Another 48 Hrs. - 4K Restoration

The Iceman cometh!

Yeah, so Another 48 Hrs. might not be the film fans wanted at the time of its release, but it still EXPLODES with action scenes that sees bodies flying all sorts of places as they are shot by a crazy biker gang.  And that’s just in its opening scene, which arguably is one of director Walter Hill’s best western styled openings.

"might not be the film fans wanted at the time of its release, but it still EXPLODES with action scenes that sees bodies flying all sorts of places"


Okay, okay, so this new release from Paramount Presents is NOT the much talked about and never seen extended cut of Another 48 Hrs. but, as a fan of the original, it definitely has its moments as we retread over the beats of the original and attempt to make it better.  I mean, at least everyone is pretending like they didn't do it for the massive paycheck!  With more!more!more! as its marching orders, the death toll in this sequel quickly rises as that same biker gang signs up to kill our favorite convict, Reggie Hammond (Eddie Murphy).

Rather quickly, we have more manslaughter than the original outing as Nolte, reprising his role as San Francisco cop Jack Cates crosses speeding motocross lanes to shoot a suspect (before he himself goes up in flames).  Suddenly, he’s on trial for manslaughter and just like that his search for the Iceman, an infamous drug runner, is put on pause, but that doesn't mean The Iceman is going to put his desires to kill either Cates or Hammond on . . . ice.  

Something is amiss, but Cates knows that The Iceman wants hem dead, yet it will take an attempt on Reggie's life - via bus (in a scene which sees a bus getting flipped something like 17 times before coming to a rest) - before he agrees to join Cates for another team-up.

Hitting the same tone as the original, this hard-hitting buddy cop movie got trashed too hard by the critics and the fans alike.  It simply is an attempt to bring the characters we love from the original back in a whole new life-threatening caper and, without missing a beat, Walter Hill does exactly that. Another 48 Hrs. - 4K Restoration

I suppose, if we all think too hard about it, we can come to the conclusion that it was the fans that changed and turned their back on Another 48 Hrs. because - after watching the two films back to back on their 4K debuts from Paramount Presents - there is only a slight dip in quality from the first to the second and that is probably because this version of Another 48 Hrs. is still the hatchet job edited version Paramount released all those years ago.

That’s right, there are 25-minutes that Walter Hill hopes sees the light of day someday.

With a dialed in performance from Brion James, Another 48 Hrs. is both fun and familiar as Nolte (with a fresh new haircut) and Murphy return to their roles and begin the bickering all over again.  Why does The Iceman want Reggie dead?  Neither man knows much about the chaos falling down around them, but they are better together than working solo.

There are truly some great moments as Murphy loses his cool at Nolte time and time again.  In fact, it could be suggested that - as far as comedy goes - Another 48 Hrs. tickles the funny bone a bit more than the first.  That scene with Murphy calling his so-called friends?  Hilarious.  The banter between the two actors is also completely ON FIRE as they find themselves chasing down Ganz’s brother (from the original film) and the women he dated.

The boys are back in town!  Another 48 Hrs. and the original film, 48 Hrs., are both available in new 4K transfers from Paramount Presents.

4/5 beers

 

 Another 48 Hrs. - 4K Restoration

Blu-ray Details

Home Video Distributor: Paramount Pictures
Available on Blu-ray
- July 6, 2021
Screen Formats: 1.85:1
Subtitles
: English, English SDH, French, German, Japanese
Audio:
English: Dolby TrueHD 5.1; German: Dolby Digital 2.0; French: Dolby Digital 2.0; Japanese: Dolby Digital 2.0
Discs: Blu-ray Disc; single disc
Region Encoding: Locked to Region A

The boys are back in town—in the faster, tougher smash-sequel that reunites director Walter Hill with Eddie Murphy and Nick Nolte. Eight years after the first 48 hours of mayhem, Reggie (Murphy) is about to be released from the pen. But, after the bus transporting him from the pen flips over (17 times), Inspector Jack Cates (Nolte) enlists the ex-con for another seemingly impossible two-day task to nail an elusive drug lord. This newly restored, limited edition Blu-ray has been remastered from a 4K film transfer and includes an all-new look back at the making of the movie with director Hill. 

Video:

This brand-new HD release of Another 48 Hrs sports a brand-new restoration by Paramount from a 4K scan of the original negative.  Fans of 48 Hrs. already know what a Murphy-led restoration looks like.  This one is pretty fantastic.  Presented in a 1.78:1 aspect ratio utilizing the AVC codec, the images are crisp and full of colors.  Black levels are always sturdy and layered as the neon colors of the lights in this endless night of cat and mouse chasing falls all around.  There are some scenes where the colors land bold, bright and the shadows are thick with lines and deep blacks. Even the opening in the desert-blasted southwest looks crisp in this 4K presentation.

Audio:

James Horner’s on-point score for the sequel sounds fantastic on this robust Dolby TrueHD 5.1 mix.

Supplements:

Commentary:

  • None

Special Features:

This release includes all-new supplemental items from Walter Hill, who talks about the making of the movie.

  • FILMMAKER FOCUS: Walter Hill on Another 48 Hrs. 
  • Theatrical Trailer

Blu-ray Rating

  Movie 4/5 stars
  Video  5/5 stars
  Audio 5/5 stars
  Extras 3/5 stars

Composite Blu-ray Grade

4.5/5 stars


Film Details

 Another 48 Hrs. - 4K Restoration

MPAA Rating: PG-13 on appeal for crude sexual content and language.
Runtime:
94 mins
Director
: Chris Addison
Writer:
Mark Frost, Daniel F. Bacaner
Cast:
Stanley Shapiro; Paul Henning; Dale Launer; Jac Schaeffer
Genre
: Comedy | Crime
Tagline:
They're giving Dirty Rotten Men a run for their Money.
Memorable Movie Quote: "I had no idea how small time I was until I met you."
Theatrical Distributor:
MGM
Official Site: https://www.thehustle.movie/
Release Date:
May 10, 2019
DVD/Blu-ray Release Date:
August 20, 2019.
Synopsis: In the hilarious new comedy THE HUSTLE, Anne Hathaway and Rebel Wilson star as female scam artists, one low rent and the other high class, who team up to take down the dirty rotten men who have wronged them.

 

Art

 Another 48 Hrs. - 4K Restoration