Point Break (1991)
The Bros: Johnny Utah (Keanu Reeves) and Bodhi (Patrick Swayze)
The Shenanigans: Utah's a cop (well, an FBI agent) and Bodhi's a crim, but they won't let that get in the way of their blooming feelings. Bonding largely over their love of the surf, it's all to easy for undercover Utah to forget where his loyalties lie.
Just Friends? That's questionable, but we'll never know for sure as Bodhi surfs his final wave in Australia at the movie's close.
Hot Fuzz (2007)
The Bros: Nicholas Angel (Simon Pegg) and Danny Butterman (Nick Frost)
The Shenanigans: Top London rozzer Angel is transferred to the sleepy town of Sandford, where he joins the lazy local bobbies on the beat. Like many a memorable bromance, their union is initially hostile, before they unite to uncover the murderous conspiracy that's rocking the village.
Just Friends? Things get a bit emotional, and Point Break is directly invoked, but this one just stays on the purely platonic side.
Superbad (2007)
The Bros: Evan (Michael Cera) and Seth (Jonah Hill)
The Shenanigans: Your usual teenage antics, which will be poignantly familiar to anyone who struggled to get invited to parties, had difficulty buying booze, or saw friendships survive the end of school. So most of us then.
Just Friends? They do spend their time trying to score chicks, but their final sleeping-bag sleepover is a little close for comfort.
The Lord of the Rings trilogy (2001-2003)
The Bros: Frodo (Elijah Wood) and Sam (Sean Astin)
The Shenanigans: Our Hobbit mates are already close friends before they're tasked with trekking across Middle Earth to destroy the One Ring in Mount Doom. Their affection (just) survives the limited rations of lembas bread, the interference of Sméagol, and Frodo's growing ring delirium.
Just Friends? Like many a bromance, their super-close relationship ("Oh, Sam!") has faced much scrutiny over the years.
Lethal Weapon (1987)
The Bros: Martin Riggs (Mel Gibson) and Roger Murtaugh (Danny Glover)
The Shenanigans: The buddy-cop drama is ripe turf for bromantic relationships. No film embodies that more that more perfectly than Lethal Weapon , which pairs on-edge Riggs with too-old-for-this-shit Murtaugh.
They get up to all sorts of cop stuff, but it's a big heroin operation that they've got their eyes on.
Just Friends? Riggs is still reeling from the death of his wife, and the kind of support Murtaugh supplies is mainly avuncular.
Bad Boys (1995)
The Bros: Mike Lowery (Will Smith) and Marcus Burnett (Martin Lawrence)
The Shenanigans: The bromance subgenre gets a dose of Bayhem in this action thriller. Best bud tecs have to swap lives to solve a drugs case; needless to say, that with Bay at the helm, things go down with a minimum of subtlety and a maximum of explosiveness.
Just Friends? With all the macho posturing going on, we doubt this'd go any further (and if it did, Lawrence would really be punching above his weight).
Tango & Cash (1989)
The Bros: Raymond Tango (Sylvester Stallone) and Kurt Russell (Gabriel Cash)
The Shenanigans: Who would have thought that man-love would bloom between slickly-haired, sharply-suited Tango, and mulleted rebel Cash? Well, be thankful for Jack Palance's crime lord, as his dastardly scheme sees the pair banged up together in a high-security prison, where their partnership inevitably develops.
Just Friends? Times get tough when you're affection-starved in prison, and they look very comfortable sharing a shower. Cash also makes for an eerily effective woman in drag, but he wisely transfers his (true?) feelings onto Tango's sister.
Midnight Run (1988)
The Bros: Jack Walsh (Robert De Niro) and Jonathan 'The Duke' Mardukas (Charles Grodin)
The Shenanigans: Bounty hunter Walsh is hired to bring in runaway accountant 'The Duke' before his bail bond expires.
The journey's not easy for the two future-buddies, who have to make their way New York to LA without flying (The Duke claims he's scared), and with the FBI and some double-crossed mobsters on their tail. No wonder they get close…
Just Friends? The relationship isn't afforded a huge amount of time to develop, what with The Duke disappearing enigmatically at the end…
Batman Begins (2005)
The Bros: Bruce Wayne (Christian Bale) and Alfred Pennyworth (Michael Caine)
The Shenanigans: The bond between a billionaire and his butler is always a special one, and there's no footman more dedicated than Alfred, who's been close to Bruce since the death of his parents. He's also pretty discreet when it comes to masked-vigilante escapades.
Just Friends? Of course; he's loyally served the Wayne family for years.
Midnight Cowboy (1969)
The Bros: Joe Buck (Jon Voight) and Ratso (Dustin Hoffman)
The Shenanigans: Bromances don't always involve light-hearted larks. Grubby Ratso takes Joe in after his American dream (of selling his bod to rich women in NYC) turns sour. Grim viewing, but never less than compelling.
Just Friends? They tread a fine line, but Ratso probably couldn't afford it anyway.
