Lethal Weapon (1987)

As Good As It Gets

It is neither dumb nor smart enough to be fun, and spends way too much time with its boring human characters.

Like the great film, it's made with a great deal of visible affection both in front of and behind the camera.

I enjoyed watching this film and would recommend other to give it a try , (as I am) but this movie, although enjoyable to watch due to the better than average acting fails to add anything new to its storyline that is all too familiar to these types of movies.

Really great film to watch. Action packed with likable characters.

LETHAL WEAPON is the film that kick-started the popular franchise and helped to usher in a new wave of buddy-buddy comedy cop movies. Watching it today, it does feel a little slow and dated in parts, with often laboured comedy and plotting that takes a long time to get anywhere. The reason the film still works lies in the casting of Mel Gibson and Danny Glover, two underrated actors who share an irresistible camaraderie.You know the score by now: Gibson's the crazy one (and never crazier than here), Glover the straight man, his by-the-book partner. The latter in particular is excellent, boosting the humour quotient of any given situation. The big stunt and explosion scenes are all well and good, although this doesn't really quality as an action flick until the last half hour, which has some good shoot-outs and a memorable torture-by-electrocution set-piece featuring DIE HARD's Al Leong. Gary Busey's larger-than-life baddie is the scene-stealer here, so it's a pity about all that doubling and dated choreography in the final scene.

Plot; A calm, rational veteran detective is paired with an unorthodox and mentally unstable younger partner.Perhaps the definitive film in the buddy cop genre, this first of four Lethal Weapon films is much darker than its predecessors. Where the sequels amped up the comedy and softened the harder edges of Mel Gibson's Martin Riggs character, the original is an occasionally brooding and jarringly violent action/dramedy.Stars Mel Gibson and Danny Glover share an incredible and effortless chemistry, and though it boasts a tight script (by Shane Black) and steady direction (by Richard Donner), it's Gibson and Glover who really make it work.

Meet Martin Riggs (Mel Gibson) and Roger Murtaugh (Danny Glover). They're both Vietnam veterans and detectives on the L.A. police force. Roger is a stable family man, while Martin has been incredibly *unstable* ever since the death of his wife. As we see, Martin seems to have developed something of a death wish, and he's often acting recklessly. But the two of them end up working well together as they investigate the death of a young woman who took a nose dive from a massive apartment block. As it turns out, this ties into a much bigger case involving international drug smuggling."Lethal Weapon" is, quite simply, one of the kings in this particular sub genre of action and comedy known as the "buddy" movie. With a frequently funny Shane Black screenplay that has its fair share of quotable lines, it perfected a formula that has been imitated many, many times since, but has seldom been equalled. Gibson and Glover are indeed a wonderful team, their well defined personalities clashing in lively and sometimes humorous fashion. Glover is appropriately solid as a rock, and Gibson has fun with his colorful role. Directed with maximum efficiency by veteran mainstream filmmaker Richard Donner, it really does move along at a blazing speed, especially if you've seen it before and know what to expect. The action and violence are first rate, and the movie does have pathos going for it as well.Of course, as with so many movies, it always helps to have great villains. And Mitchell Ryan and Gary Busey admirably fill the bill. It's very cool to see a fairly fit Busey sink his teeth into the part of a stone cold psycho henchman who proves his loyalty to Ryan in a memorable scene early on.Contrasting with Riggs' unhappy home life is the bright, cheerful suburban existence of Rogers' family. Singer Darlene Love and the very sexy Traci Wolfe shine as Murtaughs' wife and daughter. Wolfe is particularly cute when her character develops a bit of a crush on Riggs.There are a great deal of familiar faces in roles big and small. Tom Atkins is wonderful as Murtaughs' old Army buddy. Other people you may recognize are Jackie Swanson, Don Gordon, Jimmie F. Skaggs, Blackie Dammett, Mary Ellen Trainor, Steve Kahan, Jack Thibeau, Grand L. Bush, Ed O'Ross, Sven-Ole Thorsen, and Al Leong.The music score by Michael Kamen and Eric Clapton is very atmospheric, and performed to perfection by Clapton, David Sanborn, and others.Very fine entertainment for action fans, and followed by three sequels and a current TV series.Eight out of 10.