Brooklyn Nine-Nine season 7 revealed that Captain Holt served as the inspiration for a classic action film - but only teased which one it might be. Created by Dan Goor and Michael Schur, the workplace sitcom follows the adventures and misadventures of New York's 99th police precinct. Starring Andy Samberg as Detective Jake Peralta, Brooklyn Nine-Nine originally debuted on Fox and ran for five seasons. The show then jumped to NBC for seasons 6 and 7. Now in the middle of airing the latter, Brooklyn Nine-Nine has been renewed for season 8.
The popular comedy also stars Stephanie Beatriz as Detective Rosa Diaz, Terry Crews as Lieutenant Terry Jeffords, Melissa Fumero as Sergeant Amy Santiago, and Joe Lo Truglio as Detective Charles Boyle. The highly dysfunctional group is usually overseen by Captain Raymond Holt. Played by Andre Braugher, the character had quite the tumultuous (yet still hilarious) journey across Brooklyn Nine-Nine season 7. After being demoted, Holt spent the majority of the episodes as a beat cop. He also had to deal with the death of his longtime nemesis, Madeline Wuntch, and her posthumous plot to destroy him. However, the worst was yet to come.
After being restored as Captain, a criminal targeted a little too close to home by kidnapping his beloved dog, Cheddar. Though he tasked Jake with leading the recovery, Holt took matters into his own hands. While he was hilariously forbidden by Jake from using grenades in his vendetta, Holt ultimately didn't need them. Not only did he chase the kidnapper down by clinging to the roof of his car, but engaged him in a fight right out of an action film. A thrilled Jake enthusiastically declared it the coolest thing that had ever happened. Holt replied that it wasn't even close to the coolest thing he had ever done. It was then that he unveiled that his exploits in the 1980s had served as the basis for a film. Unfortunately, he wasn't able to recall its title. He was, however, able to drop several clues. Here are all the potentials:
Passenger 57
Passenger 57 starred Wesley Snipes as John Cutter, an airline security expert. He finds himself embroiled in a terrorist plot when his plane is hijacked by a psychotic crime boss seeking to escape justice. Passenger 57 put Snipes on the map as an action-movie star - but, in the world of Brooklyn Nine-Nine, does he actually owe that fact to Captain Holt? Jake Peralta certain seemed to think so. The moment Holt mentioned that the inspirational adventure had seen him as a passenger on a plane, Jake interjected that that must be it. Unfortunately, Jake's interruption served to prevent Holt from offering more details.
Rush Hour
Amid Jake's flustered excitement, Holt then stated, "sometimes I don't understand the words coming out of your mouth". Since it is similar to an iconic line from the film, Jake immediately leaped on this to suggest the film might have been Rush Hour. Released in 1998, the action-comedy starred Chris Tucker and Jackie Chan as a mismatched pair of police offers forced to work together to track down a diplomat's kidnapped daughter. Though there is an element of international travel, a plane plays little part in the story. As such, despite the similar line, Rush Hour is probably the least likely option - especially since, if Chris Tucker's character was based on Holt, the filmmakers would have taken some serious liberties in bringing him to life.
Lethal Weapon
Another dialogue-based option emerged when, exasperated by Jake's attempts to guess, Holt says, "I'm too old for this crap!" Clearly a play on Danny Glover's iconic line from the Lethal Weapon series, Jake ultimately settles on it being Roger Murtaugh that Holt served as the basis for. Though, again, there is next to no inclusion of anything regarding a plane. Still, it certainly tracks a lot more than Rush Hour. After all, Holt and Murtaugh have a lot in common - from their ages and decades of experience to their initially by-the-book nature. However, if Lethal Weapon is what Holt inspired, despite what Jake asserted, Holt's actions throughout the episode actually lent credence to the idea that Holt might be a lot more like Riggs than he traditionally lets on.
Die Hard or Die Hard 2
One option that was largely ignored, however, was that of Die Hard and its 1990 sequel, Die Hard 2. While the majority of Die Hard's action famously takes place in a locked down skyscraper, the film actually opens with John McClane (Bruce Willis) arriving in Los Angeles via plane from New York. As such, when mentioning being a passenger on a plane, could Captain Holt have merely been about to relay the entire story from the beginning - and in characteristically minute detail? More plausible, however, is that Holt inspired Die Hard 2. The majority of the sequel takes place in and around an airport - with the actual crimes involving planes. While Holt stated he had been a passenger on a plane, the film based on him may have just taken customary liberties and translated the action to the ground.
Having it be an installment of the Die Hard franchise would be especially amusing. Jake Peralta is, after all, a noted fan of the films. Learning that Holt served as the basis for at least one of them would surely blow the detective's mind. Given how long the show took to solve the mystery regarding Scully's wife and dog, however, fans of Brooklyn Nine-Nine may be in for quite the wait before the answer is revealed - whatever the case may be.