48 Hrs.

Walter Hill practically created the contemporary buddy action movie with this 1982 blockbuster combining larger-than-life personalities, a rollicking sense of humor, and gritty action. Nick Nolte plays maverick detective Jack Cates, and Eddie Murphy (in a stellar big-screen debut) is wise-guy criminal Reggie Hammond. Their shaky partnership is launched when Cates secures Hammond's 48-hour release from prison—where he's serving a sentence for theft—to help track down one of the con's former associates, a truly dangerous bad-guy cop-killer named Albert Ganz (James Remar). With its nocturnal urban setting and punchy rhythmic score by James Horner, 48 Hrs. is a precursor to the neon noir of the '80s, but with Hill's distinctive sensibility: a knowing mix of pulp style and sleek visuals. But for all the shoot-outs and breathless foot-chases—not to mention the careening metal-on-metal, car-versus-bus finale—it's really the chemistry of the casting that made the film work then and now. Unfortunately, this new Blu-ray release is a disappointment technically, with washed-out colors and muddy, noisy black levels—not much of an upgrade from the old DVD release. Optional. (S. Axmaker)