Overview
A young cop grapples with his conscience while enforcing outdated laws in a changing society.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Glacial
- Intensity
- Moderate
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- None
- austere
- deadpan
- contemplative
- quiet evening
- arthouse film night
What critics said
Critics broadly praised the film as a sharply observed, minimalist Romanian New Wave procedural that turns a simple police case into a profound examination of conscience, language, and institutional authority.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Long observational passages follow Cristi watching suspects, smoking, writing reports, and navigating routine police work without dramatic embellishment.
Cristi doubts that arresting the marijuana-smoking teenager is morally justified, while Anghelache insists that legal procedure must prevail.
The film turns reports, surveillance, official discussions, and the interpretation of language into extended scenes of understated absurdity.
The grim, dull city of Vaslui and its police bureaucracy dominate Cristi's daily experience and intensify his frustration with the assignment.
Films like Police, Adjective, and why
4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days
romanian new wave naturalism, institutional critique, dry humor, and morally pressured protagonists
The Death of Mr. Lazarescu
romanian new wave realism, deadpan observation, bureaucratic absurdity, and ethical conflict
The Conversation
measured pacing, procedural investigation, existential uncertainty, and understated social critique
Memories of Murder
minimalist police procedural structure, moral ambiguity, and institutional pressure
Movie Details
- Director
- Corneliu Porumboiu
- Release Date
- 2010-01-14
- Runtime
- 110 min
- Rating
- 6.5 / 10 (66)
Cast
- Dragoș Bucur
- Vlad Ivanov
- Ion Stoica
- Irina Săulescu
- Cerasela Trandafir
- Marian Ghenea
- Cosmin Seleși
- Șerban Georgevici
- George Remes
- Adina Dulcu
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- Criterion Channel
- Rent
- Google Play Movies, YouTube
- Buy
- Google Play Movies, YouTube
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is Police, Adjective about?
- A laconic Romanian police officer’s marijuana surveillance assignment becomes a dry, exacting confrontation between private conscience and the machinery of law.
- What is Police, Adjective like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Police, Adjective as glacial, its intensity as moderate and its storytelling as layered.
- Is Police, Adjective violent?
- No — Ember's analysis finds no violence in Police, Adjective.
- What did critics think of Police, Adjective?
- Critics broadly praised the film as a sharply observed, minimalist Romanian New Wave procedural that turns a simple police case into a profound examination of conscience, language, and institutional authority.
- Which films are like Police, Adjective?
- Films with a similar feel include 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days, The Death of Mr. Lazarescu, The Conversation, and Memories of Murder.
- How long is Police, Adjective?
- Police, Adjective runs 110 minutes.
- Where can I watch Police, Adjective?
- In United States, Police, Adjective streams on Criterion Channel.
