48. Hrs

Summary

“Jack…. tell me a story.”

Paramount Pictures in the last couple years has started releasing films on their Paramount Presents line which focuses on looking through the vaults of Paramount and releasing (or re-releasing) notable films with new transfers from 4K scans. I was extremely excited when I saw that the two Walter Hill directed action films 48 Hrs. and Another 48 Hrs. were getting new releases. The first 48 Hrs. was a sensational success upon its release. In one fell swoop it established Eddie Murphy as a bankable star outside of SNL, and also created the buddy cop template that would be used in films ranging from Lethal Weapon to The Last Boy Scout. I had not watched the film in about twenty years and was happy to revisit it last night.

As the film begins, men work in a chain gang outside in the heat. Sunglass wearing shotgun-toting guards watch the prisoners. A blue truck approaches the group. A tall strong Native American man (Sonny Landham) exits the truck and asks the officers if he can borrow some water to cool down his engine. A convict named Ganz (James Remar) begins to taunt the man and calls him Tonto. As they begin to fight and wrestle, they draw concealed guns from Tonto’s pockets and shoot two of the guards. They escape in the truck. In San Francisco, Officer Jack Cates (Nick Nolte) awakens at his girlfriend’s place. He has commitment issues that have impacted their relationship. Across town Ganz orders some prostitutes to a hotel he has booked using a stolen credit card. Ganz also picks up his old accomplice Luther (David Patrick Kelly) and Luther’s girlfriend. Ganz wants Luther to give him the stolen cash that has been stored while he has been in prison. Luther explains that he can’t get Ganz the cash that he has stashed until Monday, so Ganz takes Luther’s girlfriend hostage for collateral. The card and car used by Ganz at the hotel is called in, so officers Algren (Jonathan Banks) and Vanzant arrive on the scene to investigate. Jack arrives on the scene as well and offers his assistance. The two officers relegate Jack to watching the lobby. When Algren and Vanzant go to the room where Ganz and Billy Bear are holed up with prostitutes and Luther’s girlfriend, Vanzant is killed and Algren is shot. In the lobby, Jack and Billy Bear have a Mexican standoff. Algren stumbles down the stairs and Billy Bear points his gun at him. Algren’s gun is empty. He pretty much knows he is a goner. Ganz explains that if Jack throws over his piece they will spare Algren’s life. Against Algren’s protestations, Jack throws over his gun. Ganz still kills the unarmed officer before making his escape. At the police station, Jack is under pressure from Chief Haden (Frank McRae) for supplying a convict with a murder weapon. Jack draws a connection from Ganz to a body of one of Ganz’s former associates. Looking at the case file, he sees that one former associate of Ganz is still in prison – a thief named Reggie Hammond (Eddie Murphy.) Reggie only has six months left in his sentence and is not willing to help Jack until Jack mentions that Ganz is out. Hearing that Ganz is out, Reggie says he can help Jack, but he can only help him if he is out on the street. Jack secures forty eight hours to work with Reggie to locate Ganz and bring him back in. Reggie has his own reasons to want to get Ganz.

Lawrence Gordon had produced many of Walter Hill’s early pictures, including the great The Warriors and The Driver, when he asked Walter Hill to revise a script. He teamed with Joel Silver to produce the film. 48 Hrs. was the first of many great buddy cop action films that Joel Silver would produce. He would later produce the Lethal Weapon series, which owes a lot to the template set up by 48 Hrs. The script was originally a little rough around the edges, but Walter Hill was able to help shape it into something special. Nick Nolte signed on for the lead role of Jack Cates, and when Eddie Murphy signed on to play Reggie, Walter Hill wisely played to their strengths. He informed Nolte that he would need to turn in an amazing performance, because Eddie was so green in terms of acting in any dramatic capacity. Nolte turned in an excellent performance as Jack and is said to have really helped Eddie along during the filming. Walter Hill wisely injected racial issues into the script, and the tension between the two characters makes for a special pairing. Nolte’s performance is essentially faultless, but Eddie Murphy’s turn as Reggie made him a star. All it takes to understand why Murphy would become one of the most bankable stars is watching the sequence in which Reggie and Jack enter a honkytonk themed bar. Murphy takes complete control of the sequence. After that scene, his career took off.

