A Cop Movie

Play trailer

A Cop Movie

R

Released Oct 20, 2021

1h 47m

Drama

Play Trailer

Watchlist

Watchlist

Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

95%

Tomatometer

41 Reviews

74%

Popcornmeter

Fewer than 50 Ratings

Following family tradition, Teresa and Montoya join the police force, only to find their convictions and hopes crushed by a dysfunctional system. Their emotional bond becomes a refuge for the hostility they are exposed to. Through an experimental style of narrative and documentary storytelling, A Cop Movie propels the viewer into an unusual cinematic space, giving voice to one of Mexico and the world's most controversial institutions.

Watch on Netflix

Stream Now

Critics Consensus

Smart and surprising, A Cop Movie grapples with themes that are as thorny as they are timely -- and emerges a strikingly thought-provoking winner.

Read Critics Reviews

Ben Kenigsberg

New York Times

It's as if someone combined "Cops," "F for Fake" and "When Harry Met Sally."

Nov 4, 2021

Full Review

Kevin Maher

Times (UK)

By the end, something has blurred, as actor, character and cop become one. All that remains is the sense of duty and compromise, and a film-maker, Ruizpalacios, of real talent.

Rated: 4/5

Oct 29, 2021

Full Review

Peter Bradshaw

Guardian

It's a movie bristling with ideas and ingenuity.

Rated: 4/5

Oct 27, 2021

Full Review

M.N. Miller

Ready Steady Cut

Alonso Ruizpalacios’ A Cop Movie has ambition and creativity.

Rated: 3/5

Oct 21, 2022

Full Review

Erick Estrada

Cinegarage

A game of meta realities where in the end, paradoxically, truth triumphs. The truth of those police bodies whom we have chosen to ignore. [Full review in Spanish]

Jun 29, 2022

Full Review

Josh Parham

Next Best Picture

This is a film that is not afraid to experiment with a rigid formula that has been placed before it, and it manages to explore its topics and themes in a riveting manner.

Rated: 7/10

Jun 5, 2022

Full Review

Read all reviews

Audience Member

A movie clearly influenced by a high class perspective over a working class subject, the fiction parts and the "video testimony" of the male actor feel disconnected and out of touch with the real cops, just feels like a 2 hour lack of understanding.

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

01/26/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Director Alonso Ruizpalacios is proving once again he's the new voice of contemporary mexican cinema with this original and surprisingly absorbent empathetic look at mexican police body, a group that is not only underestmated by the citizens, but is also constantly in danger, threatened by the major forces of organised crime and the indiference from the ones in power.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

02/27/23

Full Review

dave d

The gimmicks of blurred the line betwixt documentary and drama proved clunky for me and just didn't work. There are a few takeaways. Mexico appears a heck of a lot more free than America. One man who lives in Miami makes a comment that says as much. However, with so much being scripted or commentary it can prove as a distraction. Alonso Ruiz Palacios I'm sure wants the viewer to have an immersive experience, but that wasn't the case for me. And not for nothing the shock factor of lulling the viewer to sleep and then showing a penis (yes you heard me) seemed just bizarre. Total gimmick. Final Score: 3/10

Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

Full Review

Read all reviews

Read More

Read Less

POST RATING

WRITE A REVIEW

EDIT REVIEW

Alonso Ruizpalacios

Director

Raúl Briones

Montoya

Mónica del Carmen

Teresa

Alonso Ruizpalacios

Screenwriter

David Gaitán

Screenwriter

Daniela Alatorre

Producer

Show Less Cast & Crew

Show More Cast & Crew

Prayers for the Stolen

96%

91%

Prayers for the Stolen

Watchlist

Parallel Mothers

96%

77%

Parallel Mothers

Watchlist

TRAILER

for Parallel Mothers

7 Prisoners

98%

86%

7 Prisoners

Watchlist

TRAILER

for 7 Prisoners

All Day and a Night

53%

59%

All Day and a Night

Watchlist

TRAILER

for All Day and a Night

Compartment No. 6

93%

83%

Compartment No. 6

Watchlist

TRAILER

for Compartment No. 6

Discover more movies and TV shows.

View More

View more photos

Synopsis

Following family tradition, Teresa and Montoya join the police force, only to find their convictions and hopes crushed by a dysfunctional system. Their emotional bond becomes a refuge for the hostility they are exposed to. Through an experimental style of narrative and documentary storytelling, A Cop Movie propels the viewer into an unusual cinematic space, giving voice to one of Mexico and the world's most controversial institutions.

Director: Alonso Ruizpalacios
Producer: Daniela Alatorre, Elena Fortes
Screenwriter: Alonso Ruizpalacios, David Gaitán
Distributor: Netflix
Production Co: No Ficción
Rating: R (Language and Brief Sexuality)
Genre: Drama
Original Language: Spanish
Release Date (Theaters): Oct 20, 2021, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Nov 5, 2021
Runtime: 1h 47m

Most Popular at Home Now