Tin Can Lineup: 10 Best Buddy Cop Duos

With this weeks opening of "The Other Guys" starring Will Ferrell and Mark Wahlberg, we decided to round up the Tin Can "I-Team" to find and rank the Top 10 Buddy Cop Duos in film history. So if you like over the top action, cheeky one liners and more cliches than you can shake a stick at (we know we do) be sure to check and see if your favorites make the cut as we count em down after the jump.





10.) Starsky & Hutch (Ben Stiller and Owen Wilson)

A remake of the 1970's TV show team comedy stars Ben Stiller and Owen Wilson. Stiller's character Starsky is a super dedicated detective who is only worried about the "job". Meanwhile Wilson's Hutch is the laid back approach type. Once they are thrown together all sort of buddy cop cliches go down as they try to stop drug dealer Vince Vaughn. That's the point though in this 70's satire, and it works. Snoop Dogg is also a scene stealer as their snitch "Huggy Bear". Check out the scene below as the duo trys to chase down Vaughn near the end of the film.




9.) Men in Black (Tommy Lee Jones and Will Smith)

The classic battled veteran cop who takes on a greenhorn rookie right before he retires, but with an alien twist. In one of the roles that turned Will Smith into a super mega star he gets laughs as the wise cracking Jay. Tommy Lee Jones plays the straight man to Smith's comedien as the hardened Kay, but not without being funny in his own right. The two also went on to star in a (forgettable) sequel and reportedly will be giving it a 3rd go around very soon. Laughs, action and a race against time to save Earth from an alien invasion? Thats how you get into our top 10. Check out the original trailer below.




8.) Money Train (Wesley Snipes and Woody Harrelson)

This is actually our 2nd favorite Snipes and Harrelson hook-up, unfortunately they didn't play cops in "White Men Can't Jump" Their obvious chemistry is hard to miss in this underrated tale of subway cops (who also just happen to be foster brothers) who come up with a plan to rob the "money train" that they usually are in charge of protecting. Will they go thru with it? Jennifer Lopez also makes her first major role debut. Almost a forgotten mid 90's action flick lean on plot, but heavy on fun with Snipes and Woody running the show. Check out the two below doing their thing.




7. Rush Hour (Chris Tucker and Jackie Chan)

Remember when Chris Tucker made movies? Yea us niether. But apparently once upon a time he joined up with martial arts legend Jackie Chan to make a pretty cool buddy cop movie. Chan plays a a Hong Kong detective who comes to America to track down a kidnapped daughter of a Chinese official. He is paired with Tucker who plays a brash, witty and above all loud LA Detective who trys to show Chan how things are done in LA. The usual culture clash stuff happens, before they realize they must work together and of course hilarity ensues. Great nostaglia pic for when Chris Tucker was funny, and Rush Hour movies were good. Below the two meet for the first time.




6.) Red Heat (Arnold Schwarzenegger and James Belushi)

Heres hows a buddy cop movie works. You take Cop A, who is hardworking and dedicated to police work and does everything by the book and you team him with Cop B a bumbling, unorganized loaf who is also usually pretty funny.  Now usually they have to be thrown together against their wills and come from opposite backgrounds, like  say a sterotypical Russian police officer played here by Tin Can favorite Arnold Schwarzenegger and a crazy Chicago detective played by James Belushi. The two are thrown together in hopes of chasing down a Russian drug dealer. Usual 80's action fare here, but Arnold's extra high flat top makes this one worth the price of admission alone.You'd be hard pressed to find a more cliche' filled buddy cop caper but thats what this list is all about and we love it. Watch Arnold get his Kremlin on in the original trailer below.




5.) Die Hard With a Vengeance (Bruce Willis and Samuel L. Jackson)

John McClain (Bruce Willis) works alone, but in this third installment of the Die Hard series he is forced to pick up a partner in store owner Zeus (Samuel L. Jackson). The two are forced together by a mad man bomber played by Jeremy Irons. This one breaks a couple rules as Jackson isnt technically a Cop and it really is more an action/thriller than action/comedy but we loved this duo so much that we wanted to fit them on the list. Their chemistry is apparent and McClain does garner a few laughs with his one liners. Also unlike a few movies on this list Die Hard 3 is a honest quality flick. John McClain is a legendary cinematic figure in our eyes and the Original Die Hard should be on a short list of greatest action movies ever, this is a worthy sequel. Watch as Bruce Willis brings Sam Jackson along for the ride below.




4.) 48 Hours (Eddie Murphy and Nick Nolte)

Eddie Murphy ruled Hollywood as one of the top funny men during the 80's, early 90's and 48 Hours is where it all began. His and Nolte's early 80's teaming helped set up the Buddy Cop formula that we are celebrating here today. Although technically Murphy's character "Reggie Hammond" isn't a cop, this movie wrote the book that almost every other movie on this list followed. Hammond is a slick, cool, wise cracking convict released to help Nick Nolte's hardened no time for jokes tough guy cop "Jack Cates" chase down a killer. Either Murphy helps Nolte track down the killers in the next 48 hours or he goes back to prison. Equal parts good action and good comedy 48 hours is still a fun watch nearly 30 years later.




3.) Tango & Cash (Sylvester Stallone and Kurt Russell)

I've always enjoyed this film. As far as late 80's action flicks go I feel like it gets overlooked as one of the best. The reason of course is because of the two leading men. Ray Tango (Stallone) and Gabe Cash (Russell) are rival cops from opposite sides of the city who are both framed by evil doer "Perret" played by Jack Palance. With the city's two top cops locked up behind bars Palance is free to do his evil deeds undetered. Although they hate each other they must come together to clear their names and save the day. Again nothing you haven't seen before but done better than usual, and the one liners come fast and furious. A young Teri Hatcher also stars long before she was a desperate housewive. Original trailer below.




2.) Bad Boys (Will Smith and Martin Lawrence)

For our money there has never been a funnier pairing in buddy cop history. Fresh out of the world of  "The Fresh Prince" Will Smith plays Mike Larry, a smooth talking ladies man who is independently wealthy yet has a need for action. Martin Lawrence is his partner and best friend who is a dedicated family man who trys to avoid "action" at all costs. The two are after a murdering drug kingpin, while battling the issues of a case of mistaken identity. The laughs and action are both non stop. The movie is stylish, fun and very high on the "re-watch" meter. Joe Pantoliano plays their stressed out captain and the three have some of the most memorable scenes together. Smith and Lawrence teamed back up 8 years later for a steroided sequel which is also worth a watch, even if Michael Bay did over due the slow motion. Check out the memorable opening scene below--bad guys......whatcha gonna do?




1.) Lethal Weapon (Mel Gibson and Danny Glover)

The Citizen Kane of Buddy Cop movies. Long before Mel Gibson became insane he made some pretty cool movies. If 48 hours invented the buddy cop formula, then Lethal Weapon perfected it. Glover plays the seemingly close to retirement sergeant Roger Murtaugh (although he held on for 3 sequels over a decade) who is partnered with the seemingly insane (yes obviously a stretch for Gibson) sergeant Martin Riggs, who also apparently has a death wish. Neither is looking for a partner but must figure out a way to work together in order to stop a, you guessed it....drug smuggler. Not nearly as cheesy as a lot of buddy cop movies, Lethal Weapon is a very good movie with a solid script. The acting by the leads is very good, and their chemistry is off the charts. With loads of memorable scenes and some of the best back and forth banter in the genre Lethal Weapon is still the crown jewel in the buddy cop crown. Check out how the two members of the buddy cop dream team first met, and hear Danny Glover deliver his famous "I'm too old for this shit" line below.