A hard-nosed cop reluctantly teams up with a wisecracking criminal on temporary parole to track down a killer.
Credits: TheMovieDb.
Film actors:
- Jack Cates as Nick Nolte
- Reggie Hammond as Eddie Murphy
- Elaine: Annette O’Toole
- Harden: Frank McRae
- Albert Ganz as James Remar
- Luther: David Patrick Kelly
- Billy the Bear: Sonny Landham
- Ben Kehoe as Brion James
- Rosalie “Hostage Girl”: Kelly Sherman
- Algren: Jonathan Banks
- VanZant: James Keane
- Frizzy, hotel front desk clerk: Tara King
- Lisa, the blonde whore: Greta Blackburn
- Kathy: Margot Ross
- Sally: Dennis Crosby
- Candy: Olivia Brown
- Young Cop: Todd Allen
- Skinny Cop: Beardis
- Big Cop: Ned Dodd
- Old Cop: Jim Haynie
- Detective: Jack Thibault
- Plainclothes Man: Jon St. Elwood
- Ruth: Claire Tigertail
- Policewoman: Sandy Martin
- Bob: Matt Landers
- Cowboy Bartender: Peter Jason
- The first police officer: Bill Cross
- Cop No. 2: Chris Mulkey
- Parking Lot Attendant: Marcelino Sánchez
- Road Guard: Bennie E. Dobbins
- Road Guard: Walter Scott
- Road Guard: WT Zacha
- Prison Guard: Lloyd Cartwright
- Prison Warden: BG Fisher
- Prison Guard: Rhett Cruikshanks
- Sergeant on duty: RD Call
- Whore: Brenda Venus
- Prostitute: Gloria Gifford
- Torquay’s Patron: Nick Dimitri
- Torquay’s Patron: John Dennis Johnston
- Torquay’s Patron: Rock A. Walker
- Gas Station Attendant: Dave Moordigian
- Security: J. Wesley Houston
- Cop with a gun: Gary Pettinger
- Bar girl: Marquerita Wallace
- Bar Girl: Angela Robinson Witherspoon
- Bartender: Jack Lightsey
- King Henry as John Hauke
- Interrogator: Bob Yanez
- Leroy: Clint Smith
- Gang Member: Luis Contreras
- Cowgirl Dancer: Suzanne M. Regard
- Froman’s Dancer: Ola Ray
- Froman’s Dancer: Bjaye Turner
- Indian prostitutes: Haitang Square
Crew:
- Original Music Composer: James Horner
- Producer: Laurence Gordon
- Editor: Freeman Davis
- Production Design: John Vallone
- Director of Photography: Rick Waite
- Editor: Mark Warner
- Screenwriter: Walter Hill
- Starring: Judith Hostella
- Editor: Billy Webber
- Producer: Joel Silver
- Sound Editor: John Dunn
- Sound Editor: Tim Mangini
- Sound re-recording mixer: Donald O. Mitchell
- Costume Design: Marilyn Vance
- Sound Editor: Teri E. Dorman
- Sound Director: Richard L. Anderson
- Sound re-recording mixer: Rick Kline
- Executive Producer: D. Constantin Conte
- Sound re-recording mixer: Gregg Landaker
- Makeup artist: Edouard F. Henriques
- Makeup artist: Michael Germain
- Sound editing supervisor: Stephen Hunter Flick
- ADR Editor: Mark A. Mangini
- Stunt double: Terry Leonard
- Stunts: Nick Dimitri
- Screenwriter: Roger Spottiswoode
- Screenwriter: Larry Gross
- Screenwriter: Steven E. De Souza
- Set Decoration: Richard C. Goddard
- Hairstylist: Dagmar Losch
- Stunt double: Vince Dederick Jr.
- Stunts: Tony Brubaker
- Special Effects: Joseph P. Mercurio
- Stunts: Bruce Paul Barber
- Stunts: Larry Holt
- Stuntman: John Sherrod
- Stunts: Jerry Brutcher
- Stunts: Billy C. Chandler
- Stunt Driver: Conrad E. Palmisano
- Stunt Coordinator: Bennie E. Dobbins
- Lighting Engineer: Carl Boers
- Stunts: Walter Scott
Movie review:
- JOHNCHAD: You went from armed robber to pimp, all set.
- A hard-hearted cop reluctantly teams up with a wisecracking criminal on temporary parole to track down a cop killer on the loose.
- The mismatched buddy-buddy formula explodes onto the screen, filled with violence, profanity, and snarky one-liners. It also made Eddie Murphy a star in the 1980s. Part one of this exciting black-and-white two-act drama directed by Walter Hill and starring Nick Nolte and Murphy, it’s fast-paced and has a bad attitude. Things could have been so different though, with the likes of Stallone, Reynolds, Pryor and Hines starring at various times, and now folklore has it that Murphy got his break and grabbed it with both hands (he was actually fired) Be careful! Thankfully, the behind-the-scenes issues were resolved to give us this type of classic.
- Paramount’s runaway success paved the way for more films this decade that chose the same formula, but few tackled the explosion of racial divisions so candidly and boldly. Murphy is excellent, with a voice delivery as fast as an AK 47 and visual comedy, and he plays the gruff and tough Nolte perfectly, equally brilliantly. Not surprisingly, the plot trajectory is simple, but the writing and acting are such (supported by James Remar, Sonny Landham, and David Patrick Kelly) that it’s a live high-wire ride from start to finish.
- Amid the carnage of words and gestures, you’ll find plenty of ’80s pop culture references, with a sonorous soundtrack and a score by James Horner echoing throughout Los Angeles (he scored the 1985 hit for “Arnie” Starring “Commando” recreated this tune). This shows that it is now considered immature and outdated, but it instilled realism in capturing the zeitgeist. As such, this isn’t for the easily offended, but for the nostalgic and those interested in expansions of the action-comedy formula, this is a must-see that still delivers high-octane entertainment. 8/10
- JPV852: A fun buddy action comedy featuring a good adversarial relationship between Nolte and Murphy. The plot isn’t the strongest, but the action/fight scenes are decent. **3.25/5**
- Andre Gonzalez: Back to old school. Love this movie. From that point on, police dramas began to have some comedy elements.
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