Review of Lethal Weapon (1987) by Mark E — 28 Oct 2013

This film, because of the time of year that it takes place, has now become my "Christmas Movie" (Followed by a close second Die Hard) and is a quintessential "cop/buddy" genre film.

The action, wit, humor, charm can only be matched with the onscreen chemistry of it's two stars, Mel Gibson and Danny Glover. Is the story "believable"? of course not (Gibson's "Riggs" shoots and maybe kills 5 bad guys before he meets his new partner later that morning) but reality would be no fun in 1980's LA where the "I'm too old for the shit" old cop Roger Murtaugh (Glover) must deal with the young hothead "Lethal Weapon" Martin Riggs that Gibson plays to precision.

On par are Mitchell Ryan as The General and Gary Busey, at his crazy best, as the mercenary albino "Joshua" are worthy foes and the final confrontation (no need for a spoiler alert here, you know whats coming) is full of explosions, gunfire and awesome hand-to-hand combat only Hollywood could have you believing.

Not to be overlooked is the musical score. Whether it's the sexy groove of the saxophone you hear with the salty Murtaugh (Glover) or the slide cry of Eric Clapton's guitar (yes, Eric Clapton really did the musical score for the character Riggs) that fills the scene with the dangerous Riggs (Gibson) you won't have doubt that director Richard Donner is an artist with film.

This movie is an American Classic, and went on to spawn 3 sequels (total of 4 films) and has been the template for every cop/buddy film since. Watch this film and let yourself love it!