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TOP 10 ON SCREEN PARTNERS
Article by Joshua
Tapia
With new films like COP OUT and FROM PARIS WITH LOVE showcasing mismatched partners fighting crime, I thought I would take a look back at some of the best crime fighting duos Hollywood has brought to the big screen. My only rule while making the list was at least one of the two characters had to be a part of some type of law enforcement.
Any list that starts with this film has to be awesome. I remember watching this as a kid and just having a blast. Some of you might say the best cop/dog film is the Jim Belushi vehicle K-9, but Turner & Hooch is just a straight up better movie.
I must admit I like these films, well mainly just the first two since third one was pretty a big disappointment. But I stand by the first two films and I remember going into them knowing that I’d be entertained thoroughly for the next 90 minutes or so. Chris Tucker brought the comedy while Jackie did what he does best and that’s kick some ass in style.
This is a film not to be taken seriously. It does exactly what it sets out to do. And that is to simply be an entertaining and fun buddy/cop film. Stallone actually references one of his iconic characters in the first scene by saying "Rambo is such a pussy". For example, in the opening scene Stallone actually references one of his iconic characters by saying “Rambo is a pussy.” Right from the get go the film is all about having fun. Kurt Russell and Stallone have great chemistry together and really have fun playing up the buddy cop formula.
Eddie Murphy was one of the hottest stars of the 80’s, and 48 HRS is a great example of why that was. The movie is a lot darker than the stuff you’re use to seeing Murphy do these days. Walter Hill directed the film, which gave the violence and content a darker tone. This isn’t a surprise seeing as Hill is the one who brought us the cult favorite THE WARRIORS. Nic Nolte does a great job playing the seasoned officer with a short fuse who’s stuck with Murphy, a wise cracking prisoner. Check this movie out but don’t bother with the sequel ANOTHER 48 HRS.
One staple of the buddy cop genre is the odd couple factor. That’s what you get when you team up Sean Connery as an ex secret agent from England, and Nic Cage as a geeky FBI specialist who hasn’t fired a round since training camp. In The Rock, action director Michael Bay is supplying the fireworks. Even people who hate Michael Bay find it hard not to love this movie. Cage and Connery do a good job of playing off each other with Cage's character trying to come off more skilled than he really is. Connery sees right through him and is constantly coming to his recue. The Rock is probably Bay's best film and one of Connery’s last good films.
Most of these picks are from the 80’s when the buddy cop formula was at its height, but these two brought it back with an urban flavor and more style than substance thanks to the feature debut of the now infamous director Michael Bay. One thing this movie has is a great mix of action and humor. Will Smith and Martin Lawrence have great chemistry together and keep the jokes coming. The action is also top notch. Say what you will about Bay, but he knows how to shoot action better than most directors ever will. The sequel was like BAD BOYS one on steroids but I’ll be damned if I didn’t love it.
Now many of you probably are thinking why not the Twinkie eating cop for the original DIE HARD, well Sam Jackson just had a lot more screen time and his back and forth’s with John McClane were just more memorable. I was a little worried when I first saw McClane would have a sidekick seeing that in the first two films he mostly went solo. My worries faded quickly once the cat & mouse film got going and I couldn’t wait to see how Sam and Bruce would work together to solve every obstacle. In my opinion the second best Die Hard film after the original. LIVE FREE AND DIE HARD kind of sucked.
Here is a duo that goes all the way back to the old West. Also these two have the privilege of being the only actual real life characters on the list. I’m talking of course of Wyatt Earp played by Kurt Russell (2nd time on the list) and his long time friend and partner Doc Holliday. Again Kurt is great as the legendary Sheriff but it’s Val Kilmer who steals every scene he’s in. Although you come into the film late in their career as lawmen you can’t help but feel that Wyatt and Holliday have seen and done it all. I wish there were more movies with these two characters, as I just can’t get enough of them.
Two of the most famous actors in Hong Kong teamed up in the early 90’s to star in what is considered to be one of the greatest all-time action shoot’em ups ever put onto celluloid. Those guys are Chow Yun Fat and Tony Leung. John Woo directed this action classic about two cops trying to bring an illegal arms dealer to justice. Chow is the Dirty Harry of his precinct, while Leung plays an undercover cop inside the dealer’s gang. The two don't become partners until half-way through the film, but once they do, bullets and bad guys don't stop falling.
I mean come on - what else could it be. When you think of the buddy cop film genre, Lethal Weapon leads the pact. When you watch a buddy cop movie there are two things you really need: great comedic chemistry between the two leads, and great action set pieces throughout. Lethal Weapon has both. Mel Gibson plays Martin Riggs, a suicidal cop with special ops training, who is teamed up with the family man cop played by Danny Glover. The first Lethal weapon is the best of the series, but the sequels are all very entertaining. From the suicide jumper to Mel Gibson chasing a car on foot (Bad Boys clearly did a homage to this) and the final fight between Mel and Gary Busey this movie is easily my number 1 pick.
Thanks for reading Film Fans and feel free to comment if you agree or disagree with any of my picks and let me know who you consider to be the best on screen partners. Who knows, I might of missed one but hey, maybe “I’m getting to old for this shit.”
