Easily in my top 5. I wonder if we should count FBI films... Like Silence of the lambs etc. Maybe not. Just becomes to vast then. I like the whole plain clothes divorced shitty apartment tortured detective thing. It's too bad The Wire was a TV show and not a film.
If you're going to watch "Insomnia", watch the original with Stellan Skarsgaard, not the remake with Pacino.
Not a cop movie -- but I enjoy watching First 48. I find the investigation and breaking down bad guys during interrogation very interesting. I get bummed when they can't solve the case.
Noted For those of you listing film I have not seen. If I watch them and I like them I will wrepped you.
Ah.... My Boss (Who's English) uses it quite a bit. Edit: (And heard it several times when I've been over there) I like it.
Seven, The Departed, Heat, Die Hard, and L.A. Confidential are my favorites mentioned so far. But nobody has mentioned the Lethal Weapon movies??? I'm getting too old for this shit.