The new cop movie Righteous Kill features Robert De Niro and Al Pacino together on screen for the first time since the diner scene in Heat, in 1995. The makers of the film are pleased about this — “The most acclaimed actors of our time in the film event of the year”, the poster screams. The suggestion is that we are witnessing the creation of a classic movie double act. And yet, as the film itself illustrates the successful double act is an elusive beast, and certainly not the preserve of marketeers and studio heads.

Film is stuffed with double-acts, both in front and behind the camera (sometimes both). On a bad day, they’re poison — see Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez (Gigli, Jersey Girl), or Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman (Days of Thunder, Far and Away, Eyes Wide Shut). On a good day, or year, or decade, or career, they’re magic. But what makes them work, what makes them special — and what makes them immortal, such as the names in our Top 20?

20 MATT DAMON AND BEN AFFLECK

When these best buddies appeared together in Good Will Hunting, a movie they wrote themselves, they won Oscars, and became the embodiment of go-getting, script-savvy, young Hollywood. They even went on holidays together. They are the Matthau and Lemmon of our generation. With bigger pay cheques.

19 ELIZABETH TAYLOR AND LASSIE

In 1943, Taylor went from being an 11-year-old wannabe to a white-hot child star thanks to her co-starring role in Lassie Come Home. She repeated the trick in Courage of Lassie, but by then she had already branched out to equine co-stars in National Velvet. Taylor thus established a long and noble tradition of audience-pleasing animal co-stars. See Turner and Hooch and Free Willy.

18 MEL GIBSON AND JESUS

A deeply personal and yet simultaneously highly conspicuous relationship resulted in The Passion of the Christ (current takings £330 million). Public scrutiny of the relationship, however, plus accusations of anti-Semitism, forced Gibson into an unfortunate outburst during a drink-driving arrest in 2006. “The Jews are responsible for all the wars in the world,” he said.

17 SPIKE JONZE AND CHARLIE KAUFMAN

Kaufman was an achingly shy aspiring movie writer. Jonze (real name Adam Spiegel), was an achingly hip pop promo director. And when they came together to shoot Kaufman’s seemingly “unfilmable” script for Being John Malkovich they ushered in a new era for indie movie-makers. Here lo-fi technology was paramount, creativity king and irony everywhere.

16 MARTIN SCORSESE AND THELMA SCHOONMAKER

Scorsese’s old NYU film school buddy Schoonmaker is, in many ways, the editor who made him what he is. She has been Scorsese’s backroom talent for nearly 30 years. The partnership was acknowledged in 2006, with a double Oscar haul for editing and directing The Departed.

Explore Film

• Film Reviews

• Trailers

• DVD

• London Film Festival

Editor's choice

• The 100 Best Films of the Decade
• 70 facts you didn't know about Marvel
• The 50 Biggest Movies Of 2010