Another 48 Hrs. (1990) starring Eddie Murphy, Nick Nolte, Brion James, Kevin Tighe, Ed O'Ross, David Anthony Marshall, Andrew Divoff, Bernie Casey directed by Walter Hill Movie Review

Another 48 Hrs. (1990)   3/53/53/53/53/5


Nick Nolte as Jack Cates in Another 48 Hrs. (1990)

Another Sequel

In 1982 Walter Hill gave us "48 Hrs" a movie which you could say lead to the popularity of the buddy movie of a tough cop with a smart ass side kick as numerous movies throughout the 80s delivered a variation on this set up. Then 8 years after that movie we got the sequel "Another 48 Hrs." which saw Nick Nolte and Eddie Murphy reunite as unlikely buddies and whilst 8 years had passed it feels like a solid continuation of the first movie. The trouble is that is all that "Another 48 Hrs." feels, a continuation of the first movie which whilst delivering plenty of action and some humour is really all about Nick Nolte and Eddie Murphy as unlikely buddies again.

Det. Jack Cates (Nick Nolte - Tropic Thunder) has made it his mission to bring down a mysterious drug lord known as "Ice Man" but his continual search has brought him to the attention of IA especially when during his latest attempt to get a lead he kills a man. With his job on the line Jack pays Reggie (Eddie Murphy - Coming to America) a visit as he is about to get out of prison and Jack knows that someone has put a hit out on him. Not wanting to help Jack and only wanting his money which Jack has been holding Reggie finds himself buddying up again when someone tries to kill him on the bus he leaves the prison on.

Eddie Murphy as Reggie Hammond in Another 48 Hrs. (1990)

So in fairness the storyline to "Another 48 Hrs." is not that bad, we may have Jack going after a mysterious criminal and has his job on the line but there are some nice tie ins to the first movie. We have the brother of one of the men Jack shot in "48 Hrs." as a heavy in this second and so whilst hired to kill Reggie also wants to kill Jack. There is also the continuation of the money which Jack has belonging to Reggie and this connects nicely with why the "Ice Man" has hired men to kill Reggie. It's not that the actual storyline is that interesting but at least it feels like someone has put some thought in to how to relate it to what we saw in the first movie.

But the truth of "Another 48 Hrs." is that firstly it is a movie which is dominated by some 80s action with busses being flipped and shoot outs in bars as well as brawls. But secondly it is an excuse to reunite Nick Nolte and Eddie Murphy as Jack and Reggie and to be honest it works. The tempestuous friendship between Jack and Reggie is still entertaining with Murphy showing a bit more of the attitude which had dominated his movies in the intervening years. Neither Nolte nor Murphy bring anything really new to their characters and basically deliver the same fun and some of the same jokes as first time around.

That is sort of the problem with "Another 48 Hrs." because whilst there is this different storyline it is the same movie as "48 Hrs.". It is the same sort of action, same sort of comedy, same sort of characters and so much more which in a way makes it a good sequel but also an ordinary one.

What this all boils down to is that "Another 48 Hrs." is a solid sequel which is as good as the first movie. But it is an ordinary sequel with nothing new to make it feel anything more than just a rehash of things we saw first time around.


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