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Morton Schmidt and Greg Jenko (21 Jump Street)
The Cops: Former classmates, Schmidt is the overweight nerd who gets his first taste of high school popularity during their undercover assignment, while Jenko is the failing jock who learns the importance of hard work.
The Partnership: The two become best friends as they initially help each other during police training - Schmidt tutoring Jenko throughout his studies and Jenko helping to get Schmidt physically fit. Together, they make up for each other's weaknesses to form a bumbling, sometimes-catastrophic - but effective - partnership.
Best Moment: After their friendship is threatened by their distancing roles at school, the pair fall out with each other. All is forgiven though when the big bad shoots Schmidt and Jenko takes the bullet for him. Of course Schmidt then responds by shooting off the bad guy's penis.
Lee and Carter (Rush Hour)
The Cops: Initially, Lee is an efficient Hong Kong Police Force inspector, while Carter is a rude, irritating LAPD detective with aspirations of joining the FBI.
The Partnership: Carter’s frantic fast-talking is offset against Lee’s more physical comedy, providing a bubbly balance of action-packed silliness.
Best Moment: Lee and Carter argue over which of their fathers was the better cop: “My daddy once saved five crackheads from a burning building, all by himself”, “My daddy once caught a bullet with his bare hand...”
Jack Cates and Reggie Hammond (48 hours)
The Cops: Jack is the veteran San Francisco cop out to find the prison escapee that killed his friend, while Reggie is the convict’s quick-witted former partner, released from prison for 48 hours to help Jack track the man down.
The Partnership: Jack’s grizzled determination to catch the killer is tested by Reggie’s super-confidence and brash humour, but the pair gradually bond.
Best Moment: Arriving at redneck bar Torchy’s to chase up a lead, Reggie stands up to the prejudiced crowd waving his newfound deputised status: “There’s a new sheriff in town and his name is Reggie Hammond!”
Jimmy 'Popeye' Doyle and Buddy 'Cloudy' Russo (French Connection)
The Cops: Popeye is the streetwise detective who’s only too happy to break the rules if it means catching criminals. Cloudy is the partner who follows his lead, getting in over his head along the way.
The Partnership: Popeye is headstrong, relying on gut instinct and blind determination, often pushing Cloudy to join him in his questionable police work.
Best Moment: The Poughkeepsie shakedown: a classic good cop/bad cop routine in which Cloudy interrogates a drug dealer while Popeye butts in with unusual, threatening questions.
Agent J and Agent K (Men In Black)
The Cops: Agent J is a fish-out-of-water, smart-mouthed rookie. Agent K is his jaded, stoical partner.
The Partnership: There's much mentoring as Kay opens Jay's eyes to the inner - and outerspace - workings of intergalactic law enforcement, but Jay sees it as an opportunity to update some of the MIB practices in the process.
Best Moment: Kay erases a witness’ memory and comes up with a cover story, which Jay proceeds to call “weak-ass” and instead plants some ideas into her subconscious to help her improve her life, including going shopping and hiring a decorator.
John McClane and Zeus Carver (Die Hard With A Vengeance)
The Cops: McClane is the burnt-out but resourceful LA cop with a nonsensical catchphrase. Zeus is the unwillingly deputised citizen with a racism chip on his shoulder.
The Partnership: Zeus is the out-of-his-depth, streetwise brains to McClane's no-nonsense tough guy brawn.
Best Moment: In a race to complete one of Simon’s games, McClane and Zeus take a taxicab shortcut through Central Park. “Are you aiming for these people?” cries Zeus. “No! Well, maybe that mime” comes the reply.
Axel Foley, Billy Rosewood and John Taggart (Beverley Hills Cop)
The Cops: Foley is the fast-talking streetwise Detroit cop, Rosewood is the idealistic, often bumbling detective and Taggart is his disapproving, by-the-book partner.
The Partnership: Foley's charismatic recklessness leads Rosewood astray, and he ultimately wins over Taggart too once he proves that his dynamic approach to law enforcement is WHAT GETS RESULTS.
Best Moment: Foley establishes himself as the alpha male of the group by getting one up on his soon-to-be-buddies in the most ingenious and masterful way possible. Um... bananas in the tailpipe.
Nicholas Angel and Danny Butterman (Hot Fuzz)
The Cops: Angel is the hard-lined, by-the-book super-policeman, while Danny is essentially one of many village idiots who just so happens to wear a police uniform.
The Partnership: Angel acts as Danny's mentor at first, tutoring him in how to be an effective copper, while Danny helps to soften his partner up.
Best Moment: A night out drinking and then back to Danny’s for a viewing of both Point Break and Bad Boys II. Talking of which...
Marcus Burnett and Mike Lowrey (Bad Boys)
The Cops: Mike Lowrey is the flash, slick cop who is a hit with the ladies. Marcus is his less-smooth family man partner.
The Partnership: Marcus is the butt of many jokes, and the two bicker like old ladies with an ancient family feud, but they are, for all intents and purposes like brothers at heart.
Best Moment: An argument over Marcus dropping food in Mike’s flash car gets out of hand in front of two carjackers, only for it to turn out to be an intuitive distraction that helps them get the better of the thieves. Classic cop-buddying, right there.
Martin Riggs and Roger Murtaugh (Lethal Weapon)
The Cops: Riggs is the initially-suicidal, often-reckless, always-resourceful crazy-eyed partner of Murtaugh, who is frankly too old for his sh…enanigans.
The Partnership: Despite Murtaugh’s stuffy early reservations, the pair soon become very close, with the Murtaugh family semi-adopting Riggs as one of their own. As a partnership, Riggs does most of the legwork, while Murtaugh still does most of the worrying.
Best Moment: In Lethal Weapon 2, Riggs finds Murtaugh sitting on a bomb-rigged toilet seat. With Riggs refusing to leave his side as the bomb squad arrive, the pair manage to escape certain death by leaping into the bathtub as the bomb explodes.
