Movie Review: Lethal Weapon (1987) directed by Richard Donner
It’s Christmas time in the big city, and it seems the half-naked Amanda Hunsaker (Jackie Swanson) has already been partying a little too hardy as she takes a swan dive from her apartment balcony. Toxicology reports however reveal that her drugs were tampered with, and that makes it murder.
Soon to investigate the case are two Los Angeles Police Department detective sergeants. Roger Murtaugh (Danny Glover) has just turned fifty. He’s got a loving wife Trish (Darlene Love) and three kids, a nice house, and seems to have his life together, with his main complaint being that he’s starting to feel his age. Martin Riggs (Mel Gibson) is a recent widower who lives in a run-down trailer, has a drinking problem, and is strongly considering suicide.
Naturally, these two men are made partners. They don’t get along at first. Murtaugh is a by-the-book cop who wants to build a solid case and has a life outside of police work. Riggs is a loose cannon with no sense of self-preservation and currently lives for the job. (One gets the distinct sense his late wife handled all their social organization and did the emotional labor.) But they have compatible skillsets, a shared enemy, and some extreme situations to bond in, and by the end of the movie they’re friends.
The murder victim turns out to be the daughter of Murtaugh’s old friend Michael Hunsaker (Tom Atkins), a banker who is in deeper than he’s willing to admit. Eventually we learn that a drug smuggling ring made up of former special forces soldiers who’d served in Vietnam are the culprits. They are led by a general (Mitchell Ryan) who now owns a dance club as a front, and his right-hand man Joshua (Gary Busey) is an albino assassin. He and Riggs (who was also Special Forces) soon become personal enemies.
I watched the “Director’s Cut” which has some extra scenes, including one where Riggs demonstrates his gun skills and lack of self-preservation while taking down a sniper.
Good: Cool action scenes and excellent stunts. Glover and Gibson have good banter and great chemistry as partners, it’s no wonder they were able to get three sequels out of this pairing. Well-directed.
Less Good: The movie can’t quite make up its mind whether Riggs’ suicidal tendencies are supposed to be dramatic or comical. The mental health professional who is supposed to be making sure police officers aren’t a danger to themselves or others is pretty much ignored. (And Riggs never actually gets treated, just having the extreme circumstances of the plot jolt him out of wanting to die.) Trish’s bad cooking is a running joke, but I don’t see her husband or family stepping up to help.
Political: The reputation of police officers for shooting black people for no particular reason is brought up. There’s a “End Apartheid” sticker on the refrigerator in Murtaugh’s house. (This becomes relevant in the sequel.)
Content note: Attempted suicide, male and female nudity (no genitals), lots of violence, some blood. Riggs makes a homophobic remark, a fair amount of swearing. Drug and alcohol abuse, and Riggs is a heavy smoker.
Overall: This is an awesome movie of its type, though some of it is getting dated. Recommended for fans of violent buddy cop movies.
