One of my dad’s favorite movies when I was growing up was 48 Hrs. He loved it and I would often
hear him quote lines from it to his buddies. Since I thought my dad was the
funniest dude in the world in those days, I became obsessed with seeing the
movie. Due to its “R” rating, however, neither of my parents would let me watch
it. Except for my memorizing of the film synopsis on the back of the VHS box
and occasionally sneaking downstairs late at night while my parents were
watching the film to see 30- to 40-second clips here and there, I never got
familiar with 48 Hrs. until much
later in life. But I was obsessed with it, and I would quote those same lines
that my dad would quote to my own friends at school. For all intents and
purposes, it was “my favorite movie” and I had never even seen it. What made
the film so appealing to me was not only the presence of Eddie Murphy (although
I was already a giant fan of his stand-up comedy records, unbeknownst to my
parents), but the other leading man: Nick Nolte. I loved his roguish good looks
and his gruff cigarette smoker’s voice. I loved his large and looming stature.
I loved that he would use verbal and physical jabs at his film counterpart when
he became frustrated with him (which was often) like some kind of modern-day
Moe Howard. Nick Nolte became my first favorite actor and I wanted to see
everything he’d ever done.
In 1989,
when I was eleven years old, a little film called Three Fugitives was released in theaters. Directed by Francis
Veber, it pairs Nolte with Martin Short. The film is a remake of the French
film Les Fugitifs, also directed by
Veber. As a comedy fan, I was excited by the fact that Mr. Ed Grimley himself
was starring in a new film with my favorite actor. I was even more excited by
the film’s “PG-13” rating. I bothered my parents for weeks to take me to the
movie, but alas it came and went in theaters and I never got to go. And back
then, it seemed to take ten years between theatrical release and home video
release. When I finally saw the film, it was worth the wait. I instantly loved
it and has become a go-to movie for me ever since.
Nolte plays
Daniel Lucas, an ex-con who was just released from prison after serving five
years of a ten-year sentence for armed robbery. On the day he is released,
Lucas goes to the nearest bank with his prison payroll check to open a savings
account. While inside, an armed man (Short) comes in and holds the place up.
The robber is inept and clumsy and barely bungles through the robbery. When the
police are notified, the robber decides to take a hostage and picks Lucas. Due
to Lucas’ past, the police assume that he and the robber are working together.
After eluding the police and accidentally shooting Lucas in the leg, the robber
identifies himself as Ned Perry, an unemployed widower who robbed the bank to
provide for his six-year-old daughter, Meg, who has been mute since the death
of her mother. After Ned enlists the help of his senile veterinarian friend to
tend to Lucas’ wound, Lucas, Ned and Meg all go on the lam, much to Lucas’
chagrin. The trio end up forming an unlikely family-type bond in the process. 
The film seems to be widely disliked by viewers and critics. Its Rotten Tomatoes score
is so embarrassingly low that I don’t even want to say what it is here. User
comments tend to range from “unfunny, dated” to “irredeemably uneven.” While I
do think that those words are a trifle harsh, I’m not going to argue and tell
you that it’s a groundbreaking piece of cinema or anything like that. It just
isn’t. However, I can say that it’s a warm story with a hilarious cast that
works very well together. The scenes between Nolte and the little girl are
particularly touching. When the two get separated from Ned, it is up to the reluctant
Lucas to watch over Meg as they track her father down. Meg becomes so fond of
her temporary guardian that when they do find her father and Lucas decides to
part ways with them, Meg breaks her years-long silent spell and utters the
words, “don’t go.” The scene is so heart-wrenching that I get close to tearing
up every time I see it. Even Lucas and Ned’s relationship starts out violent
and angry and forms into a close friendship (still with some occasional
violence). It reminds me very much of Nolte’s prior on-screen dynamic with
Eddie Murphy in 48 Hrs.
Call it nostalgia or sentimentality, but my cockles still get all warm watching this movie. When I
was re-watching it recently for this article, I felt like eleven-year old Jon
again. I laughed at the same dumb jokes and slapstick moments from the film’s
leading men. I got excited at the more action-oriented scenes. Most of all, I
was reminded what it was like to be a kid obsessed with a movie star. I don’t
expect this reaction from most viewers; the film hasn’t aged super well, after
all. But I do think that if you grew up in the ‘80s and are a fan of
buddy-style crime comedies, Three
Fugitives might just be right up your alley.
-
Jonathan Eagle
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