Lethal Weapon (1987) Warner Bros./Action RT: 117 minutes* Rated R (language, strong violence, brief nudity, drug content, thematic elements) Director: Richard Donner Screenplay: Shane Black Music: Michael Kamen and Eric Clapton Cinematography: Stephen Goldblatt Release date: March 6, 1987 (US) Cast: Mel Gibson, Danny Glover, Gary Busey, Mitchell Ryan, Tom Atkins, Darlene Love, Traci Wolfe, Steve Kahan, Damon Hines, Ebonie Smith, Jackie Swanson, Mary Ellen Trainor, Jack Thibeau, Grand L. Bush, Ed O’Ross, Sven Thorsen, Al Leong. Box Office: $65.2M (US)/$120.2M (World) Body Count: 27
Rating: ****
This is where the magic began! Warner knew they had a potential hit on their hands with Lethal Weapon. What they probably didn’t know is that it would completely redefine the buddy cop genre and set a standard of excellence that has yet to be surpassed. It does what most cop action movies don’t. It gives us well-defined, fleshed-out characters as opposed to mere personality types. Right away, it sets itself apart from the rest of the pack.
Directed by Richard Donner (The Goonies), Lethal Weapon stars Mel Gibson and Danny Glover as mismatched partners out to smash a heroin smuggling ring. The two cops couldn’t be more different. Sgt. Roger Murtaugh (Glover, The Color Purple) is family man who just turned 50. He lives a peaceful existence in the suburbs of L.A. with his wife Trish (singer Love) and three children. He worries about getting old and his impending retirement. If he only knew what awaits him at work.
Sgt. Martin Riggs (Gibson, Mad Max) is a narcotics detective on the verge of a psychotic break. He’s been despondent since his wife’s death in a car accident. He’s not merely reckless; he’s suicidal. When he’s not putting his gun in his mouth at home, he’s walking into dangerous situations like the schoolyard sniper that none of the other cops dare approach. He casually walks into the line of fire, empties his entire magazine into the shooter and casually walks away. He’s the deadliest cop on the force, a walking, talking lethal weapon. He was a long-range sniper for Special Forces in Vietnam. He’s trained in several forms of martial arts. He has no regard for property, procedure or personal safety. He’s the very definition of loose cannon.
Fate brings the two cops together when Riggs is transferred to Homicide and partnered with Murtaugh. It’s not exactly a case of like at first sight. Murtaugh believes his new partner is feigning his psychological problems in order to collect disability. He changes his mind after witnessing how he deals with a potential jumper on the ledge of a building. He becomes convinced Riggs really is nuts and doesn’t belong on the streets, but there’s nothing he can do about it. They’re stuck with each other.
An old Army buddy of Murtaugh’s (Atkins, Halloween III: Season of the Witch) asks him to look into the death of his daughter, a young prostitute who jumps from a high-rise balcony in the opening scene. Her death is initially ruled a suicide, but is later changed to homicide after it’s discovered somebody spiked the drugs she was using at the time with drain cleaner. Upon further investigation, the two cops learn the friend is laundering money for “Shadow Company”, a drug-smuggling operation run by retired general Peter McAllister (Ryan, Magnum Force) and his psychotic right-hand man known only as Mr. Joshua (Busey, The Buddy Holly Story). All of McAllister’s guys are former Special Forces. Once he realizes the two cops are on to him, he orders his guys to silence them for good. Guys like Riggs and Murtaugh never go down without a fight.
In my never-humble opinion, Lethal Weapon is one of the best cop movies EVER! Action-packed and super-violent, its strongest point is the chemistry between the two leads. Their relationship follows a familiar trajectory as they go from adversaries to best friends while gaining mutual respect. It feels fresh in the capable hands of Donner and his two leads. Gibson is excellent as the crazed detective Riggs, almost an extension of his Mad Max character. He’s completely convincing. His anguish and despair are palpable as he sits at home contemplating ending his pain with a hollow-point bullet to the brain. His wild behavior on the job is also indicative of his broken mental state. This is easily one of Gibson’s best performances. He creates a sympathetic character without diving too deeply into the sorrowful. He gets inside his character like few actors can.
