The 5 best duos in action movies, ranked

1 month ago

Action movies person been astir since nan dawn of cinema, but nan action genre arsenic we cognize it came to beryllium during nan ’70s and ’80s. The look for action movies hasn’t changed overmuch successful nan decades since then. While galore modular action flicks spell for a azygous lead, for illustration Bruce Willis successful Die Hard, Sylvester Stallone in Rambo, and Arnold Schwarzenegger successful nan Terminator films, action comedies thin to activity champion erstwhile pairing up 2 stars arsenic duos successful buddy flicks.

The champion duos successful action movies are almost ne'er one-off occurrences. If thing worked good nan first time, past you tin count connected Hollywood to revisit nan good again and again. But we’re okay pinch a fewer much sequels if it intends that our choices for nan 5 champion duos successful action movies tin squad up 1 past time.

5. Martin Lawrence and Will Smith

Martin Lawrence and Will Smith successful Bad Boys

Martin Lawrence and Will Smith were already established TV stars erstwhile head Michael Bay agreed them successful Bad Boys, a buddy bull movie that critics perfectly hated. Audiences felt otherwise astir Smith’s Mike Lowrey and Lawrence’s Marcus Burnett, a brace of detectives successful nan Miami constabulary department.

The first Bad Boys was particularly funny because it created a business wherever Marcus had to dress to beryllium Mike successful bid to triumph complete nan spot of an informant, Julie Mott (Téa Leoni). To support nan deception intact, Mike nan family man had to measurement into nan domiciled of Marcus nan playboy, and vice versa. Smith and Lawrence reteamed pinch Bay for Bad Boys 2, earlier nan duo came backmost for a 3rd movie, Bad Boys for Life, successful 2020. A 4th movie was reportedly group to statesman filming this twelvemonth earlier it was derailed by nan presently ongoing SAG-AFTRA strike. When nan actors spell backmost to work, Smith and Lawrence will apt beryllium backmost together again.

Watch Martin Lawrence and Will Smith in Bad Boys via rental aliases integer acquisition connected Prime Video.

4. Tommy Lee Jones and Will Smith

Tommy Lee Jones and Will Smith successful Men successful Black.

Although Men successful Black is technically a sci-fi film, it’s besides an action drama that thrives connected nan move betwixt its 2 stars: Tommy Lee Jones and Will Smith. Nobody does “grizzled aged veteran” rather for illustration Jones, and astatine this constituent successful his career, Smith was still nan caller young movie star. They played disconnected of each different truthful good that audiences hardly noticed that Men successful Black was only 98 minutes long. Everyone was conscionable having excessively overmuch nosy watching Agent K (Jones) show Agent J (Smith) nan ropes aft he joined nan secretive Men successful Black organization, which keeps nan bid betwixt humans and nan amazingly ample number of aliens who besides unrecorded connected Earth.

Smith and Jones reunited for Men successful Black II, but they only concisely shared nan surface successful Men successful Black III because Smith’s J was trapped successful nan past successful bid to prevention a younger K, arsenic played by Josh Brolin. Still, this benignant of action duo doesn’t conscionable hap by accident. Nor is their onscreen enslaved easy to recreate, arsenic illustrated by Sony’s grounded effort to revive nan franchise without Smith and Jones successful Men successful Black International.

Watch Tommy Lee Jones and Will Smith in Men successful Black via rental aliases integer acquisition connected Prime Video.

3. Nick Nolte and Eddie Murphy

Nick Nolte and Eddie Murphy successful 48 Hours.

Eddie Murphy made his large surface debut successful 48 Hrs., but he wouldn’t person been capable to parlay that into greater stardom without Nick Nolte’s awesome move arsenic Jack Cates, nan cleanable consecutive man to Murphy’s Reggie Hammond. 48 Hrs. wasn’t nan first buddy action movie, but it was 1 of nan champion and it helped popularize nan genre.

Within nan film, Nolte’s Jack Cates is an inspector for nan San Francisco constabulary section who was retired to recapture 2 vulnerable convicts: Albert Ganz (James Remar) and Billy Bear (Sonny Landham). Jack was truthful hopeless to bring them down that he made a woody pinch their erstwhile associate, Reggie (Murphy), to temporarily merchandise him from situation for 48 hours. Although Reggie sewage connected each azygous 1 of Jack’s nerves, nan onscreen drama chemistry betwixt Murphy and Nolte was undeniable. That’s 1 of nan reasons why they reteamed for a sequel, Another 48 Hrs., successful 1990.

Watch Nick Nolte and Eddie Murphy in 48 Hrs. on Paramount+.

2. Chris Tucker and Jackie Chan

Chris Tucker and Jackie Chan successful Rush Hour.

There are fewer much improbable duos than Chris Tucker and Jackie Chan. Regardless, their first team-up successful Rush Hour was a runaway hit. Chan played Chief Inspector Lee, 1 of nan champion cops successful Hong Kong, who felt nan request to travel to Los Angeles erstwhile Soo-Yung Han (Julia Hsu), nan girl of Lee’s adjacent friend, Consul Solon Han (Tzi Ma0), was kidnapped by a supplier lord.

Tucker’s LAPD Detective James Carter was assigned to support Lee engaged and retired of nan investigation. But Lee and Carter deed it disconnected arsenic partners and they decided to activity together. A batch of nan drama successful this duo comes from Tucker’s motor-mouth antics and wisecracks. But Chan is nary slouch erstwhile it comes to joke … particularly pinch his unsocial marque of beingness comedy. The first Rush Hour was genuinely lightning successful a bottle, and moreover nan 2 sequels are a batch of fun, acknowledgment to this move duo.

Watch Chris Tucker and Jackie Chan in Rush Hour via rental aliases integer acquisition connected Prime Video.

1. Mel Gibson and Danny Glover

Mel Gibson and Danny Glover successful Lethal Weapon.

When it comes to nan champion duos successful action movies, cipher did it amended than Mel Gibson and Danny Glover crossed 4 Lethal Weapon movies. They group nan template successful nan first movie successful 1987, and nary different franchise since has been capable to afloat recapture that magic. Even nan short-lived Lethal Weapon TV bid connected Fox played for illustration a ray imitation of nan films.

Because Gibson and Glover played disconnected of each different truthful naturally, it’s easy to hide that nan first Lethal Weapon was a batch much superior than its sequels. Sergeant Martin Riggs (Gibson) was suicidal complete nan decease of his wife, and his caller partner, Roger Murtaugh (Glover), was alarmed by Riggs’ decease wish. And yet by nan extremity of nan original movie, Riggs and Murtaugh were practically family. That’s a move that carried Gibson and Glover each nan measurement done Lethal Weapon 4. Hollywood keeps threatening to make Lethal Weapon 5, but it hasn’t happened yet. Maybe it’s a amended thought to conscionable fto these 2 spell retired connected top.

Watch Mel Gibson and Danny Glover in Lethal Weapon via rental aliases integer acquisition connected Prime Video.