48 Hrs.

Director: Walter Hill

1982 / 96min / DCP

48 Hrs. is, understandably, usually remembered for giving Eddie Murphy a star-making role in his screen debut as hipster convict Reggie Hammond, but Hill’s buddy action movie is a duet at heart, and part of what makes Murphy’s flashy performance shine is the work put in by Nolte as his rumpled, permanently hungover “partner” by circumstance, a crusty SFPD Inspector who springs Hammond from the stir on a 48-hour release to track down a cop killer. Everyone’s trying something new here—Hill and Nolte working in comedy, Murphy giving a fully fleshed-out dramatic performance—and the risks pay off in spades.