Top 10 Buddy Cop Films

[Hunter Rider]

http://www.superherohype.com/forums/newthread.php?do=newthread&f=31

We salute the Hot Fuzz-roasted genre.
by IGN Staff
showUSloc=(checkLocale('uk')||checkLocale('au'));document.writeln(showUSloc ? 'US, ' : '');US, April 19, 2007 - Hot Fuzz, the new flick from Shaun of the Dead team Simon Pegg and Edgar Wright, hits theaters this weekend. As most of you already know, it's a British-style police action-comedy -- a hilarious riff on the buddy cop movie.
In honor of the flick's big debut we thought we'd take a look back at the genre to which it pays homage. Here's our Top 10 Buddy Cop Movies..

10. Collision Course Okay, so there were lots of other movies we could have stuck in the number 10 spot. In fact, there were several films that barely missed making our list that are far superior to Collision Course. (Alien Nation, anyone?) But any movie that stars The Tonight Show's Jay Leno and Karate Kid's Pat Morita deserves special recognition merely for existing! What the heck is this movie? Well, it's a 1989 action-comedy that teams Morita's Tokyo-based cop with Leno's Detroit policeman on a mission to recover a Japanese turbocharger. They were doing the culture clash buddy cop thing before it was cool. Sure, it's horrendous, but there's a thin line between love and hate. And we love Collision Course.

9. Turner & Hooch
It's 1988. You're Tom Hanks. You just became a huge star after Big, a smash hit. You're positioned to take Hollywood by storm. What do you do? You follow up with a buddy cop comedy that pairs you with a crime-solving dog. It's box office gold, right? Yes, Turner & Hooch is unequivocally the best buddy cop-dog movie ever made. (Meaning that it's leaps and bounds better than Jim Belushi's K-9.) And who didn't cry at the end? Seriously. Tears...

8. Tango & Cash
In our humble opinion, the scruffy cop/smooth cop subgenre trumps the buddy cop-dog subgenre every time. That's why Sylvester Stallone and Kurt Russell's 1989 action-comedy Tango & Cash slides in at number 8. The film sees the two thesps starring as successful L.A. narcotics cops who can't stand each other because of their different styles. Stallone's Tango has it all together, while Russell's Cash is a messy bachelor. But, you guessed it, the pair must overcome their differences to bring down crimelord Yves Perret. Bonus: Perret is played by Jack Palance.

7. In the Heat of the Night
They call him Mister Tibbs! You might not immediately think of In the Heat of the Night as a buddy cop movie, but it's just that. Sidney Poitier and Rod Steiger star in this 1967 classic based on the John Ball novel. It's the story of a respected African-American police detective from Philadelphia, Virgil Tibbs (Poitier), who is mistakenly apprehended by Sparta, Mississippi Police Chief Bill Gillespie (Steiger). Only after demeaning Tibbs and showing his prejudice does Gillespie realize his error and free the man. Tibbs wants nothing more than to leave town, but an influential citizen becomes aware of his notoriety and pressures the chief into have him lead a murder investigation. And would you believe that the two men actually come to respect each other as they're forced to work together to solve the crime? Buddy cop racial reconciliation! Without this would we even have 48 Hrs., Lethal Weapon or...

 

[Hunter Rider]

6. Running Scared
Gregory Hines! Billy Crystal! What's not to love about that combination? A lot actually, but you have to remember that Running Scared (don't go getting it confused with the new-ish Paul Walker flick of the same name) was made in 1986. And back then, well, Gregory Hines, who is no longer with us, and Billy Crystal, who is no longer with us in the comedic sense, were still pretty cool. The pair starred as two detectives working Chicago's South Side who aim to bring down drug lord Julio Gonzales (Jimmy Smits). This film is also remembered for its soundtrack hit "Sweet Freedom," by Yacht Rock mastermind Michael McDonald.

5. Bad Boys
1995's Bad Boys helped launch the careers of newcomers Will Smith and Martin Lawrence. It also breathed new life into the then-stale buddy cop genre. The fast-paced, action-comedy movie was a huge commercial success for director Michael Bay. Playing off of the whole family man/ladies man team-up angle, the flick follows two detectives who must protect a murder witness while investigating a drug heist. The hit film spawned a 2003 sequel, Bad Boys II.

