a German terrorist who plans to rob the Federal Reserve Building.
The 2001 American action-comedy sequel follows two detectives, played by Jackie Chan and Chris Tucker, on vacation in Hong Kong. Their plans to relax are ruined when they become embroiled in a counterfeit money scam.
Classic buddy cop movies you need to watch
Everyone has seen at least one of these
MOVIES Movie genres
Buddy cop movies make up a classic genre. They’re usually thrillers or comedies, or both, involving two police officers (or partners) who are forced to work together to solve crimes. We typically watch the two officers struggle to get along because of their differences in outlooks on life and usually see them eventually learn from each other and complement each other’s personalities.
Almost everyone has enjoyed watching a classic buddy cop movie at some point. This gallery lists some of the greatest ever. Click through to find out which ones you’ve seen, and discover some others that are worth watching.