The new Bad Boys for Life trailer has Comingsoon.net feeling nostalgic, so we’re ranking our favorite wise-cracking, cap-busting, buddy cop duos. Check out our picks in the gallery below!
What makes a good duo? Is it the dialogue and chemistry? Talented actors who play off one another creating an entertaining dynamic; for example, the no-nonsense professional dealing with a less than stern wild card—two people who would normally never be put in the same room. Good films are all about organic interactions; electric scenes are a result of good writing, casting and directing. Sometimes you can get by with action and personality.
No friendship, partnership or rivalry on-screen has ever boasted more personality than that of the buddy cop duo. Throw two charismatic people in a chaotic situation and you’re bound to elicit a reaction from the audience- laughter, shrieking, maybe even some tears. Make those two characters cops (or at least one), and well, you’re going to fill a theater. It is arguably the most renowned archetypal pair in the history of Cinema. From Gibson and Glover to Smith and Lawrence, here are some of the best pairings to ever pull the trigger together (and yes, we omitted Tango and Cash).
The Best Buddy Cop Duos Ranked
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Angel and Butterman, Hot Fuzz (2007)
Although this duo is in a film which mocks the buddy cop genre, the chemistry of its leads (real-life BFFs, Simon Pegg and Nick Frost) can't help but shine through.
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Turner and Hooch, Turner & Hooch (1989)
Hey, everyone knows who Scott Turner and Hooch are. This pair makes the list based on notoriety alone.
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Ashburn and Mullins, The Heat (2013)
An unconventional detective and a pantsuit and tie FBI agent. A classic tale of blossoming and beneficial friendship—a brilliantly cast paring at the height of Bullock and Mccarthy popularity.
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Gamble and Hoitz, The Other Guys (2010)
Allen is cautious (with a surprising past) and Terry is the "guns blazing" type (who would be a more successful cop if it weren't for an incident with Derek Jeter). Will Ferrell and Mark Wahlberg's hilarity has results in a handful of films together, but none as funny as this one.
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Lee and Carter, Rush Hour (1998)
Let's be honest, the Rush Hour movies weren't that great. What elevated these pretty standard cop movies was the out of nowhere chemistry between Jackie Chan and Chris Tucker.
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Schmidt and Jenko, 21 Jump Street (2012)
The duo we never knew we wanted to see (and that's kind of the point when casts a buddy movie). The brilliant macho and not-so-macho combo that is Channing Tatum and Jonah Hill couldn't be funnier.
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Somerset and Mills, Se7en (1995)
Another brains and brawn situation: Brad Pitt plays Mills (confident homicide rookie) and Morgan Freeman plays Somerset (the wise vet). -
Hammond and Cates, 48 Hrs. (1982)
At the height of Eddie Murphy's renaissance, 48 Hrs. switched up the genre by pairing up a cop and a crook.
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Lowrey and Burnett, Bad Boys (1995)
The smooth single man and the less-than-smooth family man.
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Taylor and Zavala, End of Watch (2012)
Just two buddies. What makes this End of Watch work so well is its realism. Jake Gyllenhaal and Michael Peña feel like real cops, talking about real things.
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Harris and Hoyt, Training Day (2001)
These two are not friends; the tension felt throughout the movie and the fantastic performances of its two leads make this pairing iconic—worth mentioning.
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Kay and Jay, Men in Black (1997)
Will Smith being Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones being Tommy Lee Jones = awesome.
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Healy and March, The Nice Guys (2016)
This film was written by Shane Black (the same guy who wrote Lethal Weapon), so obviously the charismatic banter is in place. The film is made even better by the unexpected spark between Russell Crowe and Ryan Gosling.
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McClane and Carver, Die Hard with a Vengeance (1995)
John McClane and Zeus Carver make an unconventional duo. McClane being rough around the edges in all of his iconic ways and Carver being just a bad mother f&*$er from the hood.
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White and Exley, L.A. Confidential (1997)
Two detectives, one ultra-violent, the other ultra by-the-book. One of the reasons this film works so well is because of the time it takes bringing these two together, which makes the team-up that much more satisfying.
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Riggs and Murtaugh, Lethal Weapon (1987)
Perhaps the most iconic pairing of all time; many came before, and many came after, but none have been as original or electric as that of the suicidal "lethal weapon" and the homicide detective who is "too old for this s*&t."
