The Movie
In 1982, Nick Nolte and Eddie Murphy teamed up to headline one of the most iconic buddy cop movies ever. Well, in truth, only Nolte plays a lawman; a hard-drinking, chain-smoking detective with a knack for rubbing people the wrong way; on the trail of a cop killer. His only lead is a loudmouthed convict (Murphy) with his own vested interest in the case, and so he talks his way out of prison for 48 Hrs.
In what could be politely described as an uneasy alliance, they scour San Francisco, cramming more car chases, shootouts and fistfights into two days than most policemen likely see in their entire careers. Murphy's big-screen debut here was undoubtedly a star turn, smartly combining action and drama along with the comedy that had made him a standout on TVs' Saturday Night Live. Sparring memorably with his "partner," he helped elevate 48 Hrs. from just another good-guys/bad-guys thriller to one of the great entertainments of the early '80s.
The Picture
48 Hrs. looked terrific in theaters, the extensive night scenes in particular taking advantage of some then-new high-speed film stock. Indeed the, streets of San Francisco look bright and colorful here after sunset, and with a typical AVC bitrate in the high-20's or above, the level of detail is generally strong, although some shots are softer than I'd like. The 1.85:1 image is often rife with ripples from the summer heat, and I noticed some hard ringing in streetlights and headlights, a strange quiver in background lights in a couple of scenes, and the blacks can get a bit mushy in places.
The Sound
As part of the Dolby TrueHD 5.1 presentation there is a subtle, interesting spread of James Horner's jazzy musical score into the rears. The track is largely defined however by lots of big, booming gunshots with dynamic directionality around the soundfield, although first two shots fired on the stolen bus exhibit a strange, shrill quality. Minor touches like cars driving by have been remixed for discrete multichannel audio with varying levels of credibility. Bass is solid throughout.
The Extras
This is pretty much Walter Hill's best movie, and yet he did not see fit to record a commentary, or provide any real supplements. I know for a fact that there are deleted/alternate/extended scenes, but none are included. You'd think maybe Murphy would want to come back and say a few words, on-camera or off...? Only a three-minute trailer joins the movie, remastered to a high-bitrate MPEG-2.
Final Thoughts
This movie is something of a gem, and even a bit of film history, and so it deserves better than the slight audio/video upgrade and the complete snub in terms of bonuses. If you're a fan, you probably own the DVD already, so consider renting to help you decide if this one is worth swapping out for Blu.
Product Details
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