6 Best Undercover Cop Movies

By Vlad Zakh · June 23, 2026

Living a double life inside a criminal world is tense and psychologically fraught. The Departed has an undercover cop and a mob mole racing to expose each other, Donnie Brasco has an FBI agent bonding with an aging hitman, and Deep Cover has a cop rising through a cartel. 21 Jump Street, Point Break and Serpico round out the six.

21 Jump Street (2012)

IMDb ★ 7.2 RT 85% Metacritic 69

Two bumbling cops go undercover as high school students to bust a drug ring.

Directed by Phil Lord & Christopher Miller · 1h 49m · Rated R

11 wins & 21 nominations

Where to watch

Stream: Netflix, Paramount Plus Premium, Paramount Plus Essential, Paramount+ Amazon Channel, YouTube TV, Paramount+ Roku Premium Channel · Rent: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home, Spectrum On Demand · Buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

The Departed (2006)

IMDb ★ 8.5 RT 91% Metacritic 85

A remake that somehow out-tenses its own already tense source material.

Directed by Martin Scorsese · 2h 31m · Rated R

Won 4 Oscars100 wins & 141 nominations

Where to watch

Stream: HBO Max Amazon Channel, YouTube TV, HBO Max · Rent: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home, Spectrum On Demand · Buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Donnie Brasco (1997)

IMDb ★ 7.7 RT 88% Metacritic 77

An undercover FBI agent's friendship with the mobster he is investigating becomes genuinely dangerous.

Directed by Mike Newell · 2h 07m · Rated R

Nominated for 1 Oscar2 wins & 16 nominations

Where to watch

Stream: Netflix, YouTube TV, Sundance Now, BBC America, Netflix Standard with Ads, Sony Pictures Core Amazon Channel · Rent: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home, Plex · Buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Deep Cover (1992)

TMDB ★ 6.9

An undercover cop rises through a drug cartel, blurring the line between the law and the crimes he commits.

Directed by Bill Duke · 1h 48m · Rated R

Where to watch

Stream: History Vault · Rent or buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Point Break (1991)

IMDb ★ 7.3 RT 68% Metacritic 60

An FBI agent goes undercover among surfers who moonlight as masked bank robbers.

Directed by Kathryn Bigelow · 2h 02m · Rated R

1 win & 2 nominations

Where to watch

Stream: Netflix, fuboTV, Peacock Premium, AMC Plus Apple TV channel, AMC+, YouTube TV · Rent or buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Serpico (1973)

IMDb ★ 7.7 RT 93% Metacritic 83

An honest cop's refusal to take bribes makes him a target within his own department.

Directed by Sidney Lumet · 2h 09m · Rated R

Nominated for 2 Oscars8 wins & 13 nominations

Where to watch

Rent or buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Streaming availability data from JustWatch, via TMDB. Availability changes often, so check the service before you plan a movie night.

Vlad Zakh

Founder, Movieix

Founder of Movieix. He started the site because most recommendation pages felt like noise. Here, lists are sorted by who's in the film, where it's from and what mood you're in tonight.

6 Best Undercover Cop Movies

21 Jump Street (2012)

The Departed (2006)

Donnie Brasco (1997)

Deep Cover (1992)

Point Break (1991)

Serpico (1973)

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