While there are plenty of fantastic films that involve the FBI (Goodfellas, anyone?), movies focused specifically on the Bureau can sometimes be hit and miss. Some lean too much into gruesome crimes, expecting shock value to work, and some paint their heroes and villains as one-dimensional, clearly caring more about making law enforcement seem moral and righteous rather than telling an interesting story with nuanced characters. However, there are few better organizations to mine for intriguing content, and when a screenwriter or director gets it right, the result can be glorious. If you want to know which films about the Bureau are worth watching, then check out our list of the 10 best movies about the FBI.
10. Point Break
Keanu Reeves stars in this beachy thriller about an undercover FBI agent who infiltrates a group of surfers led by the mysterious but charismatic Bodhi (a magnetic Patrick Swayze, at the peak of his powers), believing them to be the Ex-Presidents — a gang of bank robbers who wear the masks of former presidents as disguises when they commit their crimes. Reeves’ character soon develops close and complex bonds with the surfers, while also being drawn into Bodhi’s philosophies about life, and soon the agent is blurring the lines between his job and his undercover life. Over the top but fun in all the right ways, this classic nineties flick might not be the best movie in the world, but you won’t regret watching it.
9. American Hustle
A star-studded ensemble cast makes this historical dark comedy sing. American Hustle is loosely based on the FBI Abscam operation of the late seventies and early eighties, which saw several prominent political figures charged with bribery and corruption. In the film, Amy Adams and Christian Bale play a pair of con artists who are caught by an FBI agent (Bradley Cooper) during a scam. Instead of sending them to prison, the Bureau man uses them in an elaborate scheme to catch corrupt politicians using their position to garner bribes. Other big names that appear include Jennifer Lawrence, Jeremy Renner, and Michael Peña, and they do the hard yards to make sure that this slightly convoluted plot remains tied up, all while providing plenty of laughs.
8. Sicario
Emily Blunt is outstanding in the starring role in this film about an FBI agent tasked with bringing down the leader of a powerful, violent drug cartel. The film is full of action yet draws tension expertly, and Blunt’s brilliant performance is matched by that of her co-stars, especially Benicio del Toro, who plays a former prosecutor turned hitman, and Get Out star Daniel Kaluuya, who plays a rookie agent and Blunt’s partner. If you want fantastically choreographed fight scenes, a winding plot that surprises as much as it draws you in, as well as some truly powerhouse performances, then you’ll love Sicario.
7. Face/Off
On the face of it (ha), everything about this film points to it falling in the “so terrible, it’s good” category, yet Face/Off is a genuinely exciting, gripping, and expertly shot film. With that said, if you had to explain the movie to somebody, it really does sound ridiculous: starring John Travolta and Nic Cage, two of the most meme-like actors in the business, Face/Off follows the story of FBI agent Sean Archer (Travolta, but then also Cage) and cold-blooded killer Castor Troy (Cage, later Travolta) as they both undergo a new face-swapping procedure, Archer in an attempt to stop a bomb planted by Troy and his partner, and Troy to murder Archer. A wild premise that only gets more insane the longer the film gets on, but committed performances and the best kind of over-the-top violence make this a bafflingly but genuinely brilliant watch.
6. Dog Day Afternoon
This crime drama, starring Al Pacino, John Cazale, and Matthew Broderick, is based on a real robbery and hostage situation that took place in Brooklyn in 1972 and was eventually taken over by the FBI after local cops made no headway in the situation. Broderick plays hardass Agent Sheldon, while Pacino and Cazale are the desperate robbers, and each of them manages to give a lot of depth to their characters while also remaining utterly compelling on screen. Gritty and gripping, yet laugh-out-loud funny at points, Dog Day Afternoon was incredibly controversial upon its release because of its nuanced portrayal of the wannabe robbers, and the fact it was a pioneer in queer cinema, having a bisexual male character as a lead and discussing trans issues, but was also rightly lauded for the unique way it blended violence, humor, and menace.
5. Donnie Brasco
While there are lots of films about the FBI and organized crime, most tend to focus on the illegal activities rather than the law enforcement chasing them (after all, Goodfellas doesn’t start “As far back as I can remember, I always wanted to be a cop.”). But Donnie Brasco bucks the trend, and as a result, is a uniquely brilliant watch. The film is loosely based on the story of Joe Pistone, an FBI agent who went undercover in the Bonanno crime family, using the name Donnie Brasco as an alias. However, as he is drawn further into the life of crime, Pistone begins to cross the line between undercover and criminality and realizes that he is leading one of his closest confidants in the mob (an aging hitman played by Al Pacino) into a death trap.
4. The Departed
The true story of corrupt FBI agent John Connolly inspired this film about an Irish crime family spy (Matt Damon) infiltrating state law enforcement, while an undercover cop (Leonardo DiCaprio) heads into that same mob family in an attempt to bring the head down (Jack Nicholson). Although in the movie Connolly’s character infiltrates the Massachusetts State Police instead of the Bureau, the FBI is integral to this film as Nicholson’s character is an informant for them, thus protecting him from other law enforcement. Director Martin Scorsese does a fine job of turning this story into a compelling watch, and as you dive deeper into the film it’s almost like you’re dragged into Boston, where most of the action takes place.
3. Mississippi Burning
Not that they shout too loudly about it, but the FBI put a lot of time and effort into attempting to curtail the civil rights movement, so this film about a pair of agents attempting to find out what happened to three missing civil rights workers who disappeared deep in Klan territory in Mississippi should be watched with a grain of salt. However, there’s no doubt that if you take out the politics, the movie (based loosely on a real story) is an unmissable watch, mostly thanks to its two lead actors Willem Dafoe and Gene Hackman — however, it’s also undeniable that Mississippi Burning valorizes law enforcement, who often had close ties with white supremacist groups, while relegating Black people to the background of the struggle for equality.
2. Catch Me If You Can
This biographical (in the loosest sense of the word) crime film about a notorious conman and liar, and the FBI agent who becomes obsessed with catching him, is one of Steven Spielberg’s best, which says a lot about just how fantastic Catch Me if You Can really is. Based on the life of Frank Abagnale Jr. (played by Leonardo DiCaprio), we see the trickster fake his way into being an airline pilot and a doctor, all while running check scams and committing other kinds of fraud. Tom Hanks plays the lawman who is desperate to catch him, and eventually does.
1. The Silence of the Lambs
There are few performances in cinema that are as chilling as Anthony Hopkins playing Dr. Hannibal Lecter in The Silence of the Lambs (he famously won an Oscar for it despite only being on screen for 16 minutes), yet he’s matched by the brilliant Jodie Foster, who also picked up an academy award for the role of Clarice Starling, an FBI rookie sent to talk to Lecter in an attempt to get his thoughts about an ongoing case involving a sadistic serial killer. The movie itself is an artistic and filmmaking triumph, that simply has to be watched to be fully admired. Definitely the best film about the FBI, and arguably one of the best films of all time.
