I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again. What most people know about the FBI comes from crime novels and crime dramas.
As a retired FBI agent myself, I think it’s wonderful that writers, producers and filmmakers love to present FBI characters and plots, and that most of these FBI films depict the Bureau and its employees as devoted public servants and heroes, dedicated to protecting victims, at-risk communities, and national security.
G-Men (April 1935) starring James Cagney was the OG movie that started it all. It was the first role where Cagney starred as an FBI agent, aka G-man.
Previously, the studios had made gangster films that had unflattering portrayals of federal law enforcement agents, so this was a real departure. Cagney had played street-tough criminals and gangsters in many movies who got the upper hand over law enforcement and often outsmarted them. Warner Bros. intentionally created “G-Men” to counter the perceived glorification of criminals in the early 1930s. It was one of the top films of 1935.
There are nearly 70 films highlighted on my Top FBI Movies chart. I consider my chart to be the ultimate list of the best FBI movies. My criteria for what makes a show an FBI TV movie are if at least one of the main characters is a clearly defined FBI agent or employee and if there are scenes solely focused on what the FBI character does.
Which one is your favorite? My favorites are The Firm, The Informant, and Boiler Room. *You can find an alphabetized list (*work in progress) at the end of this post.
Did I leave any films off the chart that you believe should be there? Are you aware of any other FBI movies in development?
I did not include films with scenes where FBI agents show up, do their thing, and exit stage right. The movie Die Hard comes to mind. How can we forget that infamous and inaccurate moment when the FBI arrives and takes control of the crime scene? Other shows and novels have used that clip to create similar conflict-based storylines, perpetuating the tired, old misconception that the FBI doesn’t play well with others. Fortunately, in most movies, the FBI is portrayed in a positive light.
To date, I’ve published over 75 reviews of TV shows and movies, highlighting teachable moments to debunk clichés about the FBI. Read my reviews here.
You can also check out my chart of the Top FBI TV Shows and Series.
My reviews are not critiques of the plots, characters, or productions. They are instead opportunities to learn more about the FBI by highlighting specific topics, showcasing who the FBI is and what the FBI does. I write my reviews to show you what would happen in real life.
*The following is a list of the movies in the chart, the films’ premise, and, if I reviewed it for teachable moments, the topic and a link to the webpage. Most show descriptions are from IMDb (work in progress).
Above Suspicion (2020) – The dramatization of the investigation into the forbidden relationship between FBI agent Mark Putnam and his pregnant informant Susan Smith, which resulted in the first-ever conviction of an F.B.I. Agent for murder. Topic – Based on a true story creative compromises.
American Hustle (2013) – A con man, along with his seductive partner, is forced to work for a wild FBI agent, who pushes them into a world of Jersey powerbrokers and the Mafia. Topic – Prohibited behaviors for FBI agents.
American Murderer (2022) – Charismatic con man Jason Derek Brown becomes wanted by the FBI after hatching his most elaborate scheme yet. Topic – FBI’s “Ten Most Wanted Fugitives” list.
Betrayed (1988) – An FBI agent posing as a combine driver becomes romantically involved with a Midwest farmer who lives a double life as a white supremacist.
Big Momma’s House (2000) – FBI agent Malcolm Turner goes undercover as a large, elderly woman to catch an escaped convict, but complications arise when he bonds with Sherry, the convict’s ex-girlfriend and the woman’s granddaughter. Topic – The Office of Professional Responsibility (OPR).
Boiler Room (2000) – A college dropout gets a job as a broker for a suburban investment firm, which puts him on the fast track to success. But the job is not as legitimate as it first appeared, and soon FBI agents investigating the firm turn Seth into their informant. Topic – Development of a Cooperating Witness.
Blood Work (2002) – Still recovering from a heart transplant, retired FBI profiler Terry McCaleb (Clint Eastwood) returns to service when his own blood analysis offers clues to the identity of a serial killer. Topic – Shooting incident reviews.
Boneyard (2024) – A police chief and a detective join forces with an FBI agent to find a serial killer who left skeletal remains in the New Mexico desert, but the chief fears that the killer is actually one of his own officers.
Breach (2007) – FBI surveillance specialist Eric O’Neill enters a power game with his boss, Robert Hanssen, an agent who was put on trial for selling secrets to the Soviet Union.
Catch Me If You Can (2002) – A runaway teenager lives an exciting life by forging checks and impersonating several professions, but his fraudulent activities soon attract the attention of the FBI. Topic – Setting Investigative Leads for Field Offices and Overseas Legats.
Corky Romano (2001) – A Mafia honcho convinces his son Corky to infiltrate the FBI to destroy the evidence the FBI has against him. Topic – How the FBI stores evidence and sensitive files.
Donnie Brasco (1997) – An FBI undercover agent infiltrates the mob and finds himself identifying more with the Mafia life—at the expense of his regular one. Topic – Reporting requirements for undercover employees (UCEs) and the FBI’s Safeguard Unit.
