Summary
- The buddy cop genre thrived in the 1980s and ’90s, with mismatched characters fighting crime together.
- Common archetypal pairings include the conventional detective vs. the renegade cop, or the wise veteran vs. the cocky rookie.
- Hard Boiled, Rush Hour, and Men in Black are examples of ’90s action films with unique twists on the buddy cop genre.
The buddy cop genre gained a new wave of popularity in the 1980s, and the following decade saw some classics of the genre. After Eddie Murphy and Nick Nolte’s 48 Hrs, studios have been throwing mismatched characters together to fight crime. The key to the buddy cop genre is the tension between the two main characters, as they are forced to work together.
One of the most common archetypal pairings of the buddy cop genre is the by-the-book stuffed shirt and the renegade cop who dispenses justice as he sees fit. Other common pairings include the veteran and the rookie, or the local and the out-of-town visitor. Some of the best action movies of the 1990s feature a pair of squabbling cops working a case together, especially when the comedic dynamic between the two stars is enjoyable to watch.
Related 10 Harsh Realities Of Rewatching ’90s Action Movies
Action movies from the 1990s are easy to love, but after decades of ever-improving technology and changes in society, they don’t rewatch the same way.
10 Beverly Hills Cop III (1994)
Eddie Murphy And Judge Reinhold Bring Back The Beverly Hills Cop Franchise
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Beverly Hills Cop 3
Director John Landis Release Date May 25, 1994 Cast Eddie Murphy , Jon Tenney , Joey Travolta , Eugene Collier , Jimmy Ortega , Ousaun Elam
Before Beverly Hills Cop III, Eddie Murphy had already worked with director John Landis on Coming to America and Trading Places, two of his best movies. Unfortunately, their creative partnership yielded a rare miss on this occasion, and it ended with the lowest point of the Beverly Hills Cop franchise. Judge Reinhold returns as Detective Billy Rosewood to partner up with Axel Foley on another case in Southern California.
Although
Beverly Hills Cop III
doesn’t come close to the quality of the first two movies from the 1980s, there are some great moments peppered throughout.
Although Beverly Hills Cop III doesn’t come close to the quality of the first two movies from the 1980s, there are some great moments peppered throughout. Bronson Pinchot makes his return to the franchise as Serge, and the action is kicked up a notch. The Beverly Hills Cop franchise seemed dead and buried after the third movie, and it took 30 years for Eddie Murphy to return with Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F.
9 I Come In Peace (1990)
Dolph Lundgren And Brian Benben Stumble Onto An Alien Conspiracy
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I Come in Peace
Director Craig R. Baxley Release Date September 28, 1990 Cast Dolph Lundgren , Brian Benben , Betsy Brantley , Matthias Hues , Jay Bilas , Jim Haynie , David Ackroyd , Sherman Howard , Sam Anderson
I Come in Peace, released originally as Dark Angel, is one of the weirdest action movies of the 1990s, but it’s undeniably fun to watch. Dolph Lundgren stars as a vice cop who bends and breaks the rules in his pursuit of a gang of white-collar drug dealers in Houston. Partnered with a by-the-book FBI agent, he uncovers the bizarre alien conspiracy behind the gang’s activities.
By pairing a renegade cop with a straight-laced partner,
I Come in Peace
sticks to one of the biggest tropes of the buddy cop genre. This allows it to get weird in other aspects of its story.
I Come in Peace is unapologetic schlocky fun, with a healthy dose of comedy and a love of explosions that borders on self-indulgence. By pairing a renegade cop with a straight-laced partner, I Come in Peace sticks to one of the biggest tropes of the buddy cop genre. This allows it to get weird in other aspects of its story, and there are aliens terrorizing the city with razor-sharp spinning discs.
8 Lethal Weapon 3 (1992)
Mel Gibson And Danny Glover Return To Their Iconic Buddy Cop Franchise
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The Lethal Weapon franchise couldn’t sustain the quality of the first two movies, and Lethal Weapon 3 seems well aware of this fact. Between trying to make references to the first two movies and trying to create dialogue with the same zip, Lethal Weapon 3 is too busy reliving the past to come up with enough original ideas. Shane Black’s absence was never so keenly felt.
