“You ever met anybody you didn’t kill?” The line comes from the 1987 iconic movie “Lethal Weapon,” and sets the stage for the film that built an action franchise. When listing the top action movies, it’s usually found in the upper echelon of the list. There’s plenty of action, explosions, and fights to go around.
“Lethal Weapon” pairs Mel Gibson and Danny Glover as two good but very different Los Angeles cops. It’s loaded with 80s nostalgia, and like ‘Die Hard” or “First Blood,” is an action packed movie that can be just as easily enjoyed at Christmas as it can during Man Movie May.
Danny Glover and Mel Gibson in “Lethal Weapon” (Warner Bros., 1987).
Martin Riggs (Gibson) and Roger Murtaugh (Glover) are new partners, tasked with taking down a heroin smuggling outfit. Riggs and Murtaugh are polar opposites, from the obvious white and black skin, to the subtle history of each character. While Murtaugh is a loving family man who lives in a posh suburban house with his wife (pop singer Darlene Love) and three kids. Riggs lives in a rundown trailer, drinking booze straight from the bottle and wallowing in grief over a past tragedy. Both cops excel at getting the job done, but Murtaugh is conservative and by the books, whilst Riggs is a hothead with an obvious death wish. “You’re one psychotic son of a bitch.” An officer tells Riggs after he takes down a random bad guy armed with a sniper rifle. “But you’re good.”
The movie has the typical cop vs crook story as we follow Riggs and Murtaugh across the city in pursuit of a violent drug cartel, whose top enforcer (Gary Busey) is, in perfect Gary Busey form, a total psychopath. But the true purpose of “Lethal Weapon” is the relationship between the two leads. Gibson and Glover work well together, and it’s obvious to see why it spawned three sequels (to date) and a television series. The pair comes off as very genuine in their banter and growing friendship, and some of the better scenes in the film don’t involve police work, but rather Riggs and Murtaugh forming a personal bond.
The iconic duo aren’t as exciting as advance billing.
“Lethal Weapon” clocks in at just under two hours, but suffers from terrible pacing in its opening two acts. Director Richard Donner, who helmed “The Omen” as well as a series of popular movies in the 1980s, mixes the action with the dialogue as its needed, but the enjoyment suffers from some slow and frankly boring parts, usually unacceptable for a film of this ilk. The movie rallies for a very good conclusion, and points have to be given for the creation of the characters and the franchise itself.
That the movie is set around Christmas time puts it in rare company. While not as lauded as “Die Hard,” it actually came out a year and a half before. Christmas lights and décor amidst snow-barren LA streets is visually appealing. The opening credits play under “Jingle Bell Rock” and set the mood from the beginning.
“Lethal Weapon” is an okay movie. It’s something everyone should see due to its lofty status and, while not a complete waste of time, may fail to impress you given its iconic and lauded title. I was expecting something amazing, and in the end felt a bit let down.
