America's Finest Hour?
Added 11/8/2009
Electrifying, funny and tantalising glimpse of what America could and should have been all about as Nolte's gruff 70s cop clashes with Murphy's brash 80s convict to create one of the most tasty, refreshing and light-hearted slices of Americana ever made. Often imitated, never even remotely equalled.
Think Mean Streets meets Beverly Hills Cop meets Midnight Cowboy meets The Electric Horseman meets Miami Vice and you are starting to get the picture. It's funny, it's dark, it's dirty, it's warm, it's edgy, it's violent - it is just so plain rude and disarmingly honest you can't help but have a great time.
Action Movie, Cops and Robbers, Comedy, Buddy Film, Pop-Cultural Snapshot, Cinematic Breakthrough In Race Relations - why have one, when you can have them all? I just loved it, from the opening shots of the horses right through to the neon-drizzled climax in the alley - pure fun all the way.
The sequel is not quite as crisp, but shoehorns perfectly onto the back of this one allowing us to continue the ride with Nick and Eddie right through the 80s and into the early 90s. Bookend the two films and you pretty much have a time-capsule summary of American pop culture 1969-1994.
What more do you want? Buy on DVD, enjoy and treasure!
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cop flick, but their chemistry is absolutely great
Added 10/18/2009
It is a testament to Murphy's comic talent and Nolte's acting that they can take such an utterly banal cop story and make it so entertaining, even original at times. OK, it doesn't keep its freshness the way Murphy's other great films do (i.e. BHC and TP), but it is still fun after all these years. Some scenes, like the entry to the redneck bar, are truly classic. Plus, Murphy still had genuine energy - a blooming talent - with this film, unlike the walkthrough-style roles he got in many many later forgettable mediocre comedies.
The plot couldn't be more standard: cop killer takes a maverick cop's gun and the chase is on (for honor justice revenge). But then he gets Murphy out of jail to find a common enemy, and after wonderful sparring and anger-letting, they come to trust and like eachother. It is very American, with perceptive issues such as Nolte's apology for "doin my job keepin you down", and the stars are totally convincing in their chemistry. The bad guys are also very good, but they are pure stereotypical sociopaths.
Recommended. This one will survive in film history.
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great movie, terrible DVD
Added 10/12/2009
The movie gets four stars: see the other four-star reviews to see why. It's a great, fun, rough movie. Murphy's great and Nolte is very effective in his role.
The DVD transfer gets two stars for a bare-bones non-anamorphic DVD release. The image quality is good -- I can see very few artifacts on my screen, with very solid blacks -- but it's inexplicable to me that Paramount would not by now have released a special edition of this movie, with a proper anamorphic image and possibly a commentary.
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A perfect mix of action and comedy
Added 2/13/2009
Whether this is the original buddy cop movie which launched a whole genre or not it's certainly one of the best. Ganz (James Remar), an escaped convict, goes on a violent search for money that him and a couple of partners stole and hid three years ago. Only a few people know where the money is hidden and one of them is Luther (David Patrick Kelly). Ganz meets up with him and Luther tells him that he can't access the money for a couple of days so Ganz takes his girl as collateral. He plans on hiding out at a hotel but the cops trace a stolen credit card that Ganz used to pay for the room and show up at the hotel. A gunfight erupts and of the three cops on the scene the only man to survive is Jack Cates (Nick Nolte). Cates wants Ganz even more now that he is a cop killer and he starts his own investigation hoping to anticipate Ganz's next move. He learns of the hidden cash and realizes what Ganz is after. The only other person left alive who was in on the job is a fast talker named Reggie Hammond (Eddie Murphy). He's in prison serving out his last couple of months on a three year sentence. Thinking that he can lead him to the money before Ganz gets it Cates springs Reggie from jail on a 48 hour pass. Cates is all business but Reggie wants to enjoy being a free man and get a little action. The two hate each other immediately and they spar both verbally and physically. They make a great team and are a lot of fun to watch. There is a lot of humor in watching Nolte as the raspy voiced and hung over cop trying to control a live wire like Murphy (making his film debut). Director Walter Hill would practically remake this movie in the 80's as Red Heat but this is the version that works. The film is raw and gritty with plenty of violence, nudity, and language. There are even a few nasty racial slurs between the two men. Remar is terrifying as Ganz and it is nice to see him and "Warriors" co star Patrick Kelly in a complete role reversal from their characters in that Hill classic. This is one of Hill's best films as it shows his considerable gifts at directing exciting action scenes and coming up with great one liners for our heroes to deliver between gunfights and explosions.
