48 Hrs. (1982)

I picked this not so much for promising entertainment as for a lesson in influence. People credit it with launching the buddy cop subgenre, despite only one member of the duo being a cop. It inspired one of the leads in Miami Vice and left its direct fingerprints on Last Action Hero and even Zootopia.

Officer Jack Cates (Nick Nolte) of San Francisco is determined to catch prison-breaking Albert Ganz (James Remar) and accomplice Billy Bear (Sonny Landham), especially after they make off with Jack's pistol. Not knowing where to look for them, Jack requests the guidance of convict Reggie Hammond (Eddie Murphy in his big-screen debut), who used to work with the others but now has a bone to pick with them. Reggie agrees only on the condition that he can come along. Jack gets him a pass for the titular duration, hoping Reggie doesn't get away for good but mostly hoping the others don't.

To be clear, Albert and Billy are murderers and hostage takers, but Reggie appears to have done nothing worse than armed robbery. The crimes he attempts during his, shall we say, working vacation are nothing so bold. We could almost root for him to escape.

For most of the movie, Jack and Reggie have rather acidic interactions. Jack in particular doesn't shy away from openly racist remarks. Others deliver slurs against Billy's Indian heritage. If this kind of talk offends you greatly, you may have a tough time enjoying the picture.

Even in the end, it would be a stretch to call Jack and Reggie friends. It's more that they've learned to put up with and are willing to do favors for one another. This enabled a sequel, but I wouldn't call it heartwarming.

Frankly, if not for the casting of Murphy, I wouldn't think to label this movie a comedy. All those foul-mouthed, sardonic lines rarely came close to tickling me, and the filmmakers rightly worried that the violence would counteract the humor. Jack's pretty unprofessional and finds many co-workers worse still, but they're not played for laughs. Even Reggie's cop impersonation in a hick bar, which makes for an exaggerated scene, could easily be dismissed as just a little lighter than a typical action flick moment.

And how is it for action? Pretty packed for the time, but low on innovation. The moments of resolution are predictable to the point of dullness. I noticed that quite a few of the people involved, including writer-director Walter Hill, had previously made The Warriors, which, for all its fun, is similarly anticlimactic.

I'm afraid 48H is neither the next TW nor the first Beverly Hills Cop. Everyone here had done and/or would go on to do better. At least I achieved my goal of information.