One thing that many artists, photographers, and filmmakers rely upon to strengthen their paintings, photos, and films is “dynamic tension,” the use of contrasting energies and movements to draw the viewer's eye, capture their attention, and create friction or a sense of struggle between objects or characters. In film, dynamic tension is the main ingredient of every “buddy cop” movie, created by pairing up two disparate people who might have the same goals, but very different styles, personalities, backgrounds, or approaches to overcoming the obstacles that drive the plot of the story towards the conclusion. The push-and-pull between buddy cops helps to build dramatic tension, while also providing numerous comedic opportunities.
Though some credit 1981's Night Hawk starring Sylvester Stallone and Billy Dee Williams as the first buddy cop movie – and it very clearly influenced other, more successful, ‘80s movies like Beverly Hills Cop, 48 Hours, and Lethal Weapon – the origin of the