'48 HRS.', the film that redefined the 'buddy' picture for the 80's, has finally been given the much needed remastering it deserves. Released in 1982, this was Eddie Murphy's film debut (and some might argue, high point of his career). While Murphy proved that he had what it takes for the big screen with a brilliant first outing, it was Nick Nolte's performance as Jack Cates, the tired, world weary cop that provided the balance to Murphy that would prove lacking in many of Murphy's future films. Directed by action-meister Walter Hill and produced by Lawrence Gordon and Joel Silver who, together or seperately, would later bring to the screen such crowd pleasers as 'Predator' and 'Predator 2', as well as all three 'Lethal Weapon' films.
The new, THX approved, video transfer on this disc makes this film look better than I can remember it ever looking. Solid, accurate color, excellent sharpness, detail and contrast all combine to give this transfer the pleasing look of film. There are remarkably few video artifacts visible and it is this that I have come to consider the most important aspect of a video transfer. The absence of distractions such as dot crawl, chroma noise and moire is an important factor in allowing the viewer to forget about the medium and concentrate on the film. This transfer does just that. '48 HRS.' was shot flat and this transfer has been matted to a ratio of about 1.85:1.
The audio has also benefitted from a remaster. The Dolby Stereo soundtrack contains a number of good directional effects as well as liberal use of the surround channel. The audio on this disc is very dynamic while retaining good balance between dialog and the music and effects. Though the use of all four channels for many of the gunshots sounds a bit contrived, overall, this is an effective, high impact, soundtrack. I did notice the slightest bit of distortion in the higher frequencies in a few scenes, but due to the very limited nature may well have been physical damage to the sound elements.
The film runs 97 minutes and contains 15 chapters. No trailer or other extras have been included. Paramount, it seems, has finally gotten rid of those cheap poly inner sleeves, opting for the paper/poly sleeves but they also seem to have found a new home at the $40 single disc price point. Like most of the recent reissues from Paramount, this one lists for $39.98.
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