48 Hrs. (1982)

User Rating:

6.9/10   

Director:

Walter Hill

Writers:

Roger Spottiswoode (writer) and
Walter Hill (writer) ...

Release Date:

8 December 1982 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Comedy | Crime | Drama | Thriller

Tagline:

When a tough cop has a cool convict as a partner and 48 hrs to catch a killer, a lot of funny things can happen in . . . 48 HRS. [Australia Theatrical]

Plot:

A hard-nosed cop reluctantly teams up with a wise-cracking criminal temporarily paroled to him, in order to track down a killer.

Plot Keywords:

Tough Guy | Alcoholic | Nightclub | Bar | Racial Slur

Awards:

Nominated for Golden Globe. Another 2 wins & 1 nomination

Cast

Nick Nolte	...	Jack Cates
Eddie Murphy	...	Reggie Hammond
Annette O'Toole	...	Elaine
Frank McRae	...	Haden
James Remar	...	Albert Ganz
David Patrick Kelly	...	Luther
Sonny Landham	...	Billy Bear
Brion James	...	Ben Kehoe
Kerry Sherman	...	Rosalie, Hostage Girl
Jonathan Banks	...	Algren
James Keane	...	Vanzant
Tara King	...	Frizzy, Hotel Desk Clerk
Greta Blackburn	...	Lisa, Blonde Hooker
Margot Rose	...	Casey
Denise Crosby	...	Sally

Also Known As:

48 Hours (USA) (alternative spelling)
Forty Eight Hours (USA) (alternative spelling)

Runtime:

96 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Canada:R (Manitoba/Nova Scotia/Ontario) | Iceland:16 | Australia:R | Singapore:PG (cut) | Netherlands:12 | USA:R (Certificate #26865) | UK:18 (video rating) (1986) | Argentina:18 | Canada:13+ (Quebec) | Finland:K-16 | New Zealand:R16 | Norway:18 | South Korea:18 | Sweden:15 | UK:15 (video rating) (1987) (cut version) | UK:18 (original rating) | West Germany:18

Filming Locations:

California, USA

Company:

Paramount Pictures

Trivia:

David Patrick Kelly also played a character named "Luther" in The Warriors (1979), also directed by Walter Hill.

Goofs:

Continuity: When Reggie takes the knife from the redneck, he closes it and places it on the bar with his right hand before breaking the glasses and being told where Billy Bear's girlfriend lives. When he turns around and talks to the people in the club, the knife is clearly still on the bar. He then walks out to the street where he takes it from his back left pocket and gives it to Cates.

Quotes:

Reggie: I've been in prison for three years. My dick gets hard if the wind blows.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Angel: Dead End (#2.18)" (2001)

Soundtrack:

CARTOON MUSIC

The boys are back in town!!!

Nick Nolte plays Jack Cates, an edgy, sullen, and world-weary San Francisco police detective who temporarily paroles young convict Reggie Hammond (Eddie Murphy) so Hammond can help him catch psychotic thief and murderer Albert Ganz (James Remar).

One of the first, and absolute best, "mismatched-partners" cop movies of all time, this is slick, funny, violent, and energetic. Nolte and Murphy make a good team. Murphy is especially funny, making his feature-film debut, as a smooth talker who's desperate to have some sex before he has to go back to prison. The scene where Hammond shakes things up in a redneck bar is admittedly one of the best scenes in the movie.

It really is a fine cast (unfortunately, Annette O'Toole, as Cates's long-suffering girlfriend, has nothing important to do) that includes some actors who have worked with director/co-writer Walter Hill on a fairly regular basis.

Many of the "mismatched-partners" cop movies released since this one just can't compare (excepting the "Lethal Weapon" movies, in my opinion).

8/10