Nolte and Murphy were joined by a talented group of character actors in other roles. James Remar is great as the villain in the film. He infuses the role with the right amount of viciousness. Sonny Landham is memorable as the physically intimidating Billy Bear. David Patrick Kelly, Jonathan Banks, and Frank McRae all have good parts. Even character actor Brion James has a small role.

Walter Hill worked with cinematographer Ric Waite brilliantly on the film. The film, which takes place largely at night, is very colorful. The neon signs in Chinatown and other locales in San Francisco shine through and give the film a strong visual punch. The music by James Horner is fantastic and adds a lot to the film. Horner was a great composer and his work here is strong.

Sometimes a film comes together and basically every aspect of it just works. Lightning in a bottle. In the case of 48 Hrs., every single aspect works. I am thankful that Paramount has given the film a strong visual upgrade to the dated Blu-ray.

Video

The dated Blu-ray release from Paramount was always considered a little lacking visually. I am happy to report that the new transfer from a 4K scan by Paramount Pictures for their Paramount Presents label looks exceptional. As I watched the movie, the only thing that I kept debating was whether it was a perfect representation or a nearly perfect representation. As the score reflects, I ended up deciding that this is essentially as good as the film can look on the Blu-ray format until we eventually get a 4K UHD release of the film. Fine detail is very solid. Clarity is excellent with a nice layer of very fine grain over the picture lending a great filmic look. The cinematography by Ric Waite really thrives on the format – especially in the finale sequence that takes place in an alley in Chinatown. The film is colorful with an array of nighttime neon colors – green, pink, red – that pop more than ever before in this new presentation. Fans will be ecstatic to see the improvements made in this release.

Audio

Paramount Pictures have given this release a well produced Dolby TrueHD 5.1 track. I am not sure if this is the same track that appeared on the initial Blu-ray release, but I was more than pleased with how the track sounded. As can be expected from a nearly forty year old film, the track can not compete with some of the more robust tracks created now. That said, clarity is solid, and the surrounds are engaged frequently to bolster the excellent score by James Horner. Fans should be pleased.

Supplements:

• Filmmaker Focus: Director Walter Hill on 48 HRS. – Walter Hill is not typically in front of the camera to discuss his films in his career, typically allowing the films themselves to speak for him. I was happy to see that one of my favorite directors had taken the time for a new interview about one of his best pictures. Throughout the course of the interview (which was conducted over Zoom, but has been overlaid with numerous photos taken on set) he discusses numerous facets of the production and memories of numerous cast and crew members (too many of which have passed away – Ric Waite, James Horner, and more.) It’s a charming interview and well worth your time.
• Theatrical Trailer
• Space Kid—original 1966 animated short, which makes an appearance in the film

Overall Scores:

Video – 5/5

Audio – 4.5/5

Supplements – 3/5

Overall – 4.5/5

48 Hrs. is still a great action and buddy cop film. In many ways the film served as a template for all of the great buddy cop films that followed such as the Lethal Weapon series, but 48 Hrs. is a great standalone film with a unique framework that allows for the characters to explore issues regarding race in an intense and ultimately constructive way. The film managed to pave the way for Eddie Murphy to become one of the largest bankable stars in the Eighties and Nineties. Walter Hill is one of my favorite directors and this is one of his most entertaining films. The neon lit cinematography by Ric Waite is excellent and the score by the iconic late composer James Horner still sounds great. Paramount Presents has done a fantastic job of bringing the film into the new decade with a perfect 1080p transfer from a 4K scan and a solid audio track. The new interview with Walter Hill is well worth your time as well. Highly recommended.