Another 48 Hrs.

Last updated
Another 48 Hrs.
Another forty eight hours.jpg
Theatrical release poster
Directed by Walter Hill
Screenplay by
Story by Fred Braughton
Based onCharacters by
Roger Spottiswoode
Walter Hill
Larry Gross
Steven E. de Souza
Produced by
Starring
Cinematography Matthew F. Leonetti
Edited by
  • Donn Aron
  • Carmel Davies
  • Freeman A. Davies
Music by James Horner
Production
company
Eddie Murphy Productions
Distributed by Paramount Pictures
Release date
  • June 8, 1990 (1990-06-08)
Running time
95 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$50 million [1]
Box office$153.5 million [2]

Another 48 Hrs. is a 1990 American buddy cop action comedy film directed by Walter Hill and starring Eddie Murphy, Nick Nolte, Brion James, Andrew Divoff, and Ed O'Ross. [3] It is the sequel to the 1982 film 48 Hrs. Nolte reprises his role as San Francisco police officer Jack Cates, who has 48 hours to clear his name from a manslaughter charge. To do so, he again needs the help of Reggie Hammond (Murphy), who is a newly released convict. At the same time, a mastermind known only as the Iceman has hired a biker gang to kill Reggie, while a rogue member of the gang (Divoff) is out to kill Jack for the death of his brother from the previous installment.

Contents

Plot

Veteran San Francisco Police Inspector Jack Cates has been after drug dealer the "Iceman" for the past five years. At the Hunter's Point Raceway, Jack confronts Tyrone Burroughs and Arthur Brock. Jack kills Brock, while Burroughs escapes. Despite killing Brock in self-defense, Jack is now under investigation, as Brock's gun cannot be found at the scene. Blake Wilson, the head of the Internal Affairs division, becomes determined to prosecute Jack on a third-degree manslaughter charge. Jack finds a picture that proves that the Iceman has put a price on the head of Reggie Hammond, who is scheduled to be released from prison the next day.

Reggie has completed his five year prison term for robbing a payroll (a crime for which he claims complete innocence), which he had been serving six months before. He is scheduled to be released. Jack tries to convince Reggie to help him clear his name and find the Iceman. Reggie requests that Jack gives him the $500,000 that Jack has been holding on to for him. Jack refuses to give Reggie the money unless Reggie helps him. After the bus transporting Reggie is attacked by two bikers and Jack gets shot, Jack forces Reggie to help him by having the hospital release Reggie into his custody. Reggie recognizes one of the two bikers as Richard "Cherry" Ganz, the brother of Albert Ganz, the escaped convict Jack killed years earlier. Cherry (who Reggie says, "makes (Albert) Ganz look like Gandhi") and his partner Willie Hickok are the hitmen hired to kill Reggie, while Cherry also wants to kill Jack as revenge for Jack killing Albert. Burroughs, who works for the Iceman, was trying to hire Brock as insurance, just in case Cherry and Hickok failed. When the Iceman murders Hickok's primary contact man, Malcolm Price, Hickok kills Burroughs, after the latter reveals himself to be an associate of the Iceman.

Reggie is captured by Cherry and Hickok, and Jack confronts the two criminals at a local nightclub where Ben Kehoe—Jack's friend and fellow officer—is revealed to be the Iceman, with another detective, Frank Cruise, serving as an accomplice. A gunfight ensues, with Jack wounding Hickok and Cherry and killing Cruise. After killing both Hickok and Cherry, Reggie is held captive by Kehoe and used as a human shield. Reggie sarcastically begs Jack to shoot him. Jack does so, firing a shot into Reggie's shoulder, wounding him and throwing him off Kehoe. Jack then shoots Kehoe, killing him. Before Reggie is transported to the hospital, Jack lets him know of the money he took off the Iceman and will meet him at the hospital to talk about it. As the ambulance leaves with Reggie, Jack realizes that Reggie has once again stolen his lighter.

Cast

Production

Development and writing

Eddie Murphy had been paid $200,000 for his role in the original film. By the time of the sequel, his fee was $12,000,000 up front, plus a percentage of the gross. [4]

The film was based on an original story by Murphy who asked Hill if he was interested in directing.

