Well Fed: 18 films that prominently feature the FBI

Martin Scorsese’s film “Killers of the Flower Moon” puts much of the focus on the Osage, and also on Leonardo DiCaprio and Robert De Niro’s criminal characters. However, the FBI, then just the Bureau of Investigation, also plays a notable role. David Grann’s book, which the movie is based on, goes more into depth on how the investigation of the Osage murders was one of the first big cases for the FBI, and so much of that is still in the film, if presented differently.

If a movie features a denouement where a character dramatically says, “I am an FBI agent!” there’s a good chance it is worthy of this list. When said character is played by Keanu Reeves, it’s also likely a slice of ‘90s action cheese. Indeed, that’s what “Point Break” is. Reeves plays former football player turned FBI agent Johnny Utah, who goes undercover with a group of surfing bank robbers. Yeah, ‘90s action doesn’t get any more gloriously dumb.

The FBI is tasked with finding the serial killer known as “Buffalo Bill,” with new agent Clarice Starling at the forefront. Part of her job involves having to interact with Hannibal Lecter, a psychologist of high intellect who has an unfortunate predisposition for killing people and eating them if he is not a fan of their vibe. While “The Silence of the Lambs” was expected to be a “Dumpuary” bit of crime pulp, it became a hit, a critical darling, and won several Oscars.

If you are willing to set aside logic to a degree to enjoy a high-concept comedy, “Miss Congeniality” is quite fun. Sandra Bullock plays a rough-around-the-edges FBI agent who is tasked to go undercover at a beauty pageant to try and thwart a terrorist bombing. Bullock is a lot of fun as Gracie Hart, and the film was successful enough to warrant a sequel. It’s for the die-hards only, but “Miss Congeniality” is a lot of fun.

Crucial to the plot of “Die Hard,” John McClane is a New York cop who found himself in the wrong place at the wrong time, or the right place at the right time if you are concerned about stopping sophisticated thieves. While McClane and Hans Gruber are the ones who drive this all-time action movie, the FBI does play a notable role. Hans uses the “terrorist playbook” in an attempt to get the FBI to show up and take over the negotiation. That’s just what happens, and once Agent Johnson and Special Agent Johnson (no relation) are in a chopper, the FBI has clearly become a large enough part of the plot to count here.

Remember when movies used to have titles like “I Was a Communist for the FBI?” Sure, this is a black-and-white story about a Pittsburgh steel worker who works undercover for the FBI to take down those evil Commies, including triumphantly testifying before HUAC. As a film, though, it’s a taut thriller and a solid ‘50s noir.

Yes, we know Jack Ryan works for the CIA as an analyst. That’s why, say, “The Hunt for Red October” isn’t on this list, even though that’s a better movie. This is the third of the original Jack Ryan “trilogy,” the second with Harrison Ford as Ryan. “Clear and Present Danger” is a “war on drugs” movie with a thinly veiled Pablo Escobar druglord in the mix. This one features both the CIA and FBI working toward the same goal, and the FBI Director (spoiler) even gets killed in a cartel ambush.

“The Rock” is a perfectly watchable Michael Bay action flick, though, of course, that does mean it is over-the-top and a bit silly. That being said, the plot isn’t bad. Rogue Marines have taken over Alcatraz, aka The Rock, and are threatening to use a chemical weapon if their demands aren’t met. Who can stop them? Why, an FBI chemist played by Nicolas Cage and an ex-con played by Sean Connery, who happens to be the only man to ever escape Alcatraz Prison.

Here we have another historical drama chronicling a key moment in FBI history. The idea of the list of “public enemies” started around the time that bank robberies were rampant. One of these bank robbers was John Dillinger, and while Dillinger is the main character in Michael Mann’s film, FBI agent Melvin Purvis is in pursuit of the criminal celebrity, and the juxtaposition between the two drives the story.

“Arlington Road” tries to tap into something substantive even if it can’t quite stick the landing. It’s a story of domestic terrorism, radical politics, and, you know, classic thriller plot points as well. Jeff Bridges plays a professor whose wife, an FBI agent, died in a standoff with a far-right extremist. He’s bitter, but he’s also not against tapping into his FBI contacts when he comes to believe his new neighbors, a seemingly genial couple, are domestic terrorists.

Well, they are Agent Mulder and Agent Scully of the FBI, after all. Maybe people don’t really think of Mulder and Scully as FBI agents, what with the fact they are always dealing with supernatural stuff and monsters of the week. That is their employer, though, including in the first of two “X-Files” movies (the one that is watchable).

While “Gone Baby Gone” got Ben Affleck some good notices as a director, his directorial career really took off with “The Town.” This time around, his crime story was a hit and a critical darling. It became a popular action-thriller, “Heat” for a new generation. Much as with “Public Enemies,” the film features FBI agents trying to take down bank robbers, though these bank robbers are a little nastier and more violent than ol’ Dillinger.

In “Public Enemies,” Johnny Depp played Dillinger. This time around, he plays the FBI agent. Depp plays an FBI agent who goes undercover as the titular Donnie Brasco to infiltrate the mob. He befriends an aging mobster played by Al Pacino who is being marginalized by the syndicate. Is “Donnie” in over his head? Will he try to stop the hammer from falling on Pacino? These are the questions of “Donnie Brasco.”

What if Sandra Bullock played an unglamorous, by-the-numbers FBI agent? What if Melissa McCarthy played a brash loudmouth? Okay, so “The Heat” has no original ideas. It’s a buddy-cop comedy about an FBI agent and a Boston cop with different personalities and approaches to the job having to work together. That being said, it’s still an enjoyable, watchable version of that.

Fred Hampton was a Black Panther activist who stoked fear in the FBI (and particularly certain elements within the FBI). The FBI were able to turn Bill O’Neal into an informant, and would use his information to not just stifle Hampton, but eventually to kill him. “Judas and the Black Messiah” landed in theaters at an awkward time for film, but that did not diminish the movie's quality. Although, we’re still incredulous that both Daniel Kaluuya and LaKeith Stanfield got to submit for Supporting Actor at the Oscars.

In TV and film, the FBI is always asking local cops for cooperation in investigations. “Stakeout” is no different. Emilio Estevez and Richard Dreyfus play two Seattle cops tasked with taking the night shift on a stakeout to keep an eye on the one-time paramour of a violent criminal who just broke out of prison. Does one of them fall for her? Take a wild guess. “Stakeout” was a surprise hit, so much so it got a sequel. Yes, it’s called “Another Stakeout.”

No movie is more wonderfully dumb as “Face/Off.” Some may equal it, but none surpass it. Sean Archer is an FBI agent. Castor Troy is a maniacal terrorist for hire. They swap faces. John Travolta plays Nicolas Cage playing John Travolta. Nicolas Cage plays John Travolta playing Nicholas Cage. John Woo directed it. It rules.

It’s fitting to end with a movie called “The FBI Story.” Jimmy Stewart plays an FBI agent who is involved in all sorts of cases. You know, fighting against the KKK, gangsters, all that stuff. Now, “The FBI Story” is fully a propaganda piece for the FBI. J. Edgar Hoover demanded approval over every second of the film, and he even appeared briefly in the movie. However, no movie has ever been more about the FBI, and “The FBI,” than this one.