Photo: New Line Cinema
It occurred to us that, amongst all the kinds of movies that routinely come out, buddy cop duos are our favorites. With all the superhero crap clogging up the cinema screens, we need good buddy cop comedies to offset the capes and comic books. While Stop or My Mom Will Shoot is a favorite to some, and Die Hard is only half a buddy cop duo (they tried changing that in the fifth installment but it blew), we have 11 sweet buddy cop duos that span over decades of film.
Ranking buddy cop films is no easy chore, as each one seems to have its own unique twist. You’re mixing the fat guy with the fast guy, the nerd with the badass, the narc with the drug dealer, the young with the old, and, of course, racial profiling. But we’ve been lucky enough to have some of our favorite actors in these roles, from likely actors like Russell Crowe, Tom Hanks and Channing Tatum to the very unlikely actors like Jonah Hill, Chris Tucker and Melissa McCarthy. If you haven’t watched these hit movie buddy cop duos, we highly suggest you entertain yourself immediately with them, since everybody is sick lately (mostly of bullshit superhero movies).
Ranking Our 11 Favorite Buddy Cop Movies of All Time
More movie rankings for you: Ranking The 10 Best Martin Scorsese Movies Of All Time
Buddy Cops
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11. "21 Jump Street"
Photo: Columbia Pictures
It wasn't so long ago we were neither fans of Jonah Hill or Channing Tatum, but goddammit they both won us over, didn't they? They're back-to-back buddy cop undercover flicks proved to be a lot funnier than expected. They're like the white Bad Boys.
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10. "Rush Hour"
Photo: New Line Cinema
The '90s were all about buddy cops with clashing cultures, and Rush Hour had the recurring theme of "I can't understand the words coming out of your mouth." Jackie Chan and Chris Tucker were so funny together that they squeezed three movies out of it, possibly a fourth on the way, and now a TV adaptation to boot the reboot.
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9. "The Heat"
Photo: 20th Century Fox
Women can be buddies, too! Paul Feig prefaced his ghost busting with this funny lady FBI duo, possibly his funniest movie yet. Melissa McCarthy has been a Feig favorite, but the addition of Sandra Bullock only made her funnier.
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8. "Tango & Cash"
Photo: Warner Bros.
Possibly the most underrated buddy cop comedy came in the late '80s, following the success of 1988's Die Hard. While this tango received a pretty low rating, Sly and Kurt made a strangely enjoyable combination.
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7. "Dragnet"
Photo: Universal Pictures
Who doesn't love a 1980s Tom Hanks flick? Dan Aykroyd, in between Ghostbusters movies, teamed up with one of the best actors of that time to reboot the ancient TV series our parents grew up on.
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6. "The Other Guys"
Photo: Columbia Pictures
Will Ferrell in a serious role is always hilarious, mostly because we can't take him seriously, but the movie was actually hilarious, probably more than Adam McKay anticipated. It was a quiet comedy between Wahlberg and Ferrell, but it was no surprise to see them back together in Daddy's Home, which is also a hilariously underrated comedy.
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5. "The Nice Guys"
Photo: Warner Bros.
One of the best (and brightest) buddy cop films in a long time, Russell Crowe and Ryan Gosling are the perfect combo brains and braun, young and old. Though the Shane Black neo-noir comedy didn't earn too much at the box office, you'll be stretched to find someone who didn't love it.
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4. "Bad Boys"
Photo: Columbia Pictures
Will Smith and Martin Lawrence basically were the first buddy cop duo of their kind (not a racial thing), due to their intense relationship and Will Smith's never-ending ability to woo the hottest women we'd ever see in the '90s, and of course Martin Lawrence's constant disapproval since one of them was his sister. The Bad Boys franchise is expected to get third and fourth installments, starting in 2018 with Bad Boys for Life as Smith and Lawrence, who we haven't seen in awhile, resuming their usual roles.
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3. "Lethal Weapon"
Photo: Warner Bros.
It's hard to top this cheesy interracial duo, especially after we did their hilarious 30th anniversary tribute. There's a reason they got four movies in the franchise, and it's not just because the first one had Gary Busey in it. If you get to the third one, you get some classic Joe Pesci.
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2. "Starsky & Hutch"
Photo: Warner Bros.
Another classic TV series to get rebooted as a film, Owen Wilson and Ben Stiller do their usual dance under the direction of Todd Phillips for a wacky ride with a '70s vibe and some perfect Vince Vaughn one-liners.
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1. "Turner & Hooch"
Photo: Buena Vista Pictures
We save the best for last when man and dog come together as the best crime-fighting duo. Hanks, a man who's never had a pet before, takes in the local hound who witnessed the death of his owner. Hanks, of course, falls in love with the dog and they solve the crime and it ends with them having babies together. Perfect buddy cop comedy ending.
