10 Best Enemy Team-Up Moments In Movies

When a greater threat looms, old foes must become friends.

Pulp Fiction Marsellus Wallace Butch Coolidge
Miramax Films

Sometimes in life, you have to put aside petty differences in order to achieve your goals.

You might have to borrow money from your evil stepsisters. You might have to take advice from a former employee in order to buy back your nuclear power plant. You might have to tell people about your annoying neighbour's new left-handed store in order to stop feeling guilty.

Yes, those are all examples from The Simpsons, but they still work.

In movies, this motif happens all the time. Former enemies are often forced to come together either because they are both desperate or because they want to take down a larger antagonist.

The enemy of my enemy is my friend, and all that.

But what are some of the best examples? Who in cinema gave the best "I hate you, but I'll help you" performance of all time?

These ten examples span a wide range of plots and genres, from begrudging alliances to full-on redemption arcs, but they are all fantastic instances of characters reaching out to former adversaries for the greater good.

And no, that is not a hint that Hot Fuzz is on this list.

10. Frank Joins The Team - Catch Me If You Can

Pulp Fiction Marsellus Wallace Butch Coolidge
DreamWorks

Catch Me If You Can is Stephen Spielberg's excellent telling of the real-life exploits of conman, Frank Abagnale.

Disguising himself as a pilot among other things, Frank performs millions of dollars' worth of fraud across the United States, which draws the attention of FBI Agent, Carl Hanratty.

Leonardo DiCaprio and Tom Hanks are brilliant as Abagnale and Hanratty respectively, forging a thrilling rivalry with one another before the law finally catches up with Frank and he is arrested.

However, who better to catch a conman than a conman?

Carl proposes a deal to Frank - he can serve out the remainder of his prison sentence in relative comfort if he agrees to join the FBI in hunting other fraudsters. Frank accepts and the one-time foes are now partners.

Hanratty might be the total opposite of his nemesis, but he is smart enough to recognise talent when he sees it. Also, having made him a part of his life for years on end, there's likely a small part of Carl's brain that doesn't want to let go of Abagnale just yet.

This is a fantastic conclusion to the movie and one that is much more satisfying that just seeing Frank get caught.

Contributor
Contributor

Jacob Simmons has a great many passions, including rock music, giving acclaimed films three-and-a-half stars, watching random clips from The Simpsons on YouTube at 3am, and writing about himself in the third person.