Review of Lethal Weapon (1987) by Paul Z — 18 Apr 2012

With the exception of the ultimate Let's Throw Down Bro on Murtaugh's front lawn way late in the game, across the board it's a madly clever buddy cop blockbuster capitalizing on Gibson's Mad Max image as another widower cop with a death wish.

Thanks largely to its star chemistry, Shane Black's acute script, Kamen's pulsing suspense score and its overall iron-fisted R-ratedness, it is full of powerhouse scenes that would be above this movie were its action and suspense sequences not coordinated with such rigor.