Another 48 Hrs. (1990)

Directed by Walter Hill. Starring Nick Nolte, Eddie Murphy, Brion James, Kevin Tighe, Andrew Divoff, Ed O’Ross, Bernie Casey, David Anthony Marshall, Brent Jennings, Cathy Haase, Ted Markland, Tisha Campbell. [R]

The proverbial boys are back in town in this tired rehash that has no reason to exist besides greed and creative bankruptcy. Grizzled cop Nolte again teams up with convict Murphy (now a just-released ex-con) to root out a mysterious drug dealer nicknamed “The Iceman” who Murphy ripped off years ago. Hardly any laughs squeak free from the formula, illogical contrivances and plot holes abound, and there isn’t a single good set piece in sight for banter, action or pathos. Instead, everyone just goes through the motions and cashes a paycheck, making it not especially interminable, but certainly nondescript. Shows signs of being cut to ribbons in the editing room (blink and you’ll miss Frank McRae reprising his role as the precinct captain in the background, since all of his featured scenes were removed prior to release), but director Hill still finds room for repeated demonstrations of what appears to be an almost fetishistic kick from breaking loads and loads of glass. Even callbacks to the original (like Eddie screeching the Police’s “Roxanne”) land flat. Murphy gets story credit under the pseudonym Fred Braughton.

40/100