Plot Details: This opinion reveals major details about the movie's plot.

I gave you 48 hours to come up with somethin', and the clock's runnin'! Jack Cates

Driving a beat up '64 Cadillac convertible and guzzling whiskey from a flask in between puffs of his ever-present cigarette, Detective Jack Cates (Nick Nolte) is on the trail of the men who killed a couple of his fellow San Francisco cops.

Cates is a maverick cop, like Dirty Harry, who just happened to be in the area when an arrest by his two associates went horribly wrong. His friends had just told him to watch while a couple professionals do the job right. Cates watches impotently as the thugs disarm him and use his .44 Magnum to kill his fellow officer.

Down to his last clue, Cates puts everything on getting the cooperation of a member of the gang that is still in prison - Reggie Hammond (Eddie Murphy). As Cates enters the cellblock, we hear Reggie before we see him, a tuneless version of "Roxanne" echoing down the long sterile corridor.

Reggie agrees to cooperate and identifies the killer as his old partner Ganz (James Remar), but there is one more thing; in addition to being the source of information, Reggie wants to come on the manhunt with Cates. After a lot of dramatics, Cates agrees and somehow obtains a 48-hour pass for Reggie. Looks like you bought your car from one of the brothers," is Reggie's comment on seeing Jack's Caddy Convertible.

On their mission, which Cates describes as a "turd-hunt," Reggie proves invaluable in finding Ganz and his partner Billy Bear (Sonny Landham). The key to the mystery is Hammond's car, in cold storage these three long years… The only problem is to catch the crooks and keep them before the 48-hours expire.

Nick Nolte is well cast as the gruff, monosyllabic, and profane Jack Cates. The surprise great performance is by Eddie Murphy, as Reggie Hammond, the street-wise, smart-mouthed, stylish convict who proves a better detective than he was a crook. Cates and Hammond are marvelous together as they move from fighting, to grudging cooperation, to real teamwork as they work together to bust the badguys. James Remar, always a good choice, proves exceptionally creepy as the villain Ganz. His partner-in-crime, Sonny Landham, is equally good as the psychotic Indian Billy Bear. The script, a team effort, is actually quite good with Murphy and Nolte playing off each other perfectly and setting the style for "odd couple" movies for years to come. Murphy is hilarious when he shows Cates how to shake down a redneck bar with only Cates' ID card as a weapon. Don't miss!







Recommended: Yes

Viewing Format: VHS
Suitability For Children: Suitable for Children Age 13 and Older