I was, to tell you the truth, a little skeptical. They usually come out twice as expensive and half as good. Not always. I think the Leone movies always got better, and there are a few others. And I felt the studio might encourage me to make a softer film, and if you made a softer version of 48 Hours you're going to have Beverly Hills Cop ... So Eddie jumped up, and he convinced me he really very much wanted to do a movie that represented the spirit of the first one, with a lot of street energy and the hard edges of the original. Then Nolte called me a day later, and said, 'Whaddya think, Walt?' ... Nick said, 'If we do one and it stinks, we're still batting .500, which I assume is pretty good in the American League. [5]

Hill added that "the plot – which Eddie suggested – is actually kind of intriguing. So why not do it?... A lot of folks will say I'm just doing it for the money. What I want to know is, why do they think I made the first one?" [6]

Post-production

The original workprint of the film was 145 minutes long. It was cut by either director Walter Hill or the Paramount studio down to 120 minutes, and a week before its summer theatrical release an additional 25 minutes were cut out by Paramount, making a final theatrical version 95 minutes long, but also creating a lot of plot holes and continuity mistakes in the film. Frank McRae's reprisal of his role from the original 48 Hrs. was entirely cut except for a brief, uncredited shot of him in the background of one scene in the police station. Also removed was a scene which was partially shown in the theatrical trailer in which Jack explains to Reggie that he has a deadline to track down the Iceman; as such, there is no mention of '48 hours' anywhere in the final film. Brion James, also returning from the original, saw his role severely cut down as well, to create a faster-paced action-comedy. In an interview, James said this about the cuts made on the film:

Total Recall came out a week before Another 48 Hrs. (1990) that summer, it made twenty-five million, became the number one movie in the country and the studio panicked because they had invested a lot in the 48 Hours films, but they felt that at well over two hours, that the movie might be too much. My stuff was in there until one week before the film opened; that is when they cut twenty-five minutes out of that movie, a week before it opened. It went from around 140 to down around 95 minutes. They said, "Cut all the behavior, action, comedy..." I lost every major scene I had. That's the last time I ever cared about a movie because I went to the press screening and it was like getting kicked in the stomach, seeing what is not there. I was the third lead and now I looked like a dressed extra. All the stuff that they had in the set-up, stuff in the trailer, all those scenes were gone. [7]

Music

Another 48 Hrs.
Soundtrack album by
various artists
Released1990
Genre Stage & Screen
Length38:24
Label Scotti Bros.
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [8]
  1. "The Boys Are Back In Town" - Jesse Johnson 4:01
  2. "Give It All You Got" - Curio 4:37
  3. "I Just Can't Let It End" - Curio 3:52
  4. Another 48 Hrs., film score~The Courthouse - James Horner 3:18
  5. Another 48 Hrs., film score~Main Title - James Horner 4:11
  6. Another 48 Hrs., film score~King Mei Shootout - James Horner 7:36
  7. Another 48 Hrs., film score~Birdcage Battle - James Horner 4:43
  8. I'll Never Get You Out of This World Alive - Michael Stanton 2:25

Reception

Box office

The film grossed more at the US box office than its predecessor and made $72.7 million from foreign markets for a total of $153.5 million. [2] [9] However this was considered a box office disappointment and because the film was so costly, profits were minimized. [10] Murphy accused Paramount of not spending enough on advertising and changing the release date. Paramount counter-alleged that Murphy did not spend enough time promoting the film. This led to tension in the long-running relationship between Murphy and Paramount. [4]

Critical response

On Rotten Tomatoes the film holds an approval rating of 19% based on 36 reviews, with an average rating of 4.3/10. The website's critics consensus reads: "Even the return of Eddie Murphy, Nick Nolte, and director Walter Hill can't hide the lazy, patchwork quality of Another 48 Hrs." [11] On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 23 out of 100, based on 13 critics, indicating "generally unfavorable reviews". [12] Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "A−" on an A+ to F scale. [13]

Vincent Canby of The New York Times stated that it was "as much a star vehicle for Mr. Murphy as The Gorgeous Hussy once was for Joan Crawford. The Crawford name isn't idly invoked. You have to go back to the old MGM days to find movies that, with every gesture, let the audience know it was watching a star." Canby continued, "Though the body count is high, all of the people killed are faceless or only minor characters, until the end. It's as if the movie were saying that lethal violence is acceptable (and fun) as long as the victims–like the victims of guided missiles and high-altitude bombing–remain anonymous. Any comedy that allows the mind to ponder high-altitude bombing is in deep trouble." [14]

