To complement Stuber, I chose another violent comedic movie about a cop and a non-cop of different races partnering up to nab a cop-killer. It’s terrific!
I feel like 48 Hours deoesn’t get discussed much anymore. I read about it in that All-Time Favorite Movies book the year after Another 48 Hours came out and flopped. Maybe that was part of the problem – they waited eight years for a sequel, that turned out to be a dud, and it killed any hopes for a franchise.
Still, the original film did great, making $79 million off of a budget of merely $12 million and drawing strong critical praise as well. It also put Eddie Murphy on the map. Before Beverly Hils Cop became one of the 10 highest grossing movies that had ever been made at the time, 48 Hours first showed how much the young Saturday Night Live star could shine on the big screen.
Nick Nolte stars as a veteran cop named Jack Cates (the guy was already played grizzled old dudes almost 40 years ago, LOL) who needs help finding the criminal who killed other cops using a gun stolen from Nolte’s character. He asks Murphy’s character Reggie Hammond, a member of the killer’s gang who’s currently serving time, but Reggie says he needs to be out of prison during the investigation in order to help. Made me wonder what was in it for Reggie otherwise but I suppose Jack felt it was something Reggie had to do just because Jack said so, what with Jack being a cop and Reggie a lowly felon. Also, with Jack being white and Reggie being black.
It’s made overtly clear many times what a racist Jack is. Not only does he make bigoted comments at Reggie repeatedly, he actually seems to enjoy treating him as subhuman even though Reggie wrongs him in no way. Yet what I truly loved about this movie is that neither character is reduced to a caricature. Jack is a gruff, hard-nosed man in general. He’s unable to form a real bond with his lover (Annette O’Toole) and he’s fine with disregarding the rules of the department if it means nabbing bad guys, as doing so is all that keeps him going in life. Reggie, meanwhile, doesn’t pontificate at all about the systemic racism that’s allowed Jack the position of power he’s in over him or so much as mention any disadvantages he’s had in life. He’s not even trying to help black people in general; he’s just trying to improve his personal situation however possible. Reggie seeks to win Jack’s favor, not because he cares about any validation but because that happens to be the man in charge of him during his 48 hours of freedom.
Jack does get won over by Reggie, not because he has a he has a heart of gold underneath the tough exterior but because Reggie provides unexpectedly valuable help with the case. Reggie benefits from this time, not because he commits to turning his life around but because he gets access to money and, ahem, pussy.
On that note, as much of a feminist as I’ve been praised for being, I can’t help but like how this film is from an old-school era where not only could you count on an R-rated movie having nudity but you could count in it being provided by a beautiful woman 🙂
There’s more to it than that though. The film just has a grittiness I feel like you don’t see much in major studio releases anymore, as we really feel like we’re in the San Francisco underbelly pursuing these violent criminals. Hats off to the director, editor, sound team, etc.! Also to the screenwriters, as the brutal tension is deftly peppered with jokes provided by Jack’s caustic personality and Reggie’s goofy personality.
Ha ha, speaking of brutality though, I realized one other thing this movie has in common with Stuber is that a key bonding moment between the two main characters happens when they get into a vicious fight with each other. However, this one doesn’t utilize merchandise in a sporting goods store. 😉
Anyway, wonderful relic of a film. Highly recommended.
Agree? Disagree? Feel free to comment.
Bottom line: Strong piece of work.
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