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The blend of comedy and action goes back as far as the swashbucklers of the ‘30s, whose stars combined wit and one-liners with a thrilling plot and daring stunts. The form didn't really come into its own as a popular trend until the '80s, when stars with a comic background, like Eddie Murphy, began taking action roles. While the action is fast and furious in movies of this kind, it is mostly lighthearted, with loads of smashing cars and frantic chases which rarely involve death or serious injury. The buddy film is a common strata of action comedy, pairing odd couples in dangerous situations. Midnight Run and the Lethal Weapon series are examples of this. As action comedies moved into the '90s and viewers became more used to seeing horrible deaths on screen, the form became more violent, with fiery deaths and emphatic shootings increasingly used as punchlines.