Written by: Shane Black
Directed by: Richard Donner
Starring: Mel Gibson, Danny Glover, Gary Busey
Rated: R
Watch the trailer
Plot
Veteran cop Murtaugh is paired with loose cannon Riggs to stop drug smugglers.
Verdict
This is the quintessential buddy cop movie, with two completely opposite cops sharing a common goal in a dark story. It's not without comedy, and while action filled, it slows down to develop the characters and give them background. It's these moments that make us root for them.
Watch it.
Review
Lethal Weapon redefined the cop action movie. It's dark and violent, and much less comedic than what the franchise later became. It's technically a Christmas movie like Die Hard (1988).
Many movies have tried to copy the formula and taken queues from it, but this is more than a buddy cop action movie.
What grounds this movie is the background for the characters. We know why Riggs is wild, and the movie doesn't make it a major plot point. Riggs feels he has nothing to lose, while Murtaugh has a big family and is on the brink of retirement. At no point does a character state how different they are. This movie gives the viewer some credit.
The first scene features a drug using, naked, suicidal girl. The next scene is Murtaugh (Danny Glover) in the bathtub. This movie attempts to checks all the boxes as it also shows us that Riggs (Mel Gibson) sleeps naked.
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| Lethal Weapon - The odd couple cop pairing that raised the bar. |
It's strange that neither Murtaugh or his wife and kids find it awkward to cram your kids into a tiny bathroom with their naked father. It's such a strange scene since they easily could have wished him happy birthday during breakfast.
Murtaugh and Riggs first meet when Murtaugh sees him handling a gun and proceeds to tackle him. Murtaugh ends up being thrown to the floor.
The movie balances the dark yet generic story of drug smugglers with action and comedy. Riggs trying to talk down a suicidal man on a roof top may not be the best choice. This is more than the odd couple as cops. It has a swirling drug conspiracy plot line. Gary Busey's career was revived as henchman Joshua. He's so devoted to the big bad known as "The General" that he willingly burns his arm. You just don't see that much outside of '80s movies.
In the final show down between Busey and Gibson's characters, three specialists were brought in to bring a style of martial arts never seen before in a movie. It sounds more impressive than it is, but as a whole this is a great movie.
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