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48 Hrs. Movie Review

48 Hrs. is a 1982 buddy cop action comedy film directed by Walter Hill and starring Eddie Murphy and Nick Nolte. It has a weak plot, but solid characterization and humor.

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“I’ve been in prison for three years.

My dick gets hard if the wind blows“

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Reggie, a street-smart robber, is tasked to help nab his former partners. Jack Cates, a tough cop, and Reggie hate each other but form a special bond as they chase the three criminals. This is a standard buddy cop formula and the movie was a prototype as one of the first of this often emulated type of movie targeted toward male audiences in particular. It works, but quite often it was boring to watch.

My main issue here was the plot. The premise itself was fine, but the villains felt one-note to me and the crime elements were uninspired. None of it was particularly interesting to watch with all supporting characters being a total waste. The shootouts were dull and only the fist fights between the two leads were quite fun.

That leads me to the one great thing about this film and that is the relationship between Reggie and Jack. Reggie is smart and very suave while Jack is crass and tough. The two have an instantly memorable dynamic that is infectiously fun and even charming in certain moments. Their bickering was very entertaining while some of their arguments produced a bunch of very memorable one-liners.

This was the movie that put Eddie Murphy on the map and he is terrific. He steals the show from everybody else, even Nick Nolte who is solid and charismatic himself, but it is Murphy who shines through with his bravado attitude, excellent line delivery and a great smile. Whenever the movie focused on him, it was a blast, which is why the first third or so was quite forgettable.

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48 Hrs. is well shot and also very well scored. Some of the music is annoying, but most of it utilized black culture quite well into the proceedings. The movie was literally a 70s picture with an 80s style of humor, which was an interesting, but messy mix. It’s overrated, but at least it’s solid and much better than I’d expected it would be.