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never to be forgotton
Added 8/23/2008
This movie may look slightly dated now, but Eddie Murphy's film debut in this flick still remains one of his best. I still find parts of this movie simply brilliant, and Nick Nolte's performance is equally as good, as cop Jack Cates and convict Reggie Hammond constantly spar verbally and physically, but with the same goals in mind. The performances and strength of the characters really bring out both the drama and comedy in this film, which balance superbly.
I won't bother going into the story as many other reviewers have done this, but this movie is simply hilarious in places and is a must see for anyone who likes an adult-comedy movie. For the record, the sequel is equally as good.
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America's Finest Hour?
Added 11/8/2009
Electrifying, funny and tantalising glimpse of what America could and should have been all about as Nolte's gruff 70s cop clashes with Murphy's brash 80s convict to create one of the most tasty, refreshing and light-hearted slices of Americana ever made. Often imitated, never even remotely equalled.
Think Mean Streets meets Beverly Hills Cop meets Midnight Cowboy meets The Electric Horseman meets Miami Vice and you are starting to get the picture. It's funny, it's dark, it's dirty, it's warm, it's edgy, it's violent - it is just so plain rude and disarmingly honest you can't help but have a great time.
Action Movie, Cops and Robbers, Comedy, Buddy Film, Pop-Cultural Snapshot, Cinematic Breakthrough In Race Relations - why have one, when you can have them all? I just loved it, from the opening shots of the horses right through to the neon-drizzled climax in the alley - pure fun all the way.
The sequel is not quite as crisp, but shoehorns perfectly onto the back of this one allowing us to continue the ride with Nick and Eddie right through the 80s and into the early 90s. Bookend the two films and you pretty much have a time-capsule summary of American pop culture 1969-1994.
What more do you want? Buy on DVD, enjoy and treasure!
0 out of 0 people found this helpful.
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cop flick, but their chemistry is absolutely great
Added 10/18/2009
It is a testament to Murphy's comic talent and Nolte's acting that they can take such an utterly banal cop story and make it so entertaining, even original at times. OK, it doesn't keep its freshness the way Murphy's other great films do (i.e. BHC and TP), but it is still fun after all these years. Some scenes, like the entry to the redneck bar, are truly classic. Plus, Murphy still had genuine energy - a blooming talent - with this film, unlike the walkthrough-style roles he got in many many later forgettable mediocre comedies.
The plot couldn't be more standard: cop killer takes a maverick cop's gun and the chase is on (for honor justice revenge). But then he gets Murphy out of jail to find a common enemy, and after wonderful sparring and anger-letting, they come to trust and like eachother. It is very American, with perceptive issues such as Nolte's apology for "doin my job keepin you down", and the stars are totally convincing in their chemistry. The bad guys are also very good, but they are pure stereotypical sociopaths.
Recommended. This one will survive in film history.
0 out of 0 people found this helpful.
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great movie, terrible DVD
Added 10/12/2009
The movie gets four stars: see the other four-star reviews to see why. It's a great, fun, rough movie. Murphy's great and Nolte is very effective in his role.
The DVD transfer gets two stars for a bare-bones non-anamorphic DVD release. The image quality is good -- I can see very few artifacts on my screen, with very solid blacks -- but it's inexplicable to me that Paramount would not by now have released a special edition of this movie, with a proper anamorphic image and possibly a commentary.
0 out of 0 people found this helpful.
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