Full Review: Lethal Weapon (1987)

People in the Movie:  Danny Glover, Mel Gibson, Gary Busey

Director:  Richard Donner

Pigeonhole:  Action / Buddy-Cop

The Basics:  An aging veteran detective, Murtaugh (Glover), is paired with the on-edge, possibly suicidal detective, Martin Riggs (Gibson), to investigate a homicide.  They are both apprehensive of each other, at first, but as they dig deeper into the case their friendship grows.  They will soon find themselves head to head with a drug dealing ring that has roots back to the Vietnam War, where Murtaugh encounters an old friend from the past who may be involved.  

Recommendation:  This movie has a somewhat gritty edge to it (for 1987), which gives it a little bit of unpredictability.  There are some great action scenes, balanced with a little bit of humor, plus Glover, Gibson, and Busey all play great characters.  If you like action/cop movies you will love this.   The “R” rating is for violence, language, and brief nudity.

My Take: **spoiler alert** At its core, this film is a basic cops versus the drug dealers story.  The strength lies in the performances we see, and the chemistry on screen.

Riggs plays the ‘crazy’ cop.  He seems to be on a roller coaster of anger, aggression, and grief, tortured by recent the death of his wife in a traffic accident.  Riggs also appears to be suicidal, evidenced by scenes like engaging armed drug dealers almost single-handedly in a drug bust, holding a loaded gun to his head while intoxicated, and jumping off a building with another man who was threatening suicide, himself.  Yet, under this pain is the guy “who gets the job done”.  We also learn Riggs was Special Forces in Vietnam, and was a great sharp shooter, in addition to knowing martial arts.

Murtaugh is the veteran cop, who, as the line in the movie states “is getting too old for this…”  He has just turned 50 years old; he is a husband and father of 3, so taking on Riggs as his new partner creates a whole new stress load which he does not want.  Yet, Murtaugh begins to see the bigger picture and realizes Riggs is good cop going through a bad time.  In a scene after Riggs has saved Murtaugh from being shot, the wall comes down and Murtaugh beings to trust Riggs.

Gary Busey plays Mr. Joshua, a hit-man thug-type, working for the drug ring.  He is a perfect contrast to Riggs’ cop character, as Joshua has that ‘crazy side’, as well, but his is manifested through killing and torture for his bosses.  His on screen presence is very menacing, and you believe that he is capable of doing every nasty deed we witness.  Joshua and Riggs have a several minute “final fight” that is very entertaining.

Lethal Weapon, in my opinion, is one of those movies where acting, directing, and story all come together for a fantastic result.                  

Final Thought/Extras/For Fun:  There are 3 sequels to this film… I read a rumor that there is some thought to remake this film, all new cast.  I just do not see how it could come together like this one, and have an on-screen results even semi- comparable…