Once a Cop...

Policeman Karl Jørgensen was once a prominent detective, but due to a violent temper he's now checking out passports at the airport, smuggling stout to work in his thermos every day. However, Kaj, the boyfriend of his daughter, is suddenly killed by a heroin overdose injected by hooded gangsters. It turns out he was spying on their organisation for his brother, Frank, who was framed by them while smuggling narcotics. When Frank hears about Kaj's death, he escapes from prison to get back at the killers. Meanwhile, the same gangsters threaten Karl Jørgensen's daughter, and soon Karl is involved in a major drug smuggling case. Frank and his buddy rob a bank and shoot a police officer. A country-wide manhunt ensues while Karl is having trouble with controlling his daughter's vigilante activities, with finding out who killed Kaj, with the police detectives on the case and with his own alcoholic and lacking existence.

Directed by —, Once a Cop... leans on a strong ensemble — Jens Okking, Jens Arentzen, Anne Marie Helger — to carry a story that balances spectacle with character.

The series landed with audiences for its craft and performances, and remains one of the most talked-about screen titles of 1987.