It's always fun to see a cinematic friendship form out of unexpected places. Buddy cop movies usually have two reluctant partners who get on each other's nerves forced to team up and save the day, becoming friends in the process. The rom-com genre is filled with movies about two people who can't stand each other ending up falling in love.
But what about those movies where sworn enemies end up forming a bond? These are not characters who don't get along, but rather two people who are actively working against each other — or even trying to kill each other. When characters like this end up finding common ground, it can be all the more memorable.
Batman V Superman: Dawn Of Justice (2016)
Fans had long been waiting to see Batman and Superman share the screen in a live-action movie for years. But they probably didn't expect them to be so mad at each other. Batman V Superman continued Zack Snyder's dark take on the DC universe with this messy showdown between the iconic heroes.
Following the events of Man of Steel, Batman sees Superman as too dangerous of a threat while Superman sees Batman as an out-of-control vigilante. While the heroes were on a collision course with each other, fans knew they would become allies in the end, even if the reason for their eventual understanding was pretty ridiculous.
L.A. Confidential (1997)
The stylish noir movie L.A. Confidential takes a look back on Los Angeles in the 1950s while focusing on a trio of detectives all drawn into the same murder investigation. Two of those detectives, Bud White and Ed Exley, are not just reluctant colleagues; they are sworn enemies.
White is a brutal cop who is not above using excessive force on suspects he deems to be guilty. Exley is a strait-laced young officer who wants to weed out cops like White. These two men come to blows at various times until they realize they are at the center of the same conspiracy that needs them both to get it solved.
Assault On Precinct 13 (1976)
One of John Carpenter's early directorial efforts, Assault on Precinct 13 is a raw and thrilling action movie that sees a secluded police station under siege from a group of deranged murders looking to kill everyone inside.
The best defense the station has are the heroic highway patrol officer and the slick criminal who is behind bars inside. Though they start off on opposite sides of the prison cell, they form an unlikely alliance as they fight back against the would-be intruders and form a mutual respect for each other.
The Man From U.N.C.L.E. (2015)
Though it was somewhat dismissed by critics and audiences when it was released, Guy Ritchie's remake of the television spy show The Man from U.N.C.L.E. is actually a very fun throwback spy movie.
It follows an American CIA agent and a KGB operative who are forced to work side-by-side after trying to kill each other. The movie deserves some credit for never making these two really like each other but simply showing that they make a good team when the fate of the entire world is on the line.
Fast Five (2011)
Many consider Fast Five to be the best entry in the Fast and Furious franchise, and a lot of that seems to be due to the addition of Dwayne Johnson as Luke Hobbs. With Dom and his crew on the run, Hobbs is a relentless lawman attempting to take them down.
This leads to some great confrontations between the two musclebound bald guys, including one legitimately thrilling fight sequence. However, when both of them are targeted by a drug lord, Hobbs puts aside his duties to the law and teams up with Dom to get some revenge.
Enemy Mine (1985)
Audiences might not be aware of this '80s sci-fi gem, but it is well worth seeking out. Enemy Mine takes place during an intergalactic war between humans and an alien species. When two soldiers from opposing sides become stranded on a strange planet, they must rely on each other to survive.
The movie is a fun and surprisingly touching buddy movie that develops between two beings who were once hellbent on destroying each other. It makes for a thrilling project for sci-fi fans to check out.
Midnight Run (1988)
While some of Robert De Niro's more recent comedies have not been so great, Midnight Run proves how effective he can be in the genre given the right role. De Niro plays a bounty hunter who is transporting a wanted fugitive (Charles Grodin) across the country to prison. However, they are hunted by cops, gangsters, and fellow bounty hunters along the way.
De Niro and Grodin play so well off each other as the grumpy lawman and the talkative white-collar criminal, respectively. Their road trip adventure gives way to an understanding between the two men that is funny and heart-warming.
Pulp Fiction (1994)
While Pulp Fiction tells a few individual crime tales, one of the wildest stories involves Bruce Willis as Butch, a boxer on the run from a gangster. After going back on his agreement to throw a fight, Butch attempts to skip town as Marcellus Wallace searches for him to enact revenge.
After a chance run-in, these two men find themselves beating each other to death in a pawn shop only for things to take a bizarre turn. As it turns out, the pawnshop owner is more twisted than they are, leading to these men coming together to fight their way out of a nightmare scenario.
Toy Story (1995)
Pixar's first movie was a hilarious and wonderful adventure about what toys do when the kids aren't around. Woody is a cowboy toy who is replaced as his owner's favorite by the amazing new spaceman toy Buzz Lightyear.
With Woody's resentment of his replacement and Buzz's delusional insistence that he is a real spaceman, these two do not see eye to eye. But when they are forced together unexpectedly, they help each other realize their individual value as beloved toys for Andy.
Step Brothers (2008)
The winning comedic combination of Will Ferrell and John C. Reilly helped to make Step Brothers one of the most bizarre and hilarious comedies in recent memory. They play middle-aged men who have failed to grow up and leave home but when their mother and father get married, these two adult babies find themselves living under the same roof.
They quickly form an intense hatred for each other, even attempting to kill each other at various points. But as they are forced to spend time together, they eventually realize how much they have in common and become best friends, which ends up being much more destructive.