Lethal Weapon 2 (1989) Warner Bros./Action-Comedy RT: 118 minutes* Rated R (language, strong violence, brief nudity, sexual content, racial epithets) Director: Richard Donner Screenplay: Jeffrey Boam Music: Michael Kamen, Eric Clapton and Dave Sanborn Cinematography: Stephen Goldblatt Release date: July 7, 1989 (US) Cast: Mel Gibson, Danny Glover, Joe Pesci, Joss Ackland, Derrick O’Connor, Patsy Kensit, Darlene Love, Traci Love, Steve Kahan, Mark Rolston, Jenette Goldstein, Dean Norris, Juney Smith, Nestor Serrano, Philip Suriano, Grand L. Bush, Tony Carreiro, Damon Hines, Ebonie Smith, Jack McGee, Mary Ellen Trainor. Box Office: $147.2M (US)/$227.8M (World) Body Count: 33
Rating: ****
Lethal Weapon 2 is one of those rare instances where the sequel is every bit as good as the original. The main reason it works so well is because it’s not simply a rehash of its predecessor. The makers bring something new to the table that significantly changes the dynamics and makes the formula seem fresh once again. That would be Joe Pesci (Goodfellas) as Leo Getz, a loud, obnoxious federal witness who’s about to spill his guts about the illegal activities of the movie’s bad guys. He’s placed in the care of our stalwart heroes Sgt. Riggs (Gibson, Mad Max) and Sgt. Murtaugh (Gibson, The Color Purple) much to their annoyance. It’s part of director Richard Donner’s (The Goonies) attempt to lighten things up a bit by adding more humor to the mix. It’s okay, he still piles on the violence, mayhem and destruction.
This time around, the bad guys are South African diplomats dealing in drugs and illegal shipments of gold Krugerrands (SA units of currency). The lead villains are consul-general Arjen Rudd (Ackland, The Hunt for Red October) and head of security Pieter Vorstedt (O’Connor, Hope and Glory). Despite their involvement in illegal activities, Riggs and Murtaugh can’t touch them due to diplomatic immunity. They can do whatever they want and law enforcement can’t do a thing about it.
It all starts when the partners confiscate a million dollars worth of Krugerrands after a wild chase through the streets of L.A. Rudd responds by sending Vorstedt and his goons to Murtaugh’s house to threaten his family if he doesn’t back off. Their CO (Kahan, Predator 2) reassigns them to protect Getz until the feds arrive to place him in protective custody. It’s hardly a dream assignment as Getz turns out to be the biggest pain in the ass on the planet. It turns out he’s been laundering money for the very guys they’re after. If they intend to bring down Rudd and his operation, they’ll need to keep this annoying little twerp alive.
Did you really think Riggs and Murtaugh would obey orders and stay away from the case? Uh, did you see the first movie? Riggs begins a campaign of harassment against Rudd which causes him to retaliate by killing off detectives from their unit. He also initiates a romance with Rudd’s secretary Rika (Kensit, Absolute Beginners) who openly admits to disliking her boss and her country’s policy of apartheid. Naturally, Rudd and his guys can’t stand that one of the cops investigating them is black. Furthermore, it appears Vorstedt has some prior connection with Riggs. I won’t say more than that, but if you’ve already seen this movie then you know what I’m talking about.
What’s interesting about Lethal Weapon 2 is the change in Riggs’ character. He’s mellowed a bit since the first movie. Oh, he’s still wild and reckless, but he’s no longer suicidal or self-destructive. He even seems to be getting over his wife’s death as evidenced by his relationship with Rika. She brings out a softer, tender side of the tough cop. What we’re witnessing is his character evolving, something that most action movies wouldn’t even bother with. Of course, his happiness will be short-lived; he’ll be back on the crazy train by movie’s end.
Once again, Gibson delivers a solid performance. He shows off his lighter side in his humorous banter with Murtaugh. Glover is also quite good. He too has a funny side. I’m particularly fond of the scene where he provides a hilarious distraction at the South African consulate so Riggs can infiltrate the place and harass Rudd in his office. It’s a classic moment that cracks me up every time. Of course, the show wouldn’t be complete without his character saying “I’m too old for this s***“at least once. The two leads’ chemistry is as strong as ever. I should hope so. The friendship between the two partners is an integral part of any Lethal Weapon movie. None of them would work without it.
The real comic relief comes from Pesci. Simply put, he’s a riot! There’s a great scene where his character goes off on a rant about drive-through joints (“They f*** you at the drive-thru!”) after getting the wrong order. He annoys the hell out of his protectors. Their scenes together resemble a Three Stooges short. Given Riggs’ fondness for the Stooges, I’m sure it’s completely intentional on Donner’s part.
Ackland and O’Connor are perfectly reptilian as the racist bad guys who plan to smuggle their illegal earnings (about $1 billion worth) to Cape Town. These are truly despicable villains. You can’t wait until Riggs and Murtaugh kick their asses all the way back to where they came from. That is, if they let them live which is highly unlikely with the word “lethal” in the title.
As I mentioned earlier, the tone of Lethal Weapon 2 is a little more comedic. Donner makes sure we know this from the start by playing the first eight notes of the Looney Tunes theme when the studio logo appears. It’s loony alright! After a title-only opening, we join the two cops right in the middle of a wild car chase. Murtaugh is driving his wife’s new car and won’t exceed 65MPH despite Riggs’ urging that he go faster. Other members of the LAPD join in. A helicopter appears at one point. It’s like a live-action Road Runner cartoon. Naturally, the new car is almost completely destroyed by the time the chase ends. In another running gag, Murtaugh catches grief from his colleagues about a condom commercial starring his daughter, budding actress Rianne (Wolf). More than one character says the commercial makes him want to buy condoms. Just what every father wants to hear!
The action scenes in Lethal Weapon 2 are even crazier. More property gets destroyed. The body count is higher. The kills are more creative too. One scumbag meets his demise via a surfboard through the head. Note that I said “through” and not “over”. Donner, working from a crack script by Jeffrey Boam (The Lost Boys), accomplishes something truly special with Lethal Weapon 2. It’s not often a sequel is as great as its predecessor. For every Superman II, there are at least ten like Superman IV: The Quest for Peace. Writer Boam successfully retains the fun spirit of the original. Once again, there’s a great song over the closing credits, “Cheer Down” by George Harrison. It has an additional sense of warmth with Riggs being more or less adopted by the Murtaughs. Donner’s liberal politics are on display once again, this time in the form of its anti-apartheid message. There’s also a scene in which Murtaugh’s children urge him not to eat tuna because they kill the dolphins that get caught in the nets.
It all comes down to this. Lethal Weapon 2 is a great movie! On top of being a totally bad ass action flick, it’s also a political hot-button pusher. It manages to get the viewer angry about unfair racial practices in another part of the world. What’s really great about it is that it as high a repeat watchability quotient as its predecessor. I never get tired of either. If I had to choose a favorite, I’d definitely go with the first movie, but number two is a very, VERY close second.
* = This RT refers to the Director’s Cut. The original theatrical cut runs 114 minutes.
