48 Hrs. (1982) Paramount/Action-Comedy RT: 96 minutes Rated R (lots of profanity, strong graphic violence, nudity, sexual content, racial epithets, alcohol abuse) Director: Walter Hill Screenplay: Walter Hill, Larry Gross, Roger Spottiswoode and Steven E. de Souza Music: James Horner Cinematography: Ric Waite Release date: December 8, 1982 (US) Cast: Nick Nolte, Eddie Murphy, Annette O’Toole, James Remar, Sonny Landham, Frank McRae, David Patrick Kelly, Brion James, Kerry Sherman, Jonathan Banks, James Keane, Margot Rose, Denise Crosby, Peter Jason, Chris Mulkey, John Dennis Johnston. Box Office: $78.8M (US)
Rating: ****
Talk about instant stardom, Eddie Murphy’s first role in a feature film catapulted him to stardom almost overnight. Like several other popular comedy actors (Chevy Chase, Bill Murray and John Belushi to name a few), Murphy got his start on the late night comedy-sketch show Saturday Night Live. In a role that was initially offered to Richard Pryor, Gregory Hines, Denzel Washington and Howard E. Rollins Jr., Murphy shows that he is a gifted comedy actor.
In 48 Hrs, he plays Reggie Hammond, a convict who gets a 48-hour release to help alcoholic, racist cop Jack Cates (Nolte, Extreme Prejudice) hunt down psychotic escaped prisoner Albert Ganz (Remar, The Warriors) and his accomplice Billy Bear (Landham, Predator). Cates hates the idea of taking a convict along to assist in the investigation, but it’s his only hope in catching Ganz who is a very dangerous and deranged criminal.
It turns out that Ganz is killing the people who participated in the robbery of a drug dealer, the very act that landed him in prison. He wants the money they stole for himself. Hammond, who took part in the crime, wants to get his hands on it too. He has the edge over Ganz because he knows where it’s hidden. Unfortunately, so does Luther (Kelly, The Warriors) whose girlfriend is being held hostage until he delivers the money. Luther is also unhinged; he fires a gun at Cates when he arrives at his apartment to question him.
As you would expect, Jack and Reggie hate each other at first. Jack hates Reggie’s wise-ass attitude; Reggie doesn’t like all the racial slurs that Cates throws his way. This makes for some great chemistry between the two actors as they exchange insults and punches throughout the movie. Okay, we all know what 48 Hrs is about. Just hearing the general plot synopsis, you would think that it’s just a routine cop flick. That’s one thing it isn’t!
Once Murphy enters the picture, the fun really begins. Hearing him sing “Roxanne” while sitting in a recliner in his jail cell tells you immediately he’s going to add something special to the movie. But the real clincher is the scene where he rousts a bar full of rednecks, posing as a cop so he can get information about Billy Bear. That scene is one of the all-time classic comedy scenes. At this point, we realize a true movie star has been born. Hammond is the type of character who can bluff his way through any situation with just an attitude and a smile. Only Jack isn’t having any of it, he sees Hammond as a royal pain in the ass and a scumbag. He also uses many racial slurs, none of which I’ll repeat here. As expected, the two men grow to tolerate, respect and ultimately like each other. 48 Hrs. is one of the funniest cop movies ever made.
48 Hrs. doesn’t skimp on the action and violence either. This is a very violent movie. When somebody gets shot, blood spurts. Ganz is absolutely vicious; he’s somebody that anybody with even a fraction of a brain would be scared of. Billy Bear isn’t much different; he may not say much but he will kill somebody at the drop of a hat. The opening scene, when Billy breaks Ganz out of jail, is a great sequence. It sets a particular mood, but then Walter Hill makes a bold move and introduces comedy into the mix. Hill is an amazing action director. His accomplishments include The Warriors (1979), The Long Riders (1980), Streets of Fire (1984) and Extreme Prejudice (1987). The man has a real gift for showing bloody violence and with 48 Hrs., he shows he has a gift for comedy as well. It’s one of those rare hybrids that successfully combine great action sequences with moments of total hilarity.
It should be noted that 48 Hrs. is set in San Francisco, the same place where Bullitt (1968) and the Dirty Harry movies took place. Doesn’t this town have enough problems with maverick law enforcement officials without Cates and Hammond tearing up the place? At one point, they get involved in a chase/shoot-out with a stolen bus. It’s a fun and exciting sequence.
The score by James Horner, who scored Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan earlier the same year, is a perfect fit. Not since Lalo Schifrin’s jazzy, gritty themes for the Dirty Harry movies has a score played such an integral role in getting the audience roused and excited by the action on screen. I love how it builds up in sync with the action. It stars off with the steady, rhythmic sound of percussion and steel drums and gradually becomes tighter with the addition of brass and bass. Three songs, “Downtown”, “New Shoes” and (the movie’s theme song) “The Boys Are Back in Town”, are provided by R&B group The BusBoys. Ric Waite’s hazy cinematography is also an asset. You can feel the heat and haze of California days which are replaced by the nighttime neon grime of Chinatown and Fillmore.
Nolte and Murphy are a winning pair. I’d even go so far as to say they’re one of the greatest team-ups of all time. It’s the same kind of magic as Mel Gibson and Danny Glover in the Lethal Weapon series. Annette O’Toole (Cat People) plays Jack’s girlfriend Elaine. Her role is fairly small, most of the time you just see her having phone conversations with Jack. That pretty much defines their relationship. Jack thinks more about the job he hates than the woman he supposedly loves. Frank McRae (Used Cars) is terrific as Cates’ boss who’s always bellowing at him about his methods. It may be a cliched character, but he’s still pretty damn funny. Remar, Landham and Kelly have always been at the top of my favorite character actors list and they do their thing here extremely well here.
There’s no two ways about it, if you like action-comedies, you should definitely see 48 Hrs. (if you haven’t already). It’s not only the template for many of the action-comedy buddy movies of the 80s and 90s; it’s also one of the best.