Mel Gibson and Danny Glover helped make the buddy cop genre what it is today as Murtaugh and Riggs.
Despite its shortcomings, Lethal Weapon 3 still benefits from the electrifying chemistry of its two leads. Mel Gibson and Danny Glover helped make the buddy cop genre what it is today as Murtaugh and Riggs. Gibson is set to direct Lethal Weapon 5, which will be the franchise’s first movie since 1998. Fans will be hoping for a return to 1980s form, however.
7 The Last Boy Scout (1991)
Bruce Willis And Damon Wayans Are A Charming Odd Couple
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The Last Boy Scout
Director Tony Scott Release Date December 13, 1991 Cast Bruce Willis , Damon Wayans , Chelsea Field , Noble Willingham , taylor negron , Danielle Harris
The Last Boy Scout features a complex conspiracy involving sports gambling, political corruption, blackmail and murder, but the action keeps things fairly simple. There is no problem the two heroes encounter which cannot be solved with some kind of explosion or other high-octane action sequence. Bruce Willis brings his action star pedigree to The Last Boy Scout, and he strikes up an enjoyable barbed dynamic with Damon Wayans.
The Last Boy Scout
received mixed reviews when it was first released, but it has since been enjoyed as a slice of goofy ’90s action.
The Last Boy Scout opens with the shocking scene of a football star whipping out a gun and shooting his opponents on his way to the end zone. This sets the tone for the entire movie, which has several other jaw-dropping action scenes which don’t have any basis in the real world. The Last Boy Scout received mixed reviews when it was first released, but it has since been enjoyed as a slice of goofy ’90s action.
6 Supercop (1992)
Jackie Chan And Michelle Yeoh Show Off Their Martial Arts Skills
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The third entry in Jackie Chan’s series of Police Story movies partners him up with Everything Everywhere All At Once‘s Michelle Yeoh, leading to an action overload to delight fans of the martial arts genre. Supercop has plenty of humor to go with its great fight scenes. Chan is operating at the peak of his powers, both in terms of dangerous stunts and physical humor.
Supercop
gets a lot of its dramatic and comedic tension from the prickly relationship between its two main characters. Likewise, it’s a joy to watch Chan and Yeoh trying to outdo one another.
Supercop gets a lot of its dramatic and comedic tension from the prickly relationship between its two main characters. Likewise, it’s a joy to watch Chan and Yeoh trying to outdo one another while still working as a team. Whether they are fighting gangsters on the roof of a moving train or infiltrating a drug lord’s compound in Thailand, the two are constantly battling it out to see who can pull off the most impressive moves. The buddy cop genre is usually dominated by men, so it’s refreshing to see Michelle Yeoh’s character.
5 Die Hard With A Vengeance (1995)
Bruce Willis And Samuel L. Jackson Team Up For The Best Die Hard Sequel
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Die Hard With A Vengeance
Director John McTiernan Release Date May 19, 1995 Cast Bruce Willis , Jeremy Irons , Samuel L. Jackson , Graham Greene , Colleen Camp , Larry Bryggman , Sam Phillips
The first Die Hard movie was a sensation that influenced the action genre for decades, but the franchise failed to immediately capitalize on this success. After the first sequel tried to retread the same ground, Die Hard With a Vengeance dared to shake things up by putting John McClane in the middle of a buddy cop movie. Samuel L. Jackson came in alongside Bruce Willis as his reluctant partner, Zeus Carver.
Director John McTiernan strings together some exhilarating action sequences, but the highlight of the movie is the combative dynamic between Willis and Jackson.
Die Hard With a Vengeance reinvigorated the franchise, and it remains the best Die Hard sequel by some distance. Director John McTiernan strings together some exhilarating action sequences, but the highlight of the movie is the combative dynamic between Willis and Jackson. The franchise could have had a second life if more sequels had focused on the two of them, rather than taking a break for over a decade.
4 Bad Boys (1995)
Will Smith And Martin Lawrence Kick-Start A Franchise In Style
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Bad Boys Where to Watch
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Director Michael Bay Release Date April 7, 1995 Cast Martin Lawrence , Will Smith , Jordi Molla , Gabrielle Union , Peter Stormare , Theresa Randle
The first Bad Boys didn’t enjoy the same positive critical response as the franchise’s more recent efforts, but Michael Bay’s buddy cop classic is a fast-paced action thrill ride that was just as popular with fans. Will Smith and Martin Lawrence play two Miami police officers and best friends who must protect a witness to a murder while investigating the theft of $100 million of heroin from their police precinct.
