And if you have a Netflix membership, you’re in luck—there are several of these movies worth watching. They may not be Oscar-worthy productions that’ll change your life, but they’re all funny, thrilling, and entertaining in their own ways. Here are some of the best buddy cop movies available on Netflix. Save them for your next rainy day stuck inside!
What’s a Buddy Cop Movie, Anyway?
Generally speaking, a buddy cop movie involves two very different people—maybe they’re from different walks of life, maybe they have clashing personalities—who are forced to work together. Most of the time, we’re talking about cops, detectives, assassins, or other crime-related professions. But not always. And sometimes there are more than two characters, resulting in a kind of “buddy group of misfits” rather than a straight two-cop partnership. More often than not, these buddies end up learning from each other, and maybe end up becoming friends. Or they turn on each other and become enemies. It really depends on the genre. Buddy cop movies can be comedy, action, thriller, or a mixture.
7. Cop Out
When you think about comedy movies created by Kevin Smith, Cop Out probably isn’t the first movie that comes to mind. It probably isn’t even a movie that ever comes to mind. But it should, because Cop Out is surprisingly funny. Bruce Willis, Tracy Morgan, Kevin Pollak, and Seann William Scott absolutely crush their roles in this buddy cop movie about two NYPD detectives who need to track down a stolen mint-condition baseball card.
6. War on Everyone
War on Everyone features two corrupt cops who are on a mission to frame, blackmail, and extort every criminal they encounter. But things get complicated when they find out there’s someone out there’s who’s even more dangerous than they are. If you like British black comedy movies with a buddy cop twist, War on Everyone is the movie for you. As long as you can handle the dark jokes (some which may not play well in the current climate), you’ll get a great deal of entertainment out of this movie.
5. K-9
K-9 is an older movie from the late-1980s about a maverick detective who partners with an unusually smart police dog to catch an infamous drug dealer who’s put a hit out on him. This twist on the buddy cop formula pairs the main character with a canine companion—and yes, the movie is as silly as it sounds. But while K-9 won’t end up on anyone’s list of “best movies of all time,” it’s an enjoyable flick with a charismatic cast.
4. Spenser Confidential
After two police officers are murdered, an ex-cop returns to the force and aims to take down the criminals responsible—all with the help of his roommate. Action-comedy hijinks ensue. While Spenser Confidential received mixed reviews, it’s an enjoyable watch if you go into it without high expectations. As far as buddy cop movies go, it hits all the right story beats and the two main characters are fun to watch.
3. Bright
Set in an alternate timeline where humans, orcs, elves, and magic co-exist in modern Los Angeles. A human detective is paired up with an orc cop, and both are tasked with finding a powerful magic wand before it falls into the wrong hands. Bright is your run-of-the-mill buddy cop movie in brand new wrapper. It received a lot of criticism at release for its distractingly heavy-handed social commentary, but if you can get past that, it’s not too bad.
2. Bon Cop Bad Cop
Two Canadian detectives—one who speaks French, one who speaks English—must come together to solve a murder that occurred on the border of Ontario and Quebec. As if solving the murder wasn’t hard enough on its own, their differences make it that much harder. Bon Cop Bad Cop (a French-English play on the phrase “good cop, bad cop”) is a darkly comedic thriller that delivers a buddy cop experience unlike any other. It’s a great watch, and one of Canada’s highest-grossing movies of all time.
1. Training Day
A rookie cop is partnered with a veteran LAPD detective and tags along for his first day. Little does the rookie know that the veteran detective is corrupt, rogue, and highly dangerous. Training Day is a classic crime thriller that plays as a darker—and somewhat more realistic—take on what a buddy cop movie might be. Make no mistake: there’s no comedy and no happy ending here. This is a gritty and violent tale of two opposite cops. Read next: The best espionage movies and spy movies
