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

According to Eddie Murphy, he was almost fired for not being funny. He said he was not made aware of this until after the movie had wrapped.

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Goofs

When Billy Bear is driving the truck in the opening scene the license plate is barely attached. When we see the truck moments later, it is attached securely.

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Quotes

Jack: Is Luther part of the gang?
Reggie: What gang you talkin' 'bout, Jack?
Jack: Hey, I can read a police file, shit-head. Quit calling me Jack.
Reggie: It's just an expression, all right? I don't mean nothin' by it.
Jack: I don't give a damn. It happens to be my name.
Reggie: What the hell you complainin' for? At least nobody callin' you shit-head.
Jack: I may call YOU worse than THAT.

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Connections

Referenced in East Meets West: 'Red Heat' and the Kings of Carolco (2004)

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Soundtracks

"ROXANNE"
By Sting (as S. Sting)

User Reviews

Pretty entertaining thanks to great performances from the two leads...

It's the chemistry between Nolte and Murphy that makes this work, plus the fact that both men really attempt to 'get into the skin' of their character, something mostly ignored in other examples of this genre. Director Hill knows he's got a great team in front of the camera, and all that remains is for him to incorporate some spectacular action sequences around them. This he does competently. That one-two punch is what gives the movie its fireworks.

The banter and situations concerning the characters are also gleefully un-PC. It'd be interesting to see what a studio and director would make of the same premise in these 'enlightened' times. Murphy's comic stage persona is less restrained here than it would be in later films, and the results are often shamefully funny.

Don't expect Shakespeare, there's far too much cursing and other unsavoury shenanigans going on for that; do expect a pacy and entertaining early example of the 'buddy thriller'.