48 Hrs. (1982)

Directed by Walter Hill. Starring Nick Nolte, Eddie Murphy, James Remar, David Patrick Kelly, Annette O’Toole, Frank McRae, Sonny Landham, Brion James, Margot Rose, Olivia Brown, Jonathan Banks, Denise Crosby. [R]

Archetypal buddy cop yarn pairs up raspy, perpetually-hungover police inspector Nolte with street-smart convict Murphy, who’s been given a 48-hour prison leave to help him track down a sadistic, cop-killer fugitive (Remar) and his accomplice (Landham). Violent, foul-mouthed action-comedy programmer delivers on most of the expected levels—they hate each other, trade insults, throw fists, develop grudging respect, etc. Perfunctory plotting and suspense in the various stakeouts, shoot-’em-ups, and so forth is made palatable by surefooted chemistry between the stars, with Nolte giving his intractable crank satisfying touches of relaxed humor, and Murphy immediately exhibiting star power in his first motion picture. Underwritten supplemental characters (including one-note antagonists and sexist attitudes applied to the female characters) leave several brief stretches of dead space, but the whole thing is quick and punchy enough to pay off the macho fantasy. Produced by Lawrence Gordon and Joel Silver. Sequel: Another 48 Hrs.

72/100