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	...	Ganz
David Patrick Kelly	...	Luther
Sonny Landham	...	Billy Bear
Brion James	...	Kehoe
Kerry Sherman	...	Rosalie
Jonathan Banks	...	Algren
James Keane	...	Vanzant
Tara King	...	Frizzy
Greta Blackburn	...	Lisa
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:

cop | partner | revenge | bar fight | action violence | 

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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

Did You Know?

Trivia

Included among the American Film Institute's 2001 list of 400 movies nominated for the top 100 Most Heart-Pounding American Movies.

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Goofs

When listing the soundtrack in the closing credits, the song Roxanne is credited as written by S. Sting, rather than Sting.

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Quotes

Reggie: Jack... Tell me a story.
Jack: Fuck you!
Reggie: Oh, that's one of my favorites.

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Alternate Versions

The Swedish version was cut by 3 1/2 min by the censors. The shootout at the hotel (and some violence to some women) was shortened by almost 2 min, the beating of Luther was omitted by 24 sec, the fist fight between Cates and Hammond was missing 57 sec of violence. The gundown of Ganz was also removed.

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Connections

Referenced in Bad Movie Beatdown: Pluto Nash (2009)

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Soundtracks

NEW SHOES
By Brian O'Neal
Performed by The Bus Boys (as The Busboys)
Courtesy of Arista Records, Inc.

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.

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

8 December 1982 (USA)

Also Known As:

Forty Eight Hours

Filming Locations:

Pacific Mutual Carriage House, 544-570 S Grand Ave, Los Angeles, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$12,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$4,369,868, 12 December 1982

Gross USA:

$78,868,508

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$78,868,508

Company Credits

Production Co:

Paramount Pictures, Lawrence Gordon Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

96 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Stereo (4 channels)

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1