Andrew Shaw’s review published on Letterboxd:
The only way Polisse is like a "whole season of The Wire" is if someone re-edits The Wire to be nothing but people ODing. It's all the misery and very little of the social commentary. I am sure there is a degree of realism to the way Polisse matter-of-factly depicts these cases but without any narrative through-line or focused themes to hold everything together, it simply plays out like a succession of moments designed to make you feel terrible. The brutality of the cases is also frequently undermined by the over the top melodrama of the cop's personal lives, like the most explicit and hysterical episode of Law & Order: SVU you can imagine.
I also question the reasoning behind director Maiwenn placing herself in the movie, as her character adds absolutely nothing of value to the film and she's not a particularly engaging performer. It distracts from more compelling characters and more valuable storylines.
It's undeniably powerful and well made, it just feels like there is a better movie buried inside this material.