Los Angeles Times critic Peter Rainer called it "a crude rehashing of the high points of the first film." Ranier singled out director Hill, who he said "surely recognizes the hollowness of what he's doing here. He tries to ram through the muddled exposition as quickly as possible; essentially, the film is wall-to-wall mayhem, with more shots of hurled bodies shattering windows than I've ever seen in a movie." [15]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eddie Murphy</span> American actor and comedian (born 1961)

Edward Regan Murphy is an American actor, comedian, and singer. He had his breakthrough as a standup comic before gaining stardom for his film roles; he is widely recognized as one of the greatest comedians of all time. He has received several accolades including a Golden Globe Award, a Grammy Award, and an Emmy Award as well as nominations for an Academy Award and a BAFTA Award. He was honored with the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor in 2015 and the Cecil B. DeMille Award in 2023.

<i>Coming to America</i> 1988 film directed by John Landis

Coming to America is a 1988 American romantic comedy film directed by John Landis, based on a story originally created by Eddie Murphy, written by David Sheffield and Barry W. Blaustein, and starring Murphy, Arsenio Hall, James Earl Jones, John Amos, Madge Sinclair, and Shari Headley. It tells the story of Akeem Joffer, the crown prince of the fictional African nation of Zamunda who travels to the United States in the hopes of finding a woman he can marry and will love him for who he is, not for his status or for having been trained to please him. The film was released in the United States on June 29, 1988.

<i>Hard to Kill</i> 1990 film by Bruce Malmuth

Hard to Kill is a 1990 American vigilante action-thriller film directed by Bruce Malmuth, starring Steven Seagal, Kelly LeBrock, William Sadler and Frederick Coffin. Seagal's second film after Above the Law, he portrays Mason Storm, a detective who falls into a coma after being shot during a home invasion that killed his wife. Reawakening seven years later, Storm embarks on a journey to avenge the death of his wife, and expose the corruption of Senator Vernon Trent, the man who ordered the murder of his family. The film was released on February 9, 1990, and grossed $75 million worldwide.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nick Nolte</span> American actor (born 1941)

Nicholas King Nolte is an American actor. Known for his leading man roles in both dramas and romances, he has received a Golden Globe Award as well as nominations for three Academy Awards and a Primetime Emmy Award. Nolte first came to prominence for his role in the ABC miniseries Rich Man, Poor Man (1976) for which he received a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited Series or Movie nomination. He won the Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Drama for The Prince of Tides (1991). He has received three Academy Award nominations for The Prince of Tides (1991), Affliction (1998), and Warrior (2011).

<i>Beverly Hills Cop III</i> 1994 American action comedy film by John Landis

Beverly Hills Cop III is a 1994 American action comedy film starring Eddie Murphy, written by Steven E. de Souza, and directed by John Landis, who had previously worked with Murphy on Trading Places (1983) and Coming to America (1988). It is a sequel to Beverly Hills Cop II (1987) and the third film in the Beverly Hills Cop franchise. Murphy again plays Detroit detective Axel Foley, who once again returns to Beverly Hills and teams up with detective Billy Rosewood to stop a gang of counterfeiters at a local amusement park called Wonder World.

John Roger Spottiswoode is a Canadian-British director, editor and writer of film and television.

<i>Harlem Nights</i> 1989 film by Eddie Murphy

Harlem Nights is a 1989 American crime comedy-drama film starring, written, and directed by Eddie Murphy. The film co-stars Richard Pryor, Redd Foxx, Danny Aiello, Michael Lerner, Della Reese, and Murphy's older brother Charlie. The film was released theatrically on November 17, 1989, by Paramount Pictures. The film tells the story of "Sugar" Ray and Vernest "Quick" Brown as a team running a nightclub in the late 1930s in Harlem while contending with gangsters and corrupt police officials.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brion James</span> American actor (1945–1999)

Brion Howard James was an American character actor. He portrayed Leon Kowalski in Blade Runner and appeared in Southern Comfort, 48 Hrs., Another 48 Hrs., Silverado, Tango & Cash, Red Heat, The Player, and The Fifth Element. James was frequently cast as an antagonist, appearing more frequently in lower-budget horror and action films and TV shows throughout the 1980s and 1990s. James appeared in more than 100 films before his death in 1999 at the age of 54.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Andrew Divoff</span> American actor and producer (born 1955)