With new films like COP OUT and FROM PARIS WITH LOVE showcasing mismatched partners fighting crime, I thought I would take a look back at some of the best crime fighting duos Hollywood has brought to the big screen. My only rule while making the list was at least one of the two characters had to be a part of some type of law enforcement.
Any list that starts with this film has to be awesome. I remember watching this as a kid and just having a blast. Some of you might say the best cop/dog film is the Jim Belushi vehicle K-9, but Turner & Hooch is just a straight up better movie.
I must admit I like these films, well mainly just the first two since third one was pretty a big disappointment. But I stand by the first two films and I remember going into them knowing that I’d be entertained thoroughly for the next 90 minutes or so. Chris Tucker brought the comedy while Jackie did what he does best and that’s kick some ass in style.
This is a film not to be taken seriously. It does exactly what it sets out to do. And that is to simply be an entertaining and fun buddy/cop film. Stallone actually references one of his iconic characters in the first scene by saying "Rambo is such a pussy". For example, in the opening scene Stallone actually references one of his iconic characters by saying “Rambo is a pussy.” Right from the get go the film is all about having fun. Kurt Russell and Stallone have great chemistry together and really have fun playing up the buddy cop formula.
Eddie Murphy was one of the hottest stars of the 80’s, and 48 HRS is a great example of why that was. The movie is a lot darker than the stuff you’re use to seeing Murphy do these days. Walter Hill directed the film, which gave the violence and content a darker tone. This isn’t a surprise seeing as Hill is the one who brought us the cult favorite THE WARRIORS. Nic Nolte does a great job playing the seasoned officer with a short fuse who’s stuck with Murphy, a wise cracking prisoner. Check this movie out but don’t bother with the sequel ANOTHER 48 HRS.
One staple of the buddy cop genre is the odd couple factor. That’s what you get when you team up Sean Connery as an ex secret agent from England, and Nic Cage as a geeky FBI specialist who hasn’t fired a round since training camp. In The Rock, action director Michael Bay is supplying the fireworks. Even people who hate Michael Bay find it hard not to love this movie. Cage and Connery do a good job of playing off each other with Cage's character trying to come off more skilled than he really is. Connery sees right through him and is constantly coming to his recue. The Rock is probably Bay's best film and one of Connery’s last good films.
Most of these picks are from the 80’s when the buddy cop formula was at its height, but these two brought it back with an urban flavor and more style than substance thanks to the feature debut of the now infamous director Michael Bay. One thing this movie has is a great mix of action and humor. Will Smith and Martin Lawrence have great chemistry together and keep the jokes coming. The action is also top notch. Say what you will about Bay, but he knows how to shoot action better than most directors ever will. The sequel was like BAD BOYS one on steroids but I’ll be damned if I didn’t love it.
Now many of you probably are thinking why not the Twinkie eating cop for the original DIE HARD, well Sam Jackson just had a lot more screen time and his back and forth’s with John McClane were just more memorable. I was a little worried when I first saw McClane would have a sidekick seeing that in the first two films he mostly went solo. My worries faded quickly once the cat & mouse film got going and I couldn’t wait to see how Sam and Bruce would work together to solve every obstacle. In my opinion the second best Die Hard film after the original. LIVE FREE AND DIE HARD kind of sucked.
Here is a duo that goes all the way back to the old West. Also these two have the privilege of being the only actual real life characters on the list. I’m talking of course of Wyatt Earp played by Kurt Russell (2nd time on the list) and his long time friend and partner Doc Holliday. Again Kurt is great as the legendary Sheriff but it’s Val Kilmer who steals every scene he’s in. Although you come into the film late in their career as lawmen you can’t help but feel that Wyatt and Holliday have seen and done it all. I wish there were more movies with these two characters, as I just can’t get enough of them.
Two of the most famous actors in Hong Kong teamed up in the early 90’s to star in what is considered to be one of the greatest all-time action shoot’em ups ever put onto celluloid. Those guys are Chow Yun Fat and Tony Leung. John Woo directed this action classic about two cops trying to bring an illegal arms dealer to justice. Chow is the Dirty Harry of his precinct, while Leung plays an undercover cop inside the dealer’s gang. The two don't become partners until half-way through the film, but once they do, bullets and bad guys don't stop falling.
I mean come on - what else could it be. When you think of the buddy cop film genre, Lethal Weapon leads the pact. When you watch a buddy cop movie there are two things you really need: great comedic chemistry between the two leads, and great action set pieces throughout. Lethal Weapon has both. Mel Gibson plays Martin Riggs, a suicidal cop with special ops training, who is teamed up with the family man cop played by Danny Glover. The first Lethal weapon is the best of the series, but the sequels are all very entertaining. From the suicide jumper to Mel Gibson chasing a car on foot (Bad Boys clearly did a homage to this) and the final fight between Mel and Gary Busey this movie is easily my number 1 pick.
Thanks for reading Film Fans and feel free to comment if you agree or disagree with any of my picks and let me know who you consider to be the best on screen partners. Who knows, I might of missed one but hey, maybe “I’m getting to old for this shit.”
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