6.1
Viewer Rating
Combines user and critic ratings from four sources
The Laughing Policeman (1973)
The Laughing Policeman (1973)
Overview
When a gunman opens fire on a crowded city bus in San Francisco, Detective Dave Evans is killed, along with the man he'd been following in relation to a murder. Evans' partner, Sgt. Jake Martin, becomes obsessed with solving the case.
Starring Cast
Rating & Dimensions
Bias Rating
Analyzing...
Center
Political: Center
Diversity: Moderate
LGBTQ: Neutral
Race Swap: Yes
Viewer Rating
6.1
Overview
When a gunman opens fire on a crowded city bus in San Francisco, Detective Dave Evans is killed, along with the man he'd been following in relation to a murder. Evans' partner, Sgt. Jake Martin, becomes obsessed with solving the case.
Starring Cast
Detailed Bias Analysis
Analyzing...
Center
Primary
The film is a classic police procedural focused on a mass murder investigation. It portrays the gritty reality and individual dedication of detectives in solving a crime, without explicitly promoting or critiquing a specific political ideology or societal structure.
The movie features some visible diversity in its supporting cast, though its primary roles are traditional. The narrative maintains a neutral or positive framing of traditional identities, without explicit DEI themes central to the plot.
Secondary
The film features a gay character, Gus Niles, as a victim in a mass murder. His sexuality is revealed during the police investigation as a plot point to understand his relationships and potential motives for the crime. The portrayal is factual and procedural, neither affirming nor denigrating LGBTQ+ identity, serving primarily as an element within the murder mystery.
The film adapts a Swedish novel where the character Gunvald Larsson is canonically white. In this adaptation, the equivalent character, Larrimore, is portrayed by a Black actor, Louis Gossett Jr., constituting a race swap.
The film 'The Laughing Policeman' does not feature any identifiable transsexual characters or themes. Its narrative is solely dedicated to a police procedural investigating a mass murder, with no elements pertaining to transgender identity.
The movie does not contain any action or adventure elements.
The film adapts the novel by Maj Sjöwall and Per Wahlöö, retaining the male gender of its primary detective characters, despite changing their names and setting. No established characters from the source material are portrayed as a different gender.
Viewer Rating Breakdown
User Ratings
6.4
6.2
Critic Ratings
5.9
5.7
More Like This
Progressive
8.2
In the Heat of the Night
(1967)
Political: Strong Left
Diversity: High
LGBTQ: Negative
Leans Progressive
7.5
Jackie Brown
(1997)
Political: Center
Diversity: High
Progressive
6.9
Ponyboi
(2025)
Political: Strong Left
Diversity: High
Leans Progressive
8.1
Traffic
(2000)
Political: Leans Left
Diversity: Moderate
Progressive
7.5
Mississippi Burning
(1988)
Political: Strong Left
Diversity: High
Leans Progressive
6.8
Lord of War
(2005)
Political: Leans Left
Diversity: Moderate
Progressive
7.7
Rebel Ridge
(2024)
Political: Leans Left
Diversity: High
Leans Progressive
7.2
Dead Man's Wire
(2026)
Political: Strong Left
Diversity: Moderate
Leans Progressive
6.8
Shot Caller
(2017)
Political: Leans Left
Diversity: Moderate
Leans Progressive
7.9
Good Time
(2017)
Political: Leans Left
Diversity: Moderate
Leans Progressive
7.8
Inside Man
(2006)
Political: Leans Left
Diversity: Moderate
Progressive
6.9
Strange Days
(1995)
Political: Strong Left
Diversity: High
Center
7.3
The Lincoln Lawyer
(2011)
Political: Center
Diversity: Moderate
Leans Progressive
6.6
Snowden
(2016)
Political: Strong Left
Diversity: Low
Leans Progressive
6.9
Breaking
(2022)
Political: Leans Left
Diversity: Moderate
Leans Progressive
8.2
Nightcrawler
(2014)
Political: Strong Left
Diversity: Moderate
Progressive
7.0
Bulworth
(1998)
Political: Strong Left
Diversity: High
Leans Progressive
7.5
Emily the Criminal
(2022)
Political: Leans Left
Diversity: Moderate
Progressive
7.4
Woman of the Hour
(2024)
Political: Strong Left
Diversity: High
Progressive
7.4
Bound
(1996)
Political: Leans Left
Diversity: High
LGBTQ: Positive