Andrew Daniel Divoff is an American actor and producer. Divoff has played many villains in film and on television, including drug cartel leaders, terrorists, and organized crime bosses, though he is best known for playing the evil Djinn/Nathaniel Demerest in the first two Wishmaster films. Other noteworthy film and television roles include the villains Luis Cali in Toy Soldiers, Cherry Ganz in Another 48 Hrs., Ernesto Mendoza in A Low Down Dirty Shame, Boris Bazylev in Air Force One, M (Mephistopheles) in Faust: Love of the Damned, Ivan Sarnoff in CSI: Miami, Mikhail Bakunin in Lost, and Karakurt in The Blacklist.

<i>Friday the 13th: A New Beginning</i> 1985 film by Danny Steinmann

Friday the 13th: A New Beginning is a 1985 American slasher film directed by Danny Steinmann and starring Melanie Kinnaman, John Shepherd, and Shavar Ross. The film also features a cameo appearance from Corey Feldman, who portrayed Tommy Jarvis in the previous film. It is a sequel to Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter (1984) and the fifth installment in the Friday the 13th franchise. Set years after the events of the previous film, the story follows a teenage Tommy Jarvis (Shepherd), who is institutionalized at a halfway house near Crystal Lake because of nightmares of mass murderer Jason Voorhees, whom he killed as a child. Tommy must face his fears when a new hockey mask-wearing murderer initiates another violent killing spree in the area.

<i>48 Hrs.</i> 1982 film by Walter Hill

48 Hrs. is a 1982 American buddy cop action comedy film directed by Walter Hill, from a screenplay co-written with Larry Gross, Steven E. de Souza and Roger Spottiswoode. It stars Nick Nolte and Eddie Murphy as a cop and a convict, respectively, who team up to catch two hardened criminals. Titled after the amount of time the duo has to solve the crime, 48 Hrs. was Joel Silver's first title as a producer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Olivia Brown</span> American actress

Olivia Brown is an American actress, best known for her role as detective Trudy Joplin in the NBC crime drama series Miami Vice (1984–1989).

<i>Extreme Prejudice</i> (film) 1987 American film by Walter Hill

Extreme Prejudice is a 1987 American neo-Western action thriller film directed by Walter Hill, from a screenplay by Harry Kleiner and Deric Washburn, from a story by John Milius and Fred Rexer. It stars Nick Nolte and Powers Boothe, with a supporting cast including Michael Ironside, María Conchita Alonso, Rip Torn, William Forsythe, and Clancy Brown.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Walter Hill</span> American filmmaker (born 1942)

Walter Hill is an American film director, screenwriter and producer known for his action films and revival of the Western genre. He has directed such films as The Driver, The Warriors, Southern Comfort, 48 Hrs. and its sequel Another 48 Hrs., Streets of Fire and Red Heat, and wrote the screenplay for the crime drama The Getaway. He has also directed several episodes of television series such as Tales from the Crypt and Deadwood and produced films in the Alien franchise. He founded Brandywine Productions with David Giler and Gordon Carroll.

<i>The Nutty Professor</i> (1996 film) 1996 American film

The Nutty Professor is a 1996 American science fiction comedy film starring Eddie Murphy. It is a remake of the 1963 film of the same name, which starred Jerry Lewis, which itself was a parody of Robert Louis Stevenson's 1886 novella Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde. The film co-stars Jada Pinkett, James Coburn, Larry Miller, Dave Chappelle, and John Ales. Filming began on May 8, 1995, and concluded on September 8, 1995. The original music score was composed by David Newman. The film won Best Makeup at the 69th Academy Awards.

Mark Lipsky was the Executive Producer of The Nutty Professor, Metro which The A.V. Club called "too lazily assembled, and too stingy with the jokes, to even live up to its modest ambitions", Beverly Hills Cop III "considered by critics and admittedly by Murphy himself as the most disappointing film in the series", Goosed, Boomerang, Another 48 Hrs. and Coming to America, Vampire in Brooklyn and Harlem Nights, all starring Eddie Murphy. In addition, Lipsky has produced Tony n' Tina's Wedding and executive produced Precinct Hollywood for AMC.

