They’ll Never Make This One Again (And Probably Shouldn’t)

48 Hours (1982) – After a criminal steals his gun, a San Francisco police detective pulls a convict out of prison to help him track the fugitive down. With nothing in common except mutual dislike, the two have to form some kind of partnership to achieve what they need.

Directed by Walter Hill

Starring Nick Nolte, Eddie Murphy, Annette O’Toole, David Patrick Kelly

Why I Liked It – Chemistry between Nolte and Murphy is special.

I hear a lot of talk these days about movies “that you couldn’t make today”. “Blazing Saddles” is the most common title, but I’m not sure I agree. The absolute over the top parody of the iconic Mel Brooks movie might move it through the process still.

“48 Hours”…

One of the two main characters is a racist, violent, doesn’t-give-a-sh^t-about-the-rules cop. Back in 1982, you could still make a hero out of Jack Cates. In today’s environment, we’ve seen too much of the dark side of guys like him. Murphy’s role as Reggie Hammond isn’t much better. He treats women as sexual objects at all times. Yes, he’s been in prison for a while, but it’s clear that he’s always treated women as toys for his enjoyment. This movie doesn’t get made again, as is.

Which, given the positives in the rest of the movie, is too bad. Because the rest of this movie is so good.

This movie restarted Nick Nolte’s career and launched Eddie Murphy into stardom. Murphy had been on Saturday Night Live for only two years. While known, but Murphy was not a star. Nolte had a couple of roles that looked like he was taking off, but it had fizzled a bit. Together, they found a vehicle that was perfect for them both. Nolte’s gruff, gravel voiced cynic plays nicely against Murphy’s more polished but equally cynical con. If Nolte’s autobiography (“Nick Nolte: No Exit”) they improvised most of their dialogue during shooting. The result is a natural flow between them. Slowly, a grudging respect develops as they pursue their mutual enemy. That chemistry is fun to watch. In later movies, I’ve always felt that Eddie came to rely too much on the over-the-top aspects in his screen personas. The big braying laugh, the forced delivery style to emphasize his skepticism. He is restrained here. I found that refreshing.

On top of that is a solid cast of character actors. Never underestimate the value that a great supporting cast can offer. Director Walter Hill offers his own chops to the quality here, too. All of which culminates in the climactic scene when Cates and Hammond corner the bad guy Ganz (James Remar). It’s a simultaneous moment of classic western and Japanese anime. Cates in silhouette, lit by the neon lights of stores in Chinatown. When I first saw this movie back in ’82, I was not a sophisticated enough movie fan to appreciate the beauty of that moment in the movie. It stunned me this time around.

So, here’s the deal- “48 Hours” has several core elements that have not aged well. In the larger sense, that’s a good thing. But there’s enough here that if you can sidestep the piles of cultural dog sh^t that make up a central part of the main characters, there’s still some enjoyment to be had.

Streaming “48 Hours” is easy! You’ll find it on Pluto TV, fubo TV, Amazon Prime, Paramount+, Hulu, Sling TV, CBS TVE, and YouTube TV.

Rating – *** Worth A Look