[IMG:L]In the hilarious crime spoof Hot Fuzz, just released on DVD, super cop Nicholas Angel (Simon Pegg) and his overeager partner Danny Butterman (Nick Frost), two small-town police officers, are ready to take down perps at a moment’s notice. But Angel and Butterman are hardly the first big-screen cop duos. We counts down the Top 10 buddy cop duos:
10. Ray Hughes & Danny Costanzo, Running Scared
Actors Who Play Them, Respectively: Gregory Hines & Billy Crystal
The 411: Hughes and Costanzo are a pair of wisecracking Chicago cops who unintentionally blow the lid off a long-running undercover drug operation—after which they are forced to take a “vacation” away from the force. Spending time in Key West, Fla., Danny comes up with the idea to retire and buy a bar. Ray goes along with the idea, but they both feel like they have some unfinished business in Chicago to take care of first, namely bringing down the big, bad drug dealer.
9. Danny McGavin & Bob Hodges, Colors
Actors Who Play Them, Respectively: Sean Penn & Robert Duvall
The 411: McGavin, a confident young cop, is shown the ropes by his veteran partner, Hodges. But in the dangerous gang-controlled barrios of L.A., enforced by the colors that members wear, things are about to explode into violence. If he’s not careful, McGavin is going to get himself—and his partner—caught in the crossfire.
[IMG:R] 8. Joe Gavilan & K.C. Calden, Hollywood Homicide
Actors Who Play Them, Respectively: Harrison Ford & Josh Hartnett
The 411: Veteran detective Joe Gavilan, a weary but tenacious police veteran at the top of his game professionally, though his personal life is rapidly unraveling. His partner, K.C. Calden, seems to be more interested in his side jobs as a yoga teacher and aspiring actor than in the high-profile gangland-style murder they are currently investigating. Welcome to Hollywood: the land of blue skies, palm trees–and dead bodies.
7. Ray Tango & Gabe Cash, Tango & Cash
Actors Who Play Them, Respectively: Sylvester Stallone & Kurt Russell
The 411: Tango and Cash are two rival narcotics detectives who, for obvious reasons, can’t stand each other. But their world is about to change when a crime lord frames them for murder. Thrown into prison with most of the criminals they helped convict, it appears Tango and Cash are going to have to trust each other if they are to clear their names and catch the evil doer.
6. Scott Turner & Hooch, Turner & Hooch
Actors Who Play Them, Respectively: Tom Hanks & a French Mastiff
The 411: Neat freak Turner has just three days left in the local police department before he moves to a bigger city for some “real” police work. Then the local wino Amos Reed is murdered on his house boat, and Turner is handed the case. Now, the closest thing to a witness is Reed’s dog, Hooch, a slobbery, cantankerous, house-deconstructing mutt who turns Scott’s orderly world upside down—and helps the detective solve the murder.
[IMG:L]5. David Starsky & Ken Hutchinson, Starsky & Hutch
Actors Who Play Them, Respectively: Ben Stiller & Owen Wilson
The 411: Detective David Starsky is the most dedicated undercover cop working the mean streets of Bay City, California. Detective Ken “Hutch” Hutchinson is a good cop but his hazardously laidback personality and desire for a quick buck don’t always get the job done. Thrown together, this unlikely duo uses their canniest undercover skills, hardcore street smarts and striking good looks to solve the crime and make sure the criminal does the time.
[IMG:R]4. Sonny Crockett & Ricardo Tubbs, Miami Vice
Actors Who Play Them, Respectively: Colin Farrell & Jamie Foxx
The 411: Urbane and dead smart, vice cop Tubbs teams up with the charismatic and slick Crockett, as they work undercover transporting drug loads into South Florida to identify a group responsible for three murders. The intensity of this case pushes Crockett and Tubbs out onto the edge where identity and fabrication become blurred, where cop and player become one.
[IMG:L]3. Chief Inspector Lee & James Carter, Rush Hour
Actors Who Play Them, Respectively: Jackie Chan & Chris Tucker
The 411: As the FBI scrambles to save the life of the kidnapped daughter of the Chinese Consul, the diplomat hires trusted Hong Kong police detective Lee to find the girl. Unwilling to have their investigation invaded by a meddling outsider, the FBI assigns James Carter, a rogue LAPD detective, to keep Detective Lee away from the case at any cost. They both quickly realize, however, each other’s potential, and these two cops from very different worlds join forces to save the young girl. More adventures to follow.
[IMG:R]2. Mike Lowrey & Marcus Burnett, Bad Boys
Actors Who Play Them, Respectively: Will Smith & Martin Lawrence
The 411: Two South Miami cops and best friends–Mike Lowrey, a wild bachelor, and Marcus Burnett, a family man–must track a master thief and murderer into the Miami underworld, dodging bullets and bad guys along the way. Enter a sexy witness who mistakenly believes Burnett is Lowrey. Now, between shoot-outs and car chases, married man Burnett has to stick close to their only eyewitness while playboy Lowrey goes home to his partner’s wife and kids, maintaining the charade until the case is solved.
1. Martin Riggs & Roger Murtaugh, Lethal Weapon
Actors Who Play Them, Respectively: Mel Gibson & Danny Glover
The 411: Steady and calm Murtaugh has just turned 50, and only has a few more years to go before he retires from the LAPD. Wild card Riggs has just lost his wife in an accident and doesn’t care if he lives or dies. When they are paired together, Murtaugh has a tough time dealing with Riggs’ suicidal attitude towards work, but when they get down to the nitty-gritty to investigate a drug dealer, it’s a start to a beautiful friendship.