# First movie to negatively portray the police?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-movie-to-negatively-portray-the-police/1001792>\
**Category:** Cafe Society\
**Tags:** movies\
**Created:** [May 20, 2024, 3:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-movie-to-negatively-portray-the-police/1001792 "2024-05-20T03:35:05Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 5\
**Page:** 2

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**Author:** ![Dropo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ce7236/32.png) [@Dropo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dropo)\
**Post date:** [May 20, 2024, 9:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-movie-to-negatively-portray-the-police/1001792/21 "2024-05-20T21:34:33Z")

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Some films not already mentioned:

_Double Crossed_ (1917) - _Pre_-Pre-Code story of corrupt cop coercing dude who stole necklace out of desperation into more thievery to help a politician’s campaign.

_The Beast of the City_ (1932) - Police Chief goes after a mob using non-standard (and excessively violent) methods…and he’s the good guy!

_I Wake Up Screaming_ (1941) - Corrupt cop tries to pin a showgirl’s murder on an innocent dude.

_Where the Sidewalk Ends_ (1950) - Corrupt cop tries to cover up his misdeeds.

_Rogue Cop_ (1954) - Cop on the take turns against the mob after they clip his cop brother.

_The Case Against Brooklyn_ (1958) - Corruption in the NY police force leads the DA to form a special squad of rookie cops to find the corrupt ones.

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**Author:** ![steepone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/977dab/32.png) [@steepone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/steepone)\
**Post date:** [May 21, 2024, 8:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-movie-to-negatively-portray-the-police/1001792/22 "2024-05-21T08:34:41Z")

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The worlds first feature length film, The Story Of The Kelly Gang (1906) gives a sympathetic view of Ned Kelly and his gang and portrays the police as villains

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**Author:** ![Lumpy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lumpy/32/446_2.png) [@Lumpy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lumpy)\
**Post date:** [May 29, 2024, 10:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-movie-to-negatively-portray-the-police/1001792/23 "2024-05-29T22:42:25Z")

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It occurs to me that even during the era when police were almost always depicted as the good guys, they were still considered brusque in their treatment of wrongdoers and scary to anyone who might even innocently fall afoul of the law. And prisons and prison guards were worse.

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**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\
**Post date:** [May 29, 2024, 11:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-movie-to-negatively-portray-the-police/1001792/24 "2024-05-29T23:26:54Z")

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The Wrong man.  
1956  
Henry Fonda

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**Author:** ![Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/q.q.switcheroo/32/5713_2.png) [@Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.Q.Switcheroo)\
**Post date:** [May 30, 2024, 9:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-movie-to-negatively-portray-the-police/1001792/25 "2024-05-30T09:51:08Z")

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> [@Lumpy](#):
>
> It occurs to me that even during the era when police were almost always depicted as the good guys, they were still considered brusque in their treatment of wrongdoers and scary to anyone who might even innocently fall afoul of the law.

Even in Disney films:

[![](https://theanimationcommendation.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/capture8.png) ](https://theanimationcommendation.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/capture8.png)

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