Another 48 Hrs
Although it is still one of the more entertaining sequels of the era, Walter Hill’s follow-up to his seminal action-comedy is nonetheless hamstrung by rigidly sticking to the formula established in the original: Introduce the villains first thru a violent opening scene, show the audience Nolte’s Jack Cates character in action in the midst of the current case he’s investigating, and then have it tie back somehow to Murphy’s Reggie Hammond character who is still in prison, requiring them to team up to solve the case. They even throw in another scene with Reggie taking charge in a honky-tonk bar like in the first film. Admittedly though, the chemistry and camaraderie of the two stars is retained: Although the racial tension between the two has been greatly toned down, they still work together well and their scenes of bickering and working shit out are always entertaining, as well as the little jabs they take at each other for the benefit of others (Nolte describing Murphy as a child molester at one point is a highlight). The plot itself involves Nolte’s relentless hunt for a faceless drug kingpin known as The Iceman, who has taken out a contract on Murphy’s life for having seen his face during the robbery that was referred to in the first film. Indeed, one of the better things about the story is how it ties back to events in the previous entry, including having the leader of a trio of murderous bikers working for the Iceman be the younger brother of the first film’s main villain, played pretty well by Andrew “Wishmaster” Divoff. Regardless, there are a few plot holes as well as some other plot points that get glossed over too quickly (What is the connection between the Iceman and the Bernie Casey character? Why is the Iceman so interested in the character’s daughter? Was Reggie really guilty of the crime that got him an additional five years in the joint??). Reportedly, Hill’s original cut of the film came in at 140 minutes, before the studio cut it down to 95, so maybe additional details that could have cleared things up were trimmed. Hill does a good job of setting things up for a fast-paced three-way shootout at the end, with Cates and Hammond vs. The Bikers vs. The Iceman and his henchman, although when the Iceman’s identity is revealed, one has to wonder how this major drug kingpin, who is worth untold millions of dollars, would even bother working his day job that serves as his cover, when he could have easily have had a puppetmaster role working in the shadows. Nonetheless, despite its weaknesses, a fine little comedy-action film in its own right that serves as a fun companion piece to the original…
7/10