Face/Off (1997) – To foil a terrorist plot, an FBI agent undergoes facial transplant surgery to assume the identity of the criminal mastermind who murdered his only son, but the criminal wakes up prematurely and seeks revenge. Topic – Do bad guys ever seek revenge against FBI agents?
FBI Girl (1951) – The governor of a fictional Capital City plans to launch his candidacy for the U.S. Senate. However, he’s afraid that when the FBI conducts an investigative check on him, they’ll discover his secret criminal past. So, a low-level FBI employee is coerced into stealing his fingerprint file from FBI headquarters. When she’s murdered, two FBI agents ask another female fingerprint clerk to assist in the investigation. Topic – History of Women FBI Agents.
(The) FBI Story (1959) – A dedicated FBI agent recalls the agency’s battles against the Klan, organized crime, and Communist spies. Topic – FBI Director Hoover, brand ambassador. Topic – The FBI Brand.
FEDS (1988) – A former Marine, used to pushing herself but scholarly weak, with the help of her book-smart roommate and teammate, endures the tough 16-week FBI training course as they show their macho cohorts the error of their ways. Topic – Women FBI agents.
(The) Firm (1993) – A young lawyer joins a small but prestigious law firm only to find out that most of its clients are on the wrong side of the law. When the FBI comes calling to gather evidence on the lawyer’s colleagues, he is caught between a rock and a hard place, juggling his life and his liberty. Topic – Development of human intelligence.
(The) Heat (2013) – An uptight FBI Special Agent is paired with a foul-mouthed Boston cop to take down a ruthless drug lord. Topic – Successful interview techniques.
How to Rob a Bank (2026) – A crew of social media-savvy bank robbers broadcasts their daring heists, unaware that their growing viral fame has put them in the crosshairs of a veteran FBI agent and a brilliant software engineer who are quickly closing in.
(The) Informant! (2009) – The FBI investigates an agro-business giant accused of price-fixing based on the evidence submitted by their star witness, vice president-turned-informant Mark Whitacre. Topic – Case review of Operation Harvest King, the investigation the film is based.
Inside Man: Most Wanted (2019) – A group of robbers storm The Federal Reserve Bank of New York and hold the customers and bank employees inside as hostages. An FBI agent negotiator teams up with an NYPD negotiator to bargain for the safe release of the hostages. Topic – Critical Incident Response Group (CIRG).
J. Edgar (2011) – J. Edgar Hoover, the powerful head of the FBI for nearly fifty years, looks back on his professional and personal life.
(The) Kingdom (2007) – A team of elite FBI agents is sent to Saudi Arabia to investigate the bombing of an American facility, solve the brutal mass murder, and find a killer before he strikes again. Topic – Post-blast crime scenes with retired agent and master bomb tech Kevin Miles.
(The) Last Shot (2004) – A movie director-screenwriter finds a man to finance his latest project but soon discovers that the producer is actually an undercover FBI agent working on a mob sting operation. Topic – Case review of the investigation code-named Dramex, the film is based.
Longlegs (2024) – A female FBI agent who, in pursuit of a serial killer, uncovers a series of occult clues. While investigating his killing spree, she discovers a personal connection to the killer and must stop him before he strikes again.
Mark Felt: The Man Who Brought Down the White House (2017) – After the death of FBI Deputy J. Edgar Hoover, Mark Felt fights to maintain the independence of the FBI, and, under the name “Deep Throat,” helps journalists from major publications and newspapers uncover the Watergate scandal in 1972. Topic – Proper dissemination of classified and sensitive case-related information.
Marauders (2016) – When a bank is hit by a brutal heist, all evidence points to the owner and his high-powered clients. But as a group of FBI agents dig deeper into the case – and the deadly heists continue – it becomes clear that a larger conspiracy is at play. Topic – The cliché that the FBI doesn’t play well with others.
Miss Congeniality (2000) – When a terrorist threatens to bomb the Miss United States pageant, the FBI rushes to find a female agent to go undercover as a contestant. Topic – FBI misconceptions: Female agents are single.
Mississippi Burning (1988) – Two FBI agents with wildly different styles arrive in Mississippi to investigate the disappearance of three civil rights activists.
National Treasure (2004) – When a historian tips off the FBI about the possible theft of the Declaration of Independence, they don’t believe him. However, after it’s stolen, the FBI begins tracking him in order to recover the historical document. Topic – The Art Crime Team.
Next (2007) – A Las Vegas magician who can see into the future is pursued by FBI agents seeking to use his abilities to prevent a nuclear terrorist attack.
No Man of God (2021) – The complicated relationship that formed between FBI profiler Bill Hagmaier and serial killer Ted Bundy during Bundy’s final years on death row.
(The) Order (2024) – A series of bank robberies and armored car heists frightened communities in the Pacific Northwest. A lone FBI agent believes the crimes were not the work of financially motivated criminals, but rather a group of dangerous domestic terrorists. Topic – Story based on the memoir of retired agent Wayne Manis.
