Last night I took the time to watch this 1982 action/comedy. It's my first buddy comedy of this little journey, the first Eddie Murphy movie, the first "classic" action movie but most importantly, the first Sonny Landham movie! I saw Predator for the first time when I was about 7 and I can't speak for my brothers but "Billy" was the man! Ventura had the cool minigun, Weathers had those arms and Schwarzenegger was the hero but Landham was fucking hardcore! When he dropped his guns and cut the X into his torso on the middle of the bridge I thought, That's it! The movie's over! The Predator is dead! You know the Predator crapped his little alien-underwear and just shot him from 100-yards out and up a tree with his little shoulder cannon. While I'm not a fan of his political views (Sonny not the Predator. Predators are know equal rights activists. If they weren't so steadfastly pro "ripping-out-humans-central-nervous-systems" I would vote Predator in the next elections) he was a total badass. He never has many lines but when he does, he delivers. He has a booming voice and obvious Native American features that makes him seem like some kind of evil poltergeist (which he was also in) ready to drag you down to some metaphysical hell. Not to mention the laugh. If you saw Predator you know the laugh. Fuck, even the Predator wanted to laugh like him! It's not any different in 48 Hrs. Even though his partner "Gantz" does most of the killing throughout the movie, Landham's "Billy Bear" is infinitely more intimidating. Certainly wouldn't have wanted to run into him in some dark, foggy alley in San Francisco's Chinatown. He was probably just as imposing in his adult film appearances...
Anyway, 48 Hrs was pretty good. There's a decent amount of characterization in the movie, something lacking in most action films. Some of the dialogue comes off corny but forgivable. Nick Nolte and Eddie Murphy make a good pairing, they're no Wilder/Pryor but who is? Amirite? I'm not a fan of racist humor; but take that out of the movie and you've got maybe 15 minutes. Of course, it plays out as a ample commentary on racism by police in general. With Nolte's character going as far as saying, "I was just doing my job (as a cop), keeping you (a black man) down." An entertaining, fun, occasionally genuinely suspenseful movie worth the time it took to watch.
Well crap, now what am I going to write about if I ever make it to Predator?
