48 Hours
Nick Nolte and Eddie Murphy make one of the most unusual and entertaining teams ever in Walter Hill's roller-coaster thriller, 48 HRS. Nolte is a rough-edged cop after two vicious cop-killers. He can't do it without the help of smooth and dapper Murphy, who is serving time for a half-million dollar robbery. This unlikely partnersip trades laughs as often as punches as both pursue their separate goals: Nolte wants the villains; Murphy wants his money and some much-needed female companionship. Watch for Murphy's hilarious scene in a redneck country-western bar-you'll want to see it again and again.
Member Reviews
A good Eddie Murphy flick - usernameya
So Eddie has done some not so great movies, well maybe a lot. But it's easy to see why this was regarded as one of his better ones. It's when he first getting big so he has to rely on his talent more then his name which makes it interesting. There's a great scene with him in a bar which is so great on how he handles how to play it, both character and actor speaking. Nick Nolte is quite good as well in his role, making it pretty realistic, though there is the Hollywood formula going on.Very good police film from the '80s - Coconut_Willy
This well made movie was a real showcase for the 2 main characters (Nolte and Murphy) who are both very good in their respective roles. Too bad they were not able to sustain the same level of excellence as their careers progressed. The storyline, although not overly original, is interesting and well written. The excessive use of foul language may displease some but it does fit very well with this sort of film. Besides the 2 main actors, the rest of the cast is also quite good in secondary roles. All do a fine acting job with an appropriate dialogue. The sets and locations are very good, the soundtrack is good and the camera work is appropriate. I think I saw the sequel but can't remember much about it so it can't be that good. If you want to see Eddie Murphy in his prime, this is one of his early films in which he is excellent. Highly recommended. I would have given this movie 4 stars but the copy that I have is a faked widescreen where the full screen picture has the top and bottom masked to make believe it's a 16X9 picture; to me this is as stupid as it gets...Start of a Genre? - Gregg
Story of a run down rogue cop named Jack Cates (Nick Nolte) who is out to apprehend a pair of cop killers who also stole his gun. Along the way he enlists the aid of a convict Reggie Hammond (Eddie Murphy) who just happens to be one of the pairs ex-partners, after arranging his temporary 48 hour release.
Director Walter Hill whose obvious specialty is action films spins a fairly simple but still compelling story. There is a lot of action in the film and the language is very raw.
The success of the film is often pinned on the effective pairing of Nolte and Murphy who both give strong performances as mismatched partners of necessity. This film is often cited as the beginning of the 1980's buddy cop genre which would spawn so many other films.
In one of the most archetypal roles of this genre we have Bernie Casey playing the standard angry Police Captain, and he's very good.
Composer James Horner contributes a very effective and driving score for an action picture that grabs you from the opening scene
You can easily forget how hot a prospect Eddie Murphy was early in his film career before either bad choices or other factors led to his extended career slump. Although he would recover from that slump his choices still seem erratic.
On the downside though this film was made 25 years ago it seems today to be at best very male oriented and probably at least somewhat misogynistic. This may be a result of the time in which it was made and certainly reflects much of Director Hill's filmography. But as a result some may find this aspect difficult to ignore. Also reflective of Hill's repertoire is the fairly brutal violence, although this is far from the worst case for either its brutality or its presentation.
48 Hours would be followed 8 years later by the oh so imaginatively title sequel Another 48 Hours. This film would re-team both Nolte and Murphy with Director Hill but would be neither as effective nor as successful.
Member Reviews
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A good Eddie Murphy flick - usernameya
So Eddie has done some not so great movies, well maybe a lot. But it's easy to see why this was regarded as one of his better ones. It's when he first getting big so he has to rely on his talent more then his name which makes it interesting. There's a great ...Very good police film from the '80s - Coconut_Willy
This well made movie was a real showcase for the 2 main characters (Nolte and Murphy) who are both very good in their respective roles. Too bad they were not able to sustain the same level of excellence as their careers progressed. The storyline, although ...Start of a Genre? - Gregg
Story of a run down rogue cop named Jack Cates (Nick Nolte) who is out to apprehend a pair of cop killers who also stole his gun. Along the way he enlists the aid of a convict Reggie Hammond (Eddie Murphy) who just happens to be one of the pairs ex-partners, ...