The
Bad Boys
franchise has developed more interesting storylines since its first entry, but the special ingredient will always be the boisterous, brotherly dynamic between the two leads.
Smith and Lawrence’s comedic chemistry is delightful from the jump. The Bad Boys franchise has developed more interesting storylines since its first entry, but the special ingredient will always be the boisterous, brotherly dynamic between the two leads. Michael Bay’s direction is also just as splashy and vibrant as ever. His excessive style makes Bad Boys an entertaining popcorn flick, better suited to audiences than critics.
3 Hard Boiled (1992)
Chow Yun-fat And Tony Leung Chiu-wai Star In An Unconventional Buddy Cop Thriller
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Hard Boiled is a must-watch for fans of the action genre. Although it wasn’t the first movie John Woo and Chow Yun-fat worked on together, it might be their most triumphant collaboration. The story is incredibly simple, with an obsessed cop teaming up with an undercover detective to take down a dangerous drug cartel, but the action scenes are breathtaking from start to finish.
From the explosive tea house shootout at the beginning,
Hard Boiled
lays down a marker as one of the most creative and kinetic action movies ever made.
From the explosive tea house shootout at the beginning, Hard Boiled lays down a marker as one of the most creative and kinetic action movies ever made. The action scenes use John Woo’s signature style of gun fu, blending Eastern and Western influences into a glorious patchwork of stylized violence. Hard Boiled is an unusual style of buddy cop thriller, since the two detectives never know how far they can trust one another, but this makes it all the more exciting.
2 Rush Hour (1998)
Jackie Chan And Chris Tucker Are A Hilariously Mismatched Duo
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Rush Hour Where to Watch
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Director Brett Ratner Release Date September 18, 1998 Cast Ken Leung , Chris Tucker , Tzi Ma , Tom Wilkinson , Jackie Chan , Mark Rolston , Rex Linn , Elizabeth Peña
Rush Hour stars Jackie Chan and Chris Tucker as a pair of mismatched detectives forced to work together on a kidnapping case. The crime takes place on Carter’s home turf in Los Angeles, but it involves one of Lee’s former employers from Hong Kong. This sets up a brilliant culture clash comedy as the two cops bring their conflicting styles to the investigation. Lee has his martial arts skills, and Carter has a short temper and a gun.
Rush Hour
is a brilliant culture clash comedy, as the two cops bring their conflicting styles to the investigation.
Rush Hour has a hilarious script, but it’s also an excellent showcase for Jackie Chan’s physical comedy. Chris Tucker often attempts his own lame versions of Chan’s remarkable stunts, making them seem even more impressive by comparison. The Rush Hour franchise couldn’t hit the same heights in its next two installments, but there have been persistent rumors of a potential Rush Hour 4 for years.
1 Men In Black (1997)
Tommy Lee Jones And Will Smith Blend Buddy Cop Tropes With Sci-Fi Adventure
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Director Barry Sonnenfeld Release Date July 2, 1997 Cast Tommy Lee Jones , Rip Torn , Linda Fiorentino , Will Smith , Vincent D’Onofrio
Men in Black puts a sci-fi twist on the buddy cop genre, with Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones playing two detectives of a secret government agency tasked with keeping New York City’s population of extra-terrestrials in check. Men in Black has plenty of hilarious quotes, but its intergalactic scope also provides room for some surprisingly poignant moments between the two main characters.
They’re an odd couple forced to work together under extreme pressure, and that’s what buddy cop movies are built on, with or without aliens.
Although Men in Black deals with an invasion from a giant insectoid alien, it still has all the key tenets of a buddy cop movie. Will Smith plays the cocky young rookie, while Tommy Lee Jones is his wise old partner. They have an emotional mentor-trainee relationship, but their playful dynamic reaches beyond such restrictive classifications. They’re an odd couple forced to work together under extreme pressure, and that’s what buddy cop movies are built on, with or without aliens.