Point Break (1991) – An FBI Agent goes undercover to catch a gang of surfers who may be bank robbers. Topic – Bank robbery cases and FBI Operation Plans.
Public Enemies (2009) – J. Edgar Hoover and the fledgling FBI try to take down notorious American gangsters John Dillinger, Baby Face Nelson, and Pretty Boy Floyd during a booming crime wave in the 1930s.
Reality (2023) – The FBI interviews and searches the home of a former American intelligence specialist suspected of releasing unauthorized government information to the media about Russian interference in the 2016 United States elections. Topics – Interview techniques.
(The) River Murders (2011) – While investigating a series of murders, a homicide detective becomes the prime suspect when the FBI uncovers his close personal ties to all the victims. Topic – The role of an BAU profiler.
Rob The Mob (2014) – A Queens couple who specialize in robbing mafia social clubs stumble upon a score bigger than they could ever imagine, becoming targets of both the mob and the FBI in the process. Topic – Court-authorized electronic surveillance.
Rush Hour (1998) – When a Chinese diplomat’s daughter is kidnapped in Los Angeles, he calls in Hong Kong Detective Inspector Lee to assist the FBI with the case. But the FBI wants nothing to do with Lee, and they dump him off on the LAPD, who assigns wisecracking Detective James Carter to watch over him. Topic – The protection of foreign embassies and consulates on U.S. soil.
See Spot Run (2001) – A mailman takes care of a dog that, unbeknownst to him, is an FBI drug-sniffing super-dog that has escaped from the witness protection program after becoming the target of an assassination.
Shooter (2007) – An expert military marksman is framed for the assassination of the US President. A rookie FBI agent is the only one who believes he is innocent. The two men join forces to determine who framed the veteran and why. Topic – FBI jurisdiction for the assassination or attempted assassination of the President and the FBI’s Investigative Publicity and Public Affairs Unit (IPPAU).
Sicario (2015) – Special Agent Kate Macer, an idealistic FBI agent, is enlisted by a government task force to aid in the escalating war against drugs at the border area between the U.S. and Mexico. Topic – The roles and responsibilities of the FBI versus the CIA.
Siege (1998) – An FBI anti-terrorism expert teams up with a CIA agent to investigate after the secret U.S. abduction of a suspected terrorist leads to a wave of terrorist attacks in New York City and then the declaration of martial-law.
Silence of the Lambs (1991) – A young F.B.I. recruit must receive the help of an incarcerated and manipulative cannibal killer to help catch another serial killer, a madman who skins his victims. Topic – BAU profilers.
Solace (2015) – Haunted by his daughter’s death, psychic John Clancy must abandon his isolation to track a lethal serial killer who possesses identical precognitive abilities and threatens the lives of the pursuing FBI agents.
Surveillance (2008) – Two FBI agents attempt to clarify the murders occurring in a desolate region. They approach the witnesses of the latest incident with the help of the local police. All of them hide something, and all have wildly different stories to tell.
Taking Lives (2004) – A murder spree in Montreal, with the killer embracing his victims’ identities, leads to an investigation by FBI agent Illeana Scott. Her bond with an art dealer is crucial to solving the case. Topic – The depiction of FBI profilers in crime fiction.
To Catch A Killer (2023) – Baltimore. New Year’s Eve. A talented but troubled police officer is recruited by the FBI’s chief investigator to help profile and track down a disturbed mass sniper terrorizing the city. Topic – FBI special agent eligibility requirements.
(The) Town (2010) – A longtime thief, planning his next job, tries to balance his feelings for a bank manager connected to an earlier heist, and a hell-bent FBI agent looking to bring him and his crew down. Topic – How the FBI investigates bank and armored car robberies.
Unthinkable (2010) – Follows a black-ops interrogator and an FBI agent who try to coerce a suspect terrorist into divulging the location of three nuclear weapons set to detonate in the U.S. Topic – Enhanced interrogation tactics.
Untraceable (2008) – FBI agent Jennifer Marsh is tasked with hunting down a seemingly untraceable serial killer who posts live videos of his victims on the Internet. As time runs out, the cat-and-mouse chase becomes more personal.
White Boy Rick (2018) – The story of teenager Richard Wershe Jr., who became an undercover informant for the FBI during the 1980s and was ultimately arrested for drug-trafficking and sentenced to life in prison. Topic – Review of the case on which the film is based.
Wind River (2017) – A wildlife officer helps a rookie FBI agent investigate the murder of a young woman on an American Indian reservation in Wyoming.
The Wolf of Wall Street (2013) – Based on the true story of Jordan Belfort, from his rise to a wealthy stockbroker living the high life to his fall involving crime, corruption, and the FBI. Topic – FBI case agent Greg Coleman reviews his investigation of Jordan Belfort.
