48 Hrs. (1982)

A hard-nosed cop reluctantly teams up with a wise-cracking criminal temporarily paroled to him, in order to track down a killer.

Director:

Walter Hill

Writers:

Roger Spottiswoode, Walter Hill,

Stars:

Nick Nolte, Eddie Murphy, Annette O'Toole

Nominated for 1 Golden Globe. Another 2 wins & 1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Nick Nolte	...	Jack Cates
Eddie Murphy	...	Reggie Hammond
Annette O'Toole	...	Elaine
Frank McRae	...	Haden
James Remar	...	Albert Ganz
David Patrick Kelly	...	Luther
Sonny Landham	...	Billy Bear
Brion James	...	Ben Kehoe
Kerry Sherman	...	Rosalie, Hostage Girl
Jonathan Banks	...	Algren
James Keane	...	Vanzant
Tara King	...	Frizzy, Hotel Desk Clerk
Greta Blackburn	...	Lisa, Blonde Hooker
Margot Rose	...	Casey
Denise Crosby	...	Sally

Storyline

Oddball cop and tough guy, Jack Cates is the only survivor of a cop shooting and in hunting down the murderer collects Reggie Hammond from jail for 48 hours. Hammond is oddly motivated to help. The killer is searching for his stash of cash. Cates and Hammond who have the Black-white, cop-crook thing to work out make surprisingly good partners as they navigate through the city looking for their suspect.

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Plot Keywords:

gun | alcoholic | convict | tough guy | revenge | 

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Taglines:

When a tough cop has a cool convict as a partner and 48 hrs to catch a killer, a lot of funny things can happen in . . . 48 HRS. [Australia Theatrical]

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Genres:

Action | Comedy | Crime | Drama | Thriller

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Certificate:

R

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

8 December 1982 (USA)

Also Known As:

48 Horas

Filming Locations:

California, USA

Box Office

Gross:

$75,900,000 (USA)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Paramount Pictures, Lawrence Gordon Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

96 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Jeff Bridges turned down the role of 'Jack Cates', as he didn't want to be in a cop-movie. He later worked with director Hill in _Wild Bill (1994)_. Clint Eastwood also turned down the role of Cates, because he wanted to play the convict.

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Goofs

When Reggie takes the knife from the redneck, he closes it and places it on the bar with his right hand before breaking the glasses and being told where Billy Bear's girlfriend lives. When he turns around and talks to the people in the club, the knife is clearly still on the bar. He then walks out to the street where he takes it from his back left pocket and gives it to Cates.

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Quotes

Reggie: You gonna write my life story?
Jack: Not likely, Reggie. Tell me who this is.
[shows Reggie a photo of a guy with a bullet in his head]
Reggie: That's Henry Wong, old friend of mine. He's looked BETTER. Look, man. I been in this goddamn cell for two and a half years and I'm getting out in six months. I ain't doing nothing to fuck myself up. But if you came here to find out something from me: You've come to the wrong person, 'Cause I don't FUCK my old friends over, man!
Jack: That's too bad, Reggie. I thought maybe ...
[...]

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Connections

Features Space Kid (1966)

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Soundtracks

"ROXANNE"
By Sting (as S. Sting)

User Reviews

The best of the buddy pics; Murphy's debut is one of the best in film

48HRS. (1982) *** Nick Nolte, Eddie Murphy, James Remar, David Patrick Kelly, Sonny Landham, Frank McRae, Brion James. One of the best `buddy' action films of all time: Nolte is in rare form as perpetually growling, angry heavy – drinking San Francisco cop Jack Gates who has his hands full when a crazed cop-killing escaped con and his partner go on a rampage with his only resort being motormouthed, street smart Reggie Hammond (Murphy in his scene-stealing big screen debut that made him an overnight sensation in addition to lighting the fuse while the star of `Saturday Night Live') who coincidentally is serving a sentence for being one of the maniac's former crew members on their last gig together (a cache of money only Reggie knows where is hidden). With only 48 hours on leave from the joint the odd couple are forced to help each other overcoming their own racism, violent means and genuine opposites attract mojo working in overdrive. High octane action directed sleekly by Walter Hill and the unexpurgated energetic glee Murphy exudes kicks the film into overdrive. Look for The Busboys (Eddie's fave band) providing the ironic cover of `The Boys Are Back in Town' and for trivia buffs, that's Olivia Brown as the object of Eddie's libido, who would go on to co-star in tv's `Miami Vice' and indie star Chris Mulkey in a bit part as a uniformed cop.