48 Hrs.

Director: Walter Hill Walter Hill

Overview

A variation on the "buddy-cop" hybridized genre, 48 HRS. greatly bolstered the career of Nick Nolte and made comedian Eddie Murphy a bonafide box-office sensation. When a pair of reckless cop-killers break out of prison, grizzled detective Jack Cates (Nolte) is left no alternative but to spring fast-talking hustler Reggie Hammond (Murphy) from the penitentiary in order to find the criminals. The catch: the pair only have 48 hours to complete their assignment before Hammond must return to prison. Naturally, the two despise each other and even engage in fisticuffs, but eventually the danger facing them proves a strong enough common bond for them to play on the same team, and even achieve a little mutual admiration.

Product Details

Release Date:	12/06/2022
UPC:	0191329236291
Original Release:	1982
Rating:	R
Source:	Paramount
Format:	Blu-ray
Sales rank:	2,834

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits

Nick Nolte	Jack Cates
Eddie Murphy	Reggie Hammond
Annette O'Toole	Elaine
Frank McRae	Haden
James Remar	Ganz
David Patrick Kelly	Luther
Sonny Landham	Billy Bear
Brion James	Kehoe
Kerry Sherman	Rosalie
Jonathan Banks	Algren
James Keane	Vanzant
Greta Blackburn	Lisa
Margot Rose	Casey
Denise Crosby	Sally
Olivia Brown	Candy
Todd Allen	Young Cop
R.D. Call	Duty Sergeant
Loyd Catlett	Actor
Luis Contreras	Actor
Bill Cross	Actor
Reid Cruickshanks	Prison Guard
Nick Dimitri	Actor
Bennie E. Dobbins	Actor
Ned Dowd	Big Cop
B.G. Fisher	Actor
Gloria E. Gifford	Hooker
Jim Haynie	Old Cop
Judith Holstra	Actor
Peter Jason	Cowboy Bartender
John Dennis Johnston	Actor
Tara King	Frizzy
Matt Landers	Bob
Jack Lightsy	Actor
Sandy Martin	Policewoman
Chris Mulkey	Cops
Clare Nono	Ruth
Gary Pettinger	Actor
Begonia Plaza	Indian Hooker
Ola Ray	Actor
Angela Louise Robinson	Actor
Walter Scott	Actor
Clint Smith	Leroy
Jack Thibeau	Detective
Brenda Venus	Actor
Rock Walker	Actor
W.T. Zacha	Road Gang Guard
Jon St. Elwood	Plainclothesman
Bill Dearth	Thin Cop

Technical Credits

Walter Hill

Steven E. de Souza

Christopher de Vore

Larry Gross

Roger Spottiswoode

Walter Hill	Director,Screenwriter
Glenn E. Anderson	Sound/Sound Designer
D. Constantine Conte	Executive Producer
Freeman Davies	Editor
Steven E. de Souza	Screenwriter
Christopher de Vore	Screenwriter
Richard C. Goddard	Set Decoration/Design
Lawrence Gordon	Producer
Larry Gross	Screenwriter
James Horner	Score Composer
Gene Levy	Production Designer
Joel Silver	Producer
Roger Spottiswoode	Screenwriter
John Vallone	Production Designer
Marilyn Vance	Costumes/Costume Designer
Ric Waite	Cinematographer
Mark Warner	Editor
Billy Weber	Editor

Editorial Reviews

While this dark, often violent, and hilarious film from director Walter Hill will always be remembered as the one that launched Eddie Murphy's movie career, it may be even more significant as the prototype for visceral, R-rated buddy comedies. After a hair-raising opening shoot-out scene that leaves two cops dead, Hill sets his oddball pairing off and running. In order to track down the shooters, grizzled detective Jack Cates (Nick Nolte) springs their ex-partner from prison on a 48-hour pass. The wisecracking con, Reggie Hammond (Murphy), is less than enthused about the assignment, and Nolte and Murphy's razor-edged verbal (and physical) friction during the investigation quickly becomes the picture's centerpiece. Murphy's angry glower, street-smart swagger, and machine-gun delivery -- witness the now-legendary redneck bar scene -- is undeniably some of his most effective screen work. Still, it is the strategically fleshed-out juxtaposition of Nolte and Murphy’s characters that gives their improbable partnership its explosive comedic punch. Of all the cop-buddy shoot-'em-ups that have followed, such as the various Lethal Weapon and Rush Hour films, none has so effectively bottled the spark that Hill managed to capture between his two leads in this definitive action/comedy.

Barnes & Noble - Matthew Grimm

We've all seen plenty of buddy movies in which our two heroes first hate each other before somehow finding mutual respect -- not to mention the time to blow up stuff. But clichés have to start somewhere, and 48 Hrs. set the trend for more than a decade's worth of copycat buddy movies. Murphy, who was still a cast member on Saturday Night Live when he made his screen debut, is on fire from the first moment we see him, belting out an off-key "Roxanne."" Murphy displays the kinetic combination of action and humor that would become his trademark. And no one can play the hard-boiled cop like the splendidly raspy Nolte. Their chemistry and Murphy's spontaneity carry the film. In fact, 48 Hrs. is worth watching just for a scene in which Murphy is let loose in a redneck watering hole armed with nothing but a badge, a smile, and a whole lot of attitude. Director Walter Hill's exciting action sequences deserve a lot of credit for lifting this film above the usual fare, as do screenwriters Roger Spottiswoode and Walter Hill's one-liners. It's not perfect, and some clichés get tiring, even here -- why can't the bad guys ever shoot as well as the good guys? But if you've got a few hrs. to spare, 48 Hrs. is a great way to use them.

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