Lethal Weapon (1987)

This movie is an onslaught of action; beginning with the opening scene death to the captivating end, it's a bombardment of epic scenes and high emotions. The plot is okay but what definitively stands out is Mel Gibson's performance.

From start to finish, Martin Riggs (Mel Gibson) makes you feel excited just watching him. Whether it's with his psychotic bouts, unique demeanour or deep moments, his presence adds an energy to this movie that makes it both fun and insane (in a good way). His quality acting in Lethal Weapon is surely some of the best in cinema.

Besides the amazing casting, the overall story is mediocre. In this film, though, it's the acting that makes it special. There are so many aspects to entertainment, and Lethal Weapon hit the mark with Mel as the lead.

Fmovies: If you have to see an action movie or buddy cop movie from the 80s, and you've already seen "Die Hard", then you absolutely must see "Lethal Weapon". It's one of my all-time favorites, if not my absolute favorite, and everything about is so watchable and memorable, and it never gets old no matter how many times you watch it. An absolute classic. The film was so influential that it spawned a whole host of copycats, such as "Red Heat", "Tango & Cash", "The Glimmer Man", "Bad Boys" its sequels, and others.

You already know the plot: Two very different cops (Mel Gibson, Danny Glover) are assigned to work with each other, to take down some drug dealers. Matters are complicated however, when they kidnap one cop's daughter.

This movie was perfect, especially for its time period, it still holds up today. The characters are still engaging, everyone delivers wonderful performances, there are great action sequences, and this movie is pretty much the epitome of character development. Amid the bullets and fighting, you get to see two very different characters, who are both in a way, the same character. Both cops have been on the force for a while, both have seen action, both are getting tired and looking for a way out. Both are good cops and people, but Murtaugh is tired of putting his life on the line, which is all Riggs knows how to do. Riggs and Murtaugh are two sides of the same coin, and they are one of the best on-screen duos ever to be seen. Both

Gibson's character, Martin Riggs, really brings most of the action, and when he's not dodging bullets or beating the crap out of someone, he's joking around and being cocky. Glover's character, Roger Murtaugh, is a skilled cop, but one who's tired of being a cop. Riggs is just tired of living. The two become embroiled in a drug investigation, and the pair engage in many antics along the way, such as a shootout at a Christmas tree lot, a death-defying jump off of a building, an intense chase along Hollywood Boulevard, and one final, brutal, legendary final fight scene that really compliments the tone of the whole film, and it really expresses the intensity and craziness of Riggs.

Many refer to this as an action comedy, which is fair, but it really is more generous to the action genre than the comedy genre. There are some comedic moments, but this, and the second film are definitely more action-thriller oriented than comedy-oriented, but 3 and 4 are much more lighthearted. This film barely scrapes by as an action comedy, which is one of the things that makes it so good. It's just really brutally action-packed, probably as much as "Die Hard", but not to the point where it's over the top. Probably the perfect mix of action and storytelling, honestly. There were many memorable action scenes, such as the Christmas tree lot shootout, desert shootout, torture fight, club shootout and foot chase, and the final fight. In between those are many other brief instances of action and violence.

Shane Black, a truly gifted script writer, has written some excellent films, and this is definitely one of, if not his actual, best. He establishes a really cool, dark, and gritty mood, and it compliments the character of Riggs so well. The film is really about two different, flawed characters who try to do the right thing, and succeed, learning about and accepting each other in the process. I should also note that Gary Busey delivers a pretty great performance as a v

Do things like magic really exist? Well, if you've seen Lethal Weapon - not only the greatest action comedy, but perhaps also the greatest movie of all time! - you should know that the answer to that question is YES. If you don't, it's very obvious that you need to see a doctor. And in case you for some incomprehensible reason haven't seen Lethal yet, I have only one thing to say: stop reading this comment and go rent it immediately!!! There's simply no logical excuse for anyone old enough NOT to see this brilliant movie.

The Lethal Weapon series started out with this film back in 1987, starring the phenomenal Mel Gibson as psychotic loose cannon Martin Riggs and Danny Glover (truly wonderful as well) as his total opposite for a partner - family man and by-the-book police officer Roger Murtaugh.

Murtaugh lives a happy life with his loving family in a friendly neighborhood and is planning to retire from the force. But on his 50th birthday his life takes off in a different direction when the daughter of an old friend from Vietnam jumps out from a window and dies. This incident tosses Murtaugh into a dangerous and twisted investigation. And as if that's not enough: he is also teamed up with a new partner - a burned-out lunatic named Martin Riggs, who's been leaning on the edge of suicide ever since his wife was killed in a car crash. Roger is shocked when he meets this "lethal weapon". These two cops only have two things in common: they're both Vietnam vets and they both hate working with partners.

