Year: 1987
Runtime: 88 mins
Language: English
A by-the-book FBI agent pairs with a burly, good‑natured narcotics detective, forming an unlikely partnership to pursue a drug kingpin tied to a militant hate organization. Their contrasting methods clash and then blend as they chase leads through gritty streets, battling the cartel’s enforcers and confronting the extremist threat.
Warning: spoilers below!
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Read the complete plot breakdown of The Wild Pair (1987), including all key story events, major twists, and the ending explained in detail. Discover what really happened—and what it all means.
Detective Sgt. Ben “Benny” Avalon, Bubba Smith, is a tough but good-natured cop who is well-known around his inner-city neighborhood and acts as an active mentor to local youth when off-duty. Avalon is unmarried but shares his life with a cat named Beatrice, and a pretty downstairs neighbor named Debby, Lela Rochon.
One night while Avalon plays basketball at a neighborhood gym, a team of commandos murders two teens and sets an adjacent building on fire with explosives. The attackers then shoot at people evacuating the burning building, while their commander, Col. Hester, Lloyd Bridges, watches from a darkened Cadillac. Avalon knows several victims—a local girl and a low-level drug dealer—adding a personal sting to the atrocity.
A man later revealed to be FBI Special Agent Joe Jennings, Beau Bridges, sits at a topless bar hoping for “big action.” A dancer points him toward an established drug dealer named Ivory Jones, Raymond St. Jacques, but Avalon enters the scene, the dancer leaves, and a barroom scuffle erupts. When Jennings tries to arrest Avalon, the police officer identifies himself, and the two men face off.
Avalon and Jennings are paired by Captain Kramer, Gary Lockwood, as reluctant partners to infiltrate Jones’ criminal network. Jennings resists the arrangement, but the FBI approves the assignment. Over time, the men develop a wary rapport and even foil a supermarket robbery during a tense moment of shopping, though distrust still lingers between them.
Investigations reveal that The Sentinel is a white supremacist militia led by Hester, a retired military officer who has suffered the loss of a son in combat. He aims to “finish the fight” against what he calls nefarious non-white influencers funded by Jewish backers, and he plans to use guerrilla training at the Sentinel compound to reshape the country for his son. His young son William, nicknamed Billy Boy, is a constant reminder of his motives. The group relies on illicit narcotics profits to fund its operation.
finishing the fight
Jennings has quietly tracked some of Hester’s associates, and Avalon grows suspicious of Jennings’ motives. He disables Jennings’ car to prevent him from working alone. After Jennings stashes away, Avalon survives an assassination attempt, subdues the attackers, and accuses Jennings of a setup; Jennings denies any malpractice, and the two reconcile to focus on their shared target: Jones.
Avalon then introduces Jennings to his friend Fern Willis, Ellen Geer, at a restaurant where Debby is also present, but the dinner is interrupted by gunfire from masked attackers. Tucker, Danny De La Paz, is revealed to have been killed, and both Debby and Fern flee; Beatrice—the cat—perishes in the chaos as Avalon swears revenge.
Kramer returns to the precinct with Avalon waiting. Kramer tries to dodge responsibility but ultimately admits that Hester is behind the bigger plot. Avalon breaks Kramer’s neck, ending his role in the conspiracy.
A battered Jennings endures torture at Hester’s direction, while an assault on Sentinel forces unfolds. A heavily armed Avalon bursts into the Sentinel camp, detonates explosives, and frees Jennings. They fight through Hester’s men, killing several, and Jennings diverts an armored limousine carrying Jones before Avalon destroys it with a Sentinel tank, killing Jones and his men. Hester flees but is confronted by Avalon at his desk, where he wounds Avalon with a blitz of high-tech weapons before Avalon fatally stabs Hester as police sirens draw near.
Back at the neighborhood gym, Avalon recovers and plays basketball with children as Jennings drops by to say goodbye before leaving for a vacation. He gifts Avalon a kitten named Joe and, with a wink, leaves the pizza delivery bill for the repairman to settle.
Last Updated: October 09, 2025 at 14:36
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Opposite personalities forced together to tackle brutal urban crime.If you liked the clashing partnership in The Wild Pair, you'll enjoy these other movies featuring unlikely cop duos. These films explore tense alliances forged in fire, where contrasting methods are the only way to take down brutal criminals in gritty urban settings.
These stories typically begin with professional conflict and personal distaste between the partners. The plot forces them to rely on each other's strengths, leading to character growth and a fusion of their methods to overcome a common, powerful enemy, often at great personal cost.
Movies are grouped here for their central focus on the dynamic between two contrasting law enforcement characters. The shared experience is the tension and eventual camaraderie that develops while tackling high-stakes, violent crime in a dark, unforgiving world.
The villains are defeated, but the victory leaves deep scars.Find more movies like The Wild Pair where the ending is a mix of victory and loss. These similar crime stories feature protagonists who achieve their goal but are left profoundly changed by the brutality and sacrifice experienced along the way.
The narrative journey is defined by escalating violence and personal loss. The climax involves a final, decisive confrontation where the antagonist is stopped, but key allies may be lost or the heroes are left traumatized, questioning if the outcome was worth the devastating cost.
These films are grouped by their shared emotional arc and conclusion. They deliver the satisfaction of resolving the plot while simultaneously imparting a heavy, melancholic feeling, creating a more complex and memorable viewing experience than a simple happy ending.
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