48 Hrs. (1982)

Overrated

Fantastic!

The thing I enjoyed most about the film is the fact that it doesn't shy away from being a super-sized-cliche;

This is one of the best movies I’ve seen in a very long time. You have to go and see this on the big screen.

Hard-nosed cop Jack Cates (Nick Nolte) finds himself being forced to ask convict Reggie Hammond (Eddie Murphy) for his help in tracking down two violent cop killers. Cates has Hammond on loan to him for 48 hours so it's very much a race against time to track down these murderous punks....48 Hours was the film that kick started Eddie Murphy's acting career and made him one of the most bankable stars of the 1980's. Watching his performance in this film it's very easy to see why; Murphy just had so much energy and was just so much fun to watch that often I could find myself forgiving some of the weaker areas in many of his films. I still liked Murphy in this film and thought he was fun to watch but...I didn't think that much of the story to be honest; it's a rather weak and unfocused affair; the baddies are in the film at the start and then disappear for an hour and then they only show up towards the end to wrap the film up. In the early stages this is OK because it allows for Murphy and Nolte to trade insults and kick off with each other. Like I say this is fun at first, but in mismatched buddy films the characters hatred for one another should form part of the story rather than engulfing the film and sadly the latter aspect is what occurs here. The story has no real depth, the baddies have no development and sadly that means that we're left with nearly 90 minutes of Murphy and Nolte trading insults - like I say it's fun at first, but wears thin.The directing here is also a bit hit-and-miss as well; the film wasn't as action packed as I was expecting and coupled with the rather weak and undeveloped story this was never as good as it could have been. The true selling point here lies with Nolte and Murphy who were both very good and played off one another very well.48 Hours isn't a terrible film by any means and the chemistry between Murphy and Nolte was pretty good. Unfortunately, the director put too much focus on them and not enough focus on anything else. This results in a film that is fun for a while, but does get a little repetitive and tiresome from time to time.

I regard 48 Hrs as an action adventure with a comedic debut performance by the then 21 years old, Eddie Murphy.Hard nosed, hard drinking cop Jack Cates (Nick Nolte) pulls a convicted bank robber Reggie Hammond (Eddie Murphy) from prison on a forged 48 hours pass to help him capture Hammond's old partner, Albert Ganz (James Remar) who killed Cates fellow cop.Ganz himself escaped from prison with the help of native, Billy Bear and both go on a killing rampage as they look for the half a million dollars that went missing after one of their robberies.Reggie knows where the money is but wants to stay one step ahead of Cates. Both distrust each other but need to work together to catch Ganz.Walter Hill made a tough thriller with plenty of violence and cursing but imbued it with the humour of Murphy fresh from Saturday Night Live. Without his presence this would just be a forgotten police action film from the 1980s. He owns that scene when he pretends to be a cop at a country & western dive bar as he shakes down the patron.Murphy elevates the film with the help of some off beat support by Remar and David Patrick Kelly. Nolte plays off well with the street smart, lean and hungry Murphy as the gruff cop who drinks too much and is too flabby.In the sequel, Another 48 Hours, eight years later it was Murphy who would be flabby and out of shape going against a leaner, meaner Nolte.

"48 HRS." (1982) is a crime thriller starring Nick Nolte as a tough guy/alcoholic cop in San Francisco who survives a fracas where two officers are killed. To apprehend the culprits (James Remar & Sonny Landham) he enlists the services of a convict (Eddie Murphy) for 48 hours. Annette O'Toole plays the cop's barely-seen babe and is therefore neglected.The film was directed by Walter Hill, the director and co-writer of 1979's "The Warriors," and so it has some of the flair of that movie, as well as two of its main actors (Remar and David Patrick Kelly). It's easy to confuse it with "Beverly Hills Cop," which came out two years later, since they're both cop thrillers starring Eddie Murphy, but "Beverly Hills Cop" is the superior film IMHO. Of course, it depends on what you're in the mood for. "48 HRS" is more serious, brutal and edgy while "BHC" is lighter and more likable. The latter could be described as part comedy (although mostly serious) whereas the former is rough and nigh profane with amusing touches. "BHC" is just more palatable and has better themes in my opinion. The streetwise edginess of "48 HRS" is too over-the-top comic booky and it's a turn-off. Nonetheless, it's a quality cop thriller and the character ark of the main characters is good, albeit predictable.The film runs 96 minutes and was shot in San Francisco and Los Angeles, California.GRADE: B-

Police officer Jack Cates is the only survivor of a cop shooting and to help hunt down the killers collects Reggie Hammond from jail for 48 hours. Hammond is oddly motivated to help as the killer is searching for his stash of cash. Cates and Hammond who have several differences of opinions to work out make surprisingly good partners as they navigate through the city looking for their suspect.....Sadly,this is another one of those movies that has Took me a very long time to see, and I think because of the advent of several movies relying on the buddy/cop sub-genre, this movie has lost a lot in translation to me.Its a simple premise given a little twist, grizzly cop paired up with a big mouthed, cocky prisoner, who has personal issues with the killers.And in found when watching this,just how uncomfortable Murphy looks in his debut, and the biggest problem? He's just not funny, and the humour consists of either derogatory jokes about women, or just downright racist abhorrence.It may have been just acceptable back in 1982, but now its tiresome stuff, and it just feels like a cheap shot for even cheaper laughs.Nolte is perfectly fine as the by the numbers cop, and as I've said before, Murphy looks uncomfortable, and doesn't have the swagger he has in his more successful films. And thanks to the score, if you close your eyes, you'd be forgiven if you think you were watching Commando, or vice versa.Hill is a competent director, and Silver an amazing producer, but it's just too bland, and honestly.........I prefer the sequel....