French Police Films

[danielmak]

My favorite TV show is The Wire and I was thinking when watching The Last Deadly Mission (MR 73 was the title in France) that this film and one of my favorites, L.627 seem to capture the drain of everyday life on the job in the face of bureaucratic corruption while showing that the line is not clearly demarcated between good and bad. Are there other recommendations for police dramas with similar sophisticated storylines?

[mews]

French Police Films

Technically speaking its more of a gangster flick but the Mesrine films are swarming with coppers.
Otherwise the Hill Street Blues series of the Eighties was pretty engrossing if you are looking for non French stiff.

[ursus arctos]

French Police Films

Far from sophisticated, but I dare you to watch the French animated series Funky Cops without a smile on your face.

Theme tune.

[Sundeporino]

French Police Films

"Spiral" would be my recommendation. Very "Wireish".

[danielmak]

French Police Films

Sundeporino wrote: "Spiral" would be my recommendation. Very "Wireish".

Can you point me to an IMDB link? I see a film about a telmarketer that is a psychological thriller and an anime TV series about a high school student.

I used to watch Hill Street Blues from the time it came on TV to when it ended; it was good stuff. Not as good as The Wire, but little is. I'll check out the other recommendations.

[Levin]

French Police Films

IMDB link

There have been threads on here about it as well.

36 Quai des Orfèvres is almost exactly what you are after.

[danielmak]

French Police Films

10^7 guests wrote: IMDB link

There have been threads on here about it as well.

36 Quai des Orfèvres is almost exactly what you are after.

Great. Thanks for both recommendations. It looks like Spiral is not on here but I should be able to chase down some DVDs in one way or another.

[via vicaria]

French Police Films

Braquo is worth a look if you like that sort of thing. S1 DVD is out over here now I believe.

[Tubby Isaacs]

French Police Films

Seen two episodes of this series of Spiral, and like it.

French cops act just like The Sweeney, don't they? And these are the regular ones. The CRS must be quite something.

I'm cheering them on as I watch it, mind. Hope they sort out that human rights bird.

[Levin]

French Police Films

You'll change your tune I'm sure. But Spiral is so good as its all about the casual daily corruption of the political and legal classes.

[Levin]

French Police Films

Christ, I've asked this question before but Spiral isn't believable is it? I'd be much happier if these people didn't have real parallels.

Has there been anything since Between The Lines on British TV to show the British police in a bad light.

I guess the Shadowline but it didn't have the televisual vérité that other crime things aim to have.

[Moonlight Shadow]

French Police Films

If you want to see something quite different, try "Guarde a vue" by Claude Miller.

[danielmak]

French Police Films

I saw Polisse the other night on the Sundance Channel. It's definitely the L.627 vein. Really good but very depressing.

[Janik]

French Police Films

See threads passim for by opinion on Sprial

A film that I thought was good was Roberto Succo. Mostly French, with some Swiss and Italian bits. Nothing Wireish about it, it is a straightforward manhunt story, but well told.

[Felicity, I guess so]

French Police Films

Spiral is called Engrenages in France, so might be listed for download undwr that.

[jason voorhees]

French Police Films

Melville's Cercle Rouge is a religious experience for me. One of the rare films where the gangsters are incredible and the lonely cat-loving cop is more incredible.

[ingoldale]

French Police Films

La Balance is good.

[Troy Fartles]

French Police Films

Starring the king himself, no less...

L'outremangeur.

[Kowalski]

French Police Films

I enjoyed Un Flic and 36 when I watched them

[Levin]

French Police Films

Spiral is back! Oh, and lots of stuff is going on.

[Benjm]

French Police Films

Kowalski wrote: I enjoyed Un Flic and 36 when I watched them

The Spiral squad have a poster for Un Flic up on the wall in the office.

Spiral is great. Having seen the previous series out of order (3-2-1-4), I had wondered whether it had taken time to work up a head of steam. Not at all, it is full on batshit crazy from Series 1, Episode 1. If anything, it seems to be mellowing slightly now.

[EIM]

French Police Films

Poliss (insert emojis representing enjoyment)

Spiral is great, yet, like Breaking Bad, I have no compulsion to finish watching the boxset. Weird, that. I blame the internet and ADHD.