Film

Number One with a Bullet

Name: Number One with a Bullet
Genre: Action, Comedy, Crime, Thriller
Released: 1987
Cast: Robert Carradine, Billy Dee Williams, Valerie Bertinelli, Peter Graves, Doris Roberts

Police procedural

A 1987 action-comedy about two mismatched detectives chasing a murder case that spirals into departmental corruption. It's got the comedic banter of a buddy cop film, the procedural momentum of a thriller, and a cast clearly having fun with material that doesn't take itself seriously. For viewers who want crime and laughs without the weight.

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48 Hrs.1982

Eddie Murphy and Nick Nolte create electric chemistry as cop and criminal forced together. Genuinely funny, genuinely tense, and it proved action-comedies could work when the characters had real friction and the stakes felt earned.

But It's stylistically of its era—the fashion and some jokes land differently now. The tone shifts between comedy and violence can feel uneven if you're expecting consistency.

Beverly Hills Cop1984

Eddie Murphy's improvisational energy as a Detroit cop in LA created the template for smart-mouthed detectives. It balances comedy, action, and actual mystery plotting in a way that feels effortless, and the supporting cast elevates every scene.

But The humor is very '80s and can feel broad. If you want detective work to be the focus rather than Murphy's personality carrying things, you'll be frustrated.

Stakeout1987

Richard Dreyfuss and Emilio Estevez as surveillance cops with genuine camaraderie and comedy timing. The mystery unfolds naturally, the action feels lived-in, and there's real warmth underneath the jokes—it's got heart.

But The pacing sags in the middle. Some romantic subplot elements feel obligatory and slow the momentum you want from a cop thriller.

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The wildcard

Something you would not have found on your own.

Midnight Run1988

Both are cop-adjacent comedies more interested in character friction and banter than in solving crime efficiently; the case is an excuse for the relationship.

Robert De Niro and Charles Grodin as a bounty hunter and fugitive sparring across America. It's structured as a road movie, not a precinct mystery, which lets the comedy and tension breathe differently—the confinement and banter matter more than plot.

But Very little happens plot-wise for long stretches. If you need forward momentum and reveals, the loose, character-driven pacing will feel static.

Turner & Hooch1989

Tom Hanks as a detective paired with a dog, and he commits fully to the buddy-cop dynamics even when his partner can't act. It's surprisingly effective at balancing genuine crime plotting with comedy that comes from character rather than setup.

But It's fundamentally a dog movie, and if you're not charmed by that premise, nothing will save it. The sentimentality builds as it goes, which some find cloying.

The Hidden1987

Kyle MacLachlan and Michael Nouri as cops pursuing something inexplicable and terrible. It mixes sci-fi body-horror with buddy-cop dynamics and dark humor—strange and engaging in ways most cop films aren't, with real energy throughout.

But It takes itself more seriously than most genre entries, and the body-horror elements are genuinely disturbing. If you want light entertainment, the grotesque bits will jar you out of it.

Red Heat1988

Arnold Schwarzenegger and Jim Belushi as an unlikely Soviet-American cop pairing. The fish-out-of-water comedy is sharp, the action is inventive, and they actually build rapport—it's smart enough to know what it's doing.

But The Cold War politics feel dated now. If you can't get past the '80s action-thriller trappings and want something more grounded, it'll feel silly.

K-91989

James Belushi and a German Shepherd as partners in a drug-bust comedy. It's goofy in the best way—committed to the bit, funny without being mean-spirited, and genuinely charming about the human-animal bond beneath the action.

But It's very silly and doesn't pretend otherwise. If you need a mystery with real stakes or character development, you're watching the wrong film.

Police Academy1984

An ensemble comedy about misfits training to be cops. It's surprisingly clever about ensemble timing, the jokes come rapid-fire, and it proved that a big cast of comedians could carry a film if they had chemistry and the script let them breathe.

But The humor is aggressively silly and often juvenile. It hasn't aged gracefully in places, and if you want any procedural reality, you'll find none.

Lethal Weapon1987

Mel Gibson and Danny Glover as detectives with wildly different temperaments. It perfected the formula of comedy and action serving the same story—every scene works as both, and the character work underneath makes you care about the outcome.

But The violence is more intense than the comedy suggests. If you want a light film, the brutal moments will catch you off-guard.

After Hours1985

Both involve protagonists discovering institutional rot and moral decay in systems they trusted; both use comedy as a way to process absurdity and discomfort rather than escape it.

Griffin Dunne navigates a surreal night in downtown Manhattan. It's a genre-scrambling thriller-comedy about a man in a situation spiraling into chaos and corruption he didn't cause. Darkly funny, visually inventive, genuinely unsettling beneath the laughs.

But It's genuinely strange and increasingly nightmarish. This is not comfort viewing—it uses comedy to unsettle, not to entertain, and some find that exhausting rather than fun.

Brick2006

Both center detectives uncovering corruption in their own institutional homes; both treat a seemingly small crime as a mirror reflecting systemic compromise and moral collapse.

Joseph Gordon-Levitt as a high-school detective investigating a murder in his community. It speaks noir language while remaining deadly serious about teenage stakes. It's a cop procedural that interrogates how we tell crime stories and what they mean.

But It's deliberately stylized and literary—dialogue is dense, references are layered, and it asks you to accept high school as a noir world. Some find it pretentious; others find it brilliant.