<i>Wild Bill</i> (1995 film) 1995 Western film by Walter Hill

Wild Bill is a 1995 American biographical Western film about the last days of legendary lawman Wild Bill Hickok. The film was written and directed by Walter Hill, and based on the 1978 stage play Fathers and Sons by Thomas Babe and the 1986 novel Deadwood by Pete Dexter. It stars Jeff Bridges, Ellen Barkin, John Hurt, and Diane Lane, and was released by United Artists on December 1, 1995. It was a box-office bomb, grossing $2.1 million on a budget of $30 million, and received mixed reviews from critics.

Atomu Shimojō is a Japanese actor, voice actor and narrator. He is the son of actor Masami Shimojō and actress Yoshiko Tagami. He voice acts Eddie Murphy and Paul Michael Glaser.

<i>A Thousand Words</i> (film) 2012 American film by Brian Robbins

A Thousand Words is a 2012 American fantasy comedy-drama film directed and co-produced by Brian Robbins from a script by Steve Koren, co-produced by Nicolas Cage, and starring Eddie Murphy. It was released in theaters on March 9, 2012, four years after it was filmed. Critics panned the film as formulaic and outdated, and for miscasting Eddie Murphy in a mostly silent role. It is currently one of a small number of films with a 0% rating on review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes. It was also a box office bomb, having grossed just $22 million worldwide on a $40 million budget. As of 2024, it is the last film directed by Robbins, as he would move on into a career as a media executive, ultimately leading to a role as chief executive officer of what became by then Paramount Global by 2022. It would ultimately also be Murphy's last film appearance for four years, until he appeared in the 2016 independent film Mr. Church.

<i>Wild Bill Hickok</i> (film) 1923 film

Wild Bill Hickok is a 1923 American silent Western film directed by Clifford Smith and starring William S. Hart, Ethel Grey Terry, Kathleen O'Connor, James Farley, Jack Gardner, Carl Gerard, and William Dyer. It was written by William S. Hart and J.G. Hawks. The film was released on November 18, 1923, by Paramount Pictures. It was the first film to depict Wyatt Earp, although in a very brief role, and the only film made before he died in 1929 that included his character, until Law and Order was released in 1932.

References

  1. ↑ Dwyer, Michael (4 May 1990). "Hollywood budgets go through the roof: REEL NEWS". The Irish Times. p. 10.
  2. 1 2 "Another 48 HRS. (1990)". Box Office Mojo. 1990-08-14. Retrieved 2012-06-09.
  3. ↑ Erickson, Hal. "Another 48 Hrs". Allmovie . Rovi Corporation . Retrieved July 26, 2013.
  4. 1 2 Landro, Laura (August 13, 1990). "Paramount's Problems With Eddie Murphy Sour Honey of a Deal". The Wall Street Journal. p. A1.
  5. ↑ Van Gelder, Lawrence (September 29, 1989). "At the Movies". The New York Times. p. C.10.
  6. ↑ Friedman, David (September 24, 1989). "Moving Pictures That Move When director Walter Hill says 'Lights! Camera! Action!' he's very serious about that last word". Newsday. p. 17.
  7. ↑ Paul, Louis (August 1, 1999). "Brion James - Interview". Brion James Tribute. Archived from the original on April 10, 2017. Retrieved February 24, 2017.
  8. ↑ Another 48 Hrs. at AllMusic
  9. ↑ Broeske, Pat H. (1990-06-11). "48 HRS' Fails to Top 'Total' Ticket Sales". Los Angeles Times . Retrieved 2010-12-25.
  10. ↑ Landro, Laura (7 September 1990). "Paramount Is Still Seeking a Media Firm: Davis Says Company Isn't Designed to 'Stay as Is'". The Wall Street Journal. p. B7.
  11. ↑ "Another 48 Hrs. (1990)". Rotten Tomatoes . Retrieved 2023-10-05.
  12. ↑ "Another 48 Hrs. Reviews". Metacritic . Retrieved August 18, 2020.
  13. ↑ "CinemaScore". cinemascore.com.
  14. ↑ Canby, Vincent (8 June 1990). "Review/Film;For Murphy And Nolte, A Sequel". The New York Times . Retrieved 2012-05-31.
  15. ↑ "MOVIE REVIEW : Another 95 Minutes : Sequel: 'Another 48 HRS.,' a crude rehashing of the 1982 hit, reteams Eddie Murphy and Nick Nolte in wall-to-wall mayhem". Los Angeles Times . Retrieved 2012-05-31.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.