Friendly Enemy/Film

Everything About Fiction You Never Wanted to Know.


Examples of Friendly Enemies in Film include:

  • Rick Blaine (Humphrey Bogart) and Captain Louis Renault (Claude Rains) in Casablanca are a textbook example. At least until the closing scene, when, impressed by Rick's heroic sacrifice, Renault does a Heel Face Turn. Rick famously declares, "Louis, I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship."
  • Megamind and Metroman in, well, Megamind are an interesting example, although they appear to dislike each other at the start, it's later revealed that Metroman actually likes Megamind, calling him "little buddy", and Megamind basically loses all motivation when he thinks Metroman's dead. This is probably because there's no indication that Metroman has a Secret Identity or life outside his heroics, and Megamind spends all his time in prison planning to destroy Metroman, or in his lair trying to do so, add to that the film's Lois Lane Expy never actually dated Metroman and it all falls into place, they have no life or meaningful relationships apart from each other, they're pretty much friends by default.
  • Frank Abagnale Jr. (Leonardo DiCaprio) and Carl Hanratty (Tom Hanks) in Catch Me If You Can. This is based on real life. While Hanratty was a compilation of the men that chased Abignale throughout his criminal career, he did remain friends with several of them after he went straight.
  • Vincent Hanna (Al Pacino) and Neil McCauley (Robert De Niro) in Heat. The two men are both dedicated to their professions (one is a cop, the other a criminal), but they understand each other very deeply.
  • Subverted in The Watcher between David Allen Griffin (Keanu Reeves) and Joel Campbell (James Spader). David thinks that this is what their relationship has become, but Joel does not agree.
  • Robin Hood and the Sheriff of Nottingham have grown into this in the film Robin and Marian. Just before their Duel to the Death, the two old enemies kneel in prayer, side by side. Robin then helps the Sheriff to his feet, and the Sheriff tells him: "God be with us, Robin."
  • Hyoe Tadokoro in The Hidden Fortress.
  • In The Wrestler, The Ram and The Ayatollah are deadly enemies according to their gimmicks, but good pals outside of the ring.
  • French Kiss has one between Jean Reno's Inspector Cardon and Kevin Kline's thief, Luc. Luc once saved Cardon's life, and Cardon believes that Luc will go straight if he has a chance, despite having stolen a $100,000 necklace. Fortunately, he's right.
  • Early on in Casino, mobster Nicky Santoro sends his son to a little league team coached by a Las Vegas city detective; the two are seen chatting pleasantly about his son's progress. This is when Nicky newly arrived in Vegas and before his increasingly Ax Crazy antics made him public enemy number one, however.
  • The detective, played by John Candy, in The Blues Brothers. He never seems anything other than amused at the brothers' antics, and insists on watching their show before arresting them.
  • In Silverado, the main villain turns out to be Cobb, Payden's friend and former riding buddy.
  • In Forgetting Sarah Marshall, Peter Bretter tries his best to hate Aldous, who has cuckolded him for over a year. However, Aldous' cheerful personality and lack of malice makes this so difficult that he eventually gives up.
  • In The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus, Parnassus has this relationship with Mr. Nick.
  • In American Gangster, although drug baron Frank Lucas and cop Richie Roberts don't even meet until the final 20 minutes of the film, Lucas almost immediately displays a grudging respect for Roberts when the latter turns down his offer of a bribe. The closing montage shows the amicable relationship evolving as the two work together to bring down NYPD's corrupt officers.

Back to Friendly Enemy