48 Hrs. – Review

After a convict Albert Ganz (Remar) makes a daring escape with the help of a buddy, they make a play for some old job monies still on the street. As police track the criminals, rugged cop Jack Cates (Nolte) is pulled into the chase.

This series of events leads to tense shootouts and more bloodshed. As police look for new avenues in bringing down the killer outlaws on the run, Jack looks into the files and for leads. One of the dead bodies left in the escapees’ wake had a connection to a current inmate Reggie Hammond (Murphy).

Cates springs Hammond for a two-day stint to help capture Ganz. Their personalities grate against one another with Jack too serious for his own good, and Hammond never serious enough. Will the duo find a way to get the dangerous criminals, or will they hate each other so much that they kill each other first?

An action movie of the early 80s, 48 Hrs. is a mostly serious affair, however it is lightened by some witty and slick Murphy comedy and good chemistry between the leads. Overall, it winds up as an okay and offbeat buddy comedy, still worth the short runtime today despite presenting many usual tropes.

Nolte plays the grumbly cop naturally, and Murphy is always energetic. The writing and the story are both solid, and Walter Hill is usually dependable for quality direction. The sequel Another 48 Hrs. is okay, and continues the story of a few of the characters. Check it out if you can’t get enough of this duo with the caveat that it is not as strong as the first one.