Glover also turns in a great performance as the alternately exasperated and bemused Murtaugh who comes to like his new partner even though he can’t believe the situations he keeps getting them into. He keeps commenting, “I’m getting too old for this s***.”, a line that’s become a motif of the series. He has a close relationship with his family. They could easily be distant cousins of the Huxtables with the warmth they share. He’s the complete antithesis of Riggs. His stability is a perfect counterpoint to his partner’s instability. A little instability is definitely in order in this case. You’d have to be crazy to take on a tightly-organized gang of armed-to-the-teeth mercenaries without back-up.
Busey is positively terrifying as the psychopathic Mr. Joshua. This is a guy that feels no pain or remorse. He’s a stone cold killer. In a way, he’s not too different from Riggs. It’s Busey’s best performance since his Oscar-nominated turn as rocker Buddy Holly in The Buddy Holly Story. Ryan is also very good as McAllister, a true SOB with unbelievable resources and balls of steel. Who else would have the nerve to send a helicopter to carry out a simple assassination?
The action scenes are thrilling and well-orchestrated. The highlight has to be when Riggs chases a speeding car on foot along a busy highway with both parties firing automatic weapons at each other. Unfortunately, the climax isn’t handled at that well. Until this point, Lethal Weapon ran like a well-oiled action machine. Then Donner fumbles the ball with a disappointing final match between Riggs and Mr. Joshua. I can accept the idea of the entire LAPD standing around and watching while the two men try to beat each other to death. What I don’t like is the visual style of this scene. It’s hard to watch for two reasons. First, it’s edited in too frenetic a manner. Second, it’s difficult to see what’s happening because of the water raining down on them from a broken hydrant and the bright lights of the police cars reflecting in the falling water. It’s a relatively minor glitch in an otherwise perfect action movie.
One of the things I’ve noticed about Lethal Weapon and its sequels is Donner’s left-leaning political agenda. In this first outing, a bumper sticker reading “End Apartheid Now” is clearly seen on the Murtaugh’s refrigerator. I find it curious that such liberal values are on display in a film that glorifies guns and violence. This is neither criticism nor praise; it’s just an interesting ideological contradiction.
In terms of film history, Lethal Weapon sets a new precedent for action movies. It’s the perfect combination of action and buddy cop motifs with a generous dash of comedy thrown in for good measure. Riggs and Murtaugh have some great exchanges. Dinnertime at the Murtaugh residence is fun time with Roger making jokes about his wife’s bad cooking and the younger kids performing an impromptu rap about their older sister’s (Wolf) obvious crush on their handsome dinner guest- i.e. Riggs. Is it wise of Murtaugh to expose his family to a suicidal nutcase? Probably not, but what fun would it be if kept them apart?
It doesn’t get any better than Lethal Weapon. It’s 100% excitement throughout! The idea of cops vs. drug dealers is hardly original. The previous week saw the release of the similar Cannon actioner Number One with a Bullet starring the random duo of Robert Carradine and Billy Dee Williams. Donner transcends the genre by going above and beyond with Lethal Weapon. It features terrific performances, expert direction and a tight script by first-time writer Shane Black (The Last Boy Scout). The riveting score by Michael Kamen (Highlander) augments the action nicely. Rocker Eric Clapton contributes some great guitar work. The song played over the end credits, “Lethal Weapon” by Honeymoon Suite, is especially good.
I was conflicted over categorizing Lethal Weapon as a Kick-Ass Actioner or Christmas Movie. I decided to go with the former even though it’s just as much a Christmas movie as Die Hard. It even opens with a yuletide favorite, “Jingle Bell Rock” by Bobby Helms. Either way, it’s AWESOME!
* = This RT refers to the Director’s Cut. The original theatrical cut runs 110 minutes.
