Another 48 HRS is another average if not also forgettable sequel to a movie that I personally never was in love with, although I found it mostly entertaining. The dynamic between Murphy and Nolte wasn’t very strong and the manufactured conflict was pretty annoying.
Another 48 HRS.
— Paramount Presents #20 —
(1990)
Genre(s): Action, Crime, Thriller
Paramount| R – 95 min. – $24.99 | July 6, 2021
Date Published: 07/03/2021 | Author: The Movieman
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Paramount provided me with a free copy of the Blu-ray I reviewed in this Blog Post.
The opinions I share are my own.
THE MOVIE — 2½/5 |
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Plot Synopsis: Eight years after the first 48 hours of mayhem, Reggie (EDDIE MURPHY) is about to be released from the pen. Inspector Jack Cates (NICK NOLTE) enlists the ex-con for another seemingly impossible two-day mission to nail an elusive drug lord who’s got a price on Reggie’s head.
Quick Hit Review: Another 48 HRS is a sequel I never bothered to get around to watching. Not entirely sure why but watching it back-to-back with the original and I found this one to be… pretty bland. The banter between Eddie Murphy and Nick Nolte felt forced, as did the “conflict” with Nolte’s Cates holding money over Reggie’s head to force him to help on a case. Thing is, it’s entirely unnecessary since Reggie likely would’ve helped given he’s the target of a hitman… So right from the get-go, we get a convoluted clash and a bulk of the movie you think they hate one another, throwing away any growth the pair had, Cates especially, by the end of the last one. The other issue is the plot felt really thin. Makes sense since, as I discovered, the film was cut down from 140 minutes to 120 minutes and, a little before the release date, cut down even further to 95 minutes. A bit of a shame there isn’t a director’s cut or at least the 45-minutes of footage available, though I suspect Paramount probably lost the footage (as they did with Event Horizon). I don’t know if a longer movie would’ve helped, but can’t think it’d hurt given how slap-dash this one was.
In the end, Another 48 HRS isn’t awful but the pairing of Murphy — who apparently was the driving force playing upon his superstardom — and Nolte never quite worked and I can’t say there’s anything terribly memorable, both in terms of bad guys or the action sequences. In addition, Murphy is better in his element, at least with the comedic aspects, being a bit livelier as shown in the Beverly Hills Cop franchise or Coming to America. Here, and with his Reggie character, a tad subdued save for a couple scenes. |
SPECIAL FEATURES – 2½/5 |
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This release is number 20 in the “Paramount Presents” line and comes with a slip cover with a front opening showing the film’s original poster art. Inside is a redemption code for the Digital HD copy. Filmmaker Focus (14:35) has director Walter Hill discussing the development of the sequel and its challenges; and the Theatrical Trailer (1:31). |
VIDEO – 4½/5 |
| Paramount releases Another 48 HRS onto Blu-ray for the first time in North America, presented in the original 1.85 widescreen aspect ratio. The 1080p high-definition transfer was taken from a new 4K restoration and the picture here looks great, detail is very well defined and sharp, the original film grain is still present so no apparent usage of DNR, which thankfully has mostly gone away from the bad old days of Blu-ray. In any case, other than maybe some minor specs, mostly blink or miss it variety, this looks like a clean transfer. |
AUDIO – 4/5 |
| The disc comes with an adequate Dolby TrueHD 5.1 track. For a movie that does feature plenty of action, among which some gunplay, this doesn’t have that wow factor going for it. Dialogue does comes across the center channel with fine clarity and there is some minor depth for James Horner’s wonderful score, including the catchy steel drum (?) music. In addition, there are some ambient noises coming from the rear channels. |
OVERALL – 3/5 |
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Another 48 HRS is another average if not also forgettable sequel to a movie that I personally never was in love with, although I found it mostly entertaining. The dynamic between Murphy and Nolte wasn’t very strong and the manufactured conflict was pretty annoying. I guess for the right price, or you’re a completist, this is worth picking up to pair with the first film. |
Check out some more 1080p screen caps by going to page 2. Please note, these do contain spoilers.