The French might not be particularly well known for their gritty urban dramas, yet 2011's Polisse, about the issues facing a Parisian Child Protection Unit, is one of the genre's best efforts in any language of the last few years. Writer-director Maiwenn (who also appears in the movie) directs a richly immersive, sprawling look at the emotional difficulty of working in such an organisation, melding a frequent documentary style with just enough cutting humour to prevent an outright grim-fest. With a slew of excellent performances and slick cinematography throughout, it's little surprise that critics have frequently compared the movie to HBO's TV crime drama masterpiece The Wire.