Lethal Weapon

When this movie opens, it’s Christmas time in Los Angeles. But former Narcotics Detective Martin Riggs (Mel Gibson) is seriously depressed and even suicidal after the death of his wife. Meanwhile, we see that one Homicide Detective Sgt. Richard Murtagh (Danny Glover) is celebrating his fiftieth birthday with his loving family, and his only real concern is his graying hair. Before you know it, Riggs is assigned to be Murtagh’s partner, with the latter grumbling that “I’m too old for this!” Their investigation into the death of a woman leads them to a drug ring.

Everything here, from the buddy-cop dynamic between the two leads, to the creative car chases and fights, is highly entertaining. Car chases and shootouts in action movies can just be white noise, and too many have no reason to exist. Here, however, they are necessary. One of my favorite scenes, where Gibson must talk a potential jumper out of the act, perfectly captures the film’s gallows humor. Of course, I won’t spoil it, but the payoff is great.

The chemistry between Gibson and Glover is fun to watch, especially because the two characters couldn’t be more different. One is an unhinged man with a death wish and his partner is a happy family man who is looking forward to retirement. At one point, the stakes are raised to a much more personal level for Murtagh when his teenage daughter, who has a thing for Riggs, is kidnapped by the villains. These sorts of situations must always exist in the action genre, just as much as the violence, but director Richard Donner and writer Shane Black do a wonderful job of making the antagonists, led by a charismatic Gary Busey, into scumbags that you want to see dispatched with more than just a simple bullet to the chest.

The movie is only slightly let down by a final showdown between Busey and Gibson, who decide that the villain should engage in a karate fight with the cop. The sequence is absurd even for an action film, considering that they are completely surrounded by a squad who could—and should—cuff Busey instead. Shooting it in slow motion makes matters worse, but it’s the only weak scene here.

Donner, who famously helmed Superman, proves that he is more than capable of directing this rollercoaster.  It wraps up on a surprisingly satisfying note and is the sort of film that practically begs for a sequel, even though it stands perfectly on its own.  As fantastic as Glover is, though, Gibson is easily the scene-stealer.  Early on, he is dubbed a “lethal weapon”, and the Mad Max star sure lives up to that title.  I would gladly welcome a sequel because I love spending time with these two.

Rated R

1 hour, 50 minutes