This is my all time favorite movie, because it gives you everything you could ever ask from a great flick: action, drama, suspense, and even love (without getting all sentimental). And if you love Mel Gibson (God, he used to be so beautiful!!)- like me - this is were he makes one of his strongest and most remarkable performances. Actually, I can hardly call it acting - he IS Riggs. The emotions he's going through is so evident in his eyes and so real and cuts right through your soul: you can actually feel his pain and his anger. And Mel also contributes a great deal to the humorous element of the film with his attitude, witty comments and eagerness of doing his job: "Man, I love this job! Can we put the sirens on?" Danny Glover is outstanding as Murtaugh and serves the audience a normal, middle-aged man who is fighting with his age, a daughter who's turning into a young woman and a partner who doesn't care whether he lives or dies. Danny's hilarious making those faces and throwing back at Mel! He plays his part with great sensitivity and I think he, just like Mel, gives so much life to his character that no other actor could have done it better. And together, he and Mel undoubtedly makes the best film team there was, is or ever will be! (The concept has been copied too many times, though..."

With the fantastic action, humor, performances and screenplay, Lethal Weapon and its sequels definitely top the list of all time action movies. Danny and Mel (naturally) won an award for "best duo on screen" on MTV Movie Awards once, and considering their work with these series, I believe director Richard Donner and producer Joel Silver makes the best duo OFF screen.

I'm convinced this is a movie that not only action fans would enjoy watching, so I recommend it to everyone. This is a movie you can't afford to miss!

Lethal Weapon fmovies. Lethal Weapon is the first in a series of films that were all good. Richard Donner made an action packed buddy picture that everyone can enjoy. Mel Gibson and Danny Glover were both good in the lead roles and the action sequences are top notch. Kudos to Gary Busey for making a great bad guy.

This is not only one of the best cop-buddy movies but it is also by far one of Mel Gibson's best movies. In my opinion it almost matches Braveheart which is by all standards a great movie.

First of all the overall acting in this movie is nothing short of excellent. Especially Mel Gibson portrays the deeply disturbed Martin Riggs with great finesse and his ability to create nuanced characters shines through in this movie. You genuinely feel with him and feel the incredible weight of his wife's death on him. Furthermore one of the things that makes Mel Gibson one of the really great actors in Hollywood is his ability to portray rage. Pure, uncontrolled rage and he certainly lifts the movie a few nudges acting wise. The other lead actor, Danny Glover, is also great in his role as the aging family father and he literally embodies the part of Roger Murtaugh and his line: "I'm too old for this s*h*i*t" has become a legend in the film world. Gary Busey is one of my top 10 screen bad guys. Not because he is an especially talented or great actor but he brings an edge to his character that makes one believe that he is the perfect nemesis for Riggs. Last but not least we have the underused Mitch Ryan (whom we have come to know best in the part of Edward Montgomery in Dharma and Greg) and he also does a great job with the relatively few lines he is given.

In terms of story and interaction between the characters I can only say that it is close to perfection. The meeting between the two main characters is a classic moment and their slowly growing to like each other is also brilliantly done. The on-screen chemistry between the two actors is excellent and I'm tempted to say that they have the best chemistry EVER in film history (perhaps bested only by Anthony Hopkins and Jodie Foster in Silence of the Lambs). In terms of the story the relationship between Riggs and Murtaugh has been weighed more heavily than in the following movies which means that the villains will naturally be less refined than in the following movies and this weighing is very acceptable because the relationship between Riggs and Murtaugh is the carrying element of the movie.

The action in the movie is excellent for an 80s movie. I'll even say that I think that the action in this movie is better than much of the action in movies today because somehow it just seems much more believable in this movie than it does in movies like Die Another Day for example where the action has been amplified so much that it just becomes ridiculous and, lets face it, silly. Most of the action involves Mel Gibson and this works great because he really is one of the greats when it comes to action. He gives the action credibility unlike "actors" like Sylvester Stallone or Steven Segal. You genuinely believe that he could be able to shoot someone with a sniper rifle at a distance of 1 - 2 kilometers.

All in all a movie where basically everything works and is perhaps underrated by the voters of IMDb.

9/10 - watch this movie right now!

I've seen Lethal Weapon over 100 times and it just keeps getting better! Mel Gibson plays a crazed cop who teams up with a family cop (Danny Glover). At first, they can't stand each other, but as the movie rolls along, they end up with this type of bond. I'm sure that most people or everyone has seen this wonderful movie. It has plenty of action and violence. I love the chemistry between Mel Gibson and Danny Glover. And who could forget, Gary Busey, Mr. Joshua, a VERY fitting role for the wonderful actor. He couldn't have been replaced for that role. No one could have done a better job than Busey. Go Gary! I love the end! One of the best fitting scenes in film history. I also admire Gibson and Busey doing their own stunts, and studying martial arts, just to make 4 nights of filming a cult fighting scene for this excellent movie. This one is definitely a winner! If you haven't seen this superb film, then I STRONGLY recommend that you do! Great film!