4. Rush Hour
When 1998's Rush Hour debuted, audiences had seen the whole buddy cop culture clash thing done many times before. But a few key elements set the Brett Ratner flick apart and made it a huge hit: the action and comedy aspects are both done with excellence; Jackie Chan has crazy martial arts skills; Chris Tucker is really, really funny. The film was followed by 2001's Rush Hour 2, which is also really good, but we're only allowing one entry into our Top 10 per franchise. And this one's still going! A third flick in the series hits theaters in August.

3. 48 Hrs.
Gruff, burly, chain-smoking San Francisco cop Jack Cates (Nick Nolte) is after the pair of vicious escaped cons (Ganz and Billy Bear) who killed his partner. The key to finding them is their glib (and currently incarcerated) ex-colleague Reggie Hammond (Eddie Murphy, in his breakthrough film role). Cates gets Reggie a "supervised" 48-hour weekend pass during which they drive each other crazy, get into a series of firefights, and eventually track down Ganz and Billy Bear. Cates and Hammond: They ain't partners, they ain't brothers, and they ain't friends... yet. 48 Hrs is a wonderful hybrid of gut-busting comedy and thrilling action that remains Walter Hill's biggest hit to date.

2. Beverly Hills Cop
48 Hrs. was Murphy's breakthrough film but Beverly Hills Cop made him an A-list star! Axel Foley (Eddie Murphy, again!) is a smart-alecky detective who leaves the Motor City for posh Beverly Hills, California. His unauthorized investigation into a childhood friend's murder -- as well as his hilarious, streetwise ways -- gets Axel into hot water with the "by-the-book" cops of the Beverly Hills police department. Ultimately, the BHPD detectives acknowledge that Axel is a good (albeit unorthodox) cop.

1. Lethal Weapon
Lethal Weapon was a huge success. It spawned several sequels and countless rip-offs. In this regard, the film's impact is still being felt today. Buddy #1 is LAPD detective and staid family man Roger Murtaugh (Danny Glover). Buddy #2 is Martin Riggs (Mel Gibson), a suicidal widower and fellow Vietnam vet. Riggs' dangerous antics often get his low-key partner riled up, but the two opposites eventually form a close and hilarious bond as they track down the drug-running mercs who have kidnapped Murtaugh's daughter. Second to none, Lethal Weapon is the paramount "buddy cop" flick!

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[Sava]

i agree with #1... Lethal Weapon is awesome and always will be IMO

 

[KenK]

Can't really argue with this lists. All my favorites are on it, and Lethal Weapon is right where it should be in the top spot.

 

[Spidey]

Can't really argue with this lists. All my favorites are on it, and Lethal Weapon is right where it should be in the top spot.

Absolutely.

 

[Warhammer]

#1, #4, #5, #8 are my favorites out of that bunch, and I also agree.
Lethal Weapon (or LW2) is and forever will have the well deserved #1 spot.
Fantastic list, btw.

 

[Catman]

Collision Course should have been #1

 

[tzarinna]

48 Hrs has got to be my all time favorite.
Mostly because I saw it when I was just a wee one in the theater and was just so impressed by it and stoked to be in an R Rated movie.

 

[chamber-music]

Lethal Weapon Rules. Riggs and Murtaugh even beat Jet Li.

 

[SolidSnakeMGS]

I picked up a triple feature with Lethal Weapon 1 - 3 for under $10. They're also the director's cuts. One of the best DVD deals I've ever run across.

 

[redmarvel]

If Turner & Hooch made the list then why didn't Dragnet and The Hard Way?

(I do agree with 1, 2, 3, 4, 6 & 8)

 

[chamber-music]

The Hard Way is a classic. James Woods and Micheal J. Fox

 

[The Chairman]

Yup, Lethal Weapon beats them all.

 

[Catman]

I picked up a triple feature with Lethal Weapon 1 - 3 for under $10. They're also the director's cuts. One of the best DVD deals I've ever run across.

Yeah, I saw that at Wal-Mart. I simply refused to buy it out of prinicpal. I've been demanding special editions of the franchise FOR YEARS!

 

[daywalker2007]

The Hard Way is a classic. James Woods and Micheal J. Fox

yep! what a classic!

i remember vividly in this movie the scene when james woods tricks michael j fox into witnessing a murder,

lol

really underrated movie!

woods is a legend!

 

[Max J Power]

I hadn't heard of "Collision Course" before reading this topic. I must see it.

 

[Catman]

I hadn't heard of "Collision Course" before reading this topic. I must see it.

You must! The movie itself is crap but its hilarious seeing Leno trying to act AND be an action hero.