Lethal Weapon, American Movie (1987)

And here we are, yet another movie from the 80’s that I am reviewing and have rewatched today. I really don’t know what has gotten into me, but for some reason I seem to be stuck into some kind of 80’s mode. The funny thing is that even on other blogs I see posts appearing, that talk about movies from this great era of filmmaking. Maybe there is some kind of world wide epidemic that I am not aware of. Whatever the case, I don’t mind it at all, as I am really having a blast rewatching these old, but classic and in my humble opinion timeless movies. As for Lethal Weapon, it has really been quite a while since I last saw it. The fun thing is, that there is now also a television series based on this great moviefranchise. I have not yet had the pleasure of seeing this series for myself yet, but I did catch a few clips of it on YouTube and I do have to admit it looks pretty cool. That said, it will never beat this classic movie though…not even by a longshot.

The movie starts when we witness a young prostitute jumping to her death from the balcony of a high rise apartment building. What at first seems to be a simple suicide, soon turns into something much more complex. Detective Roger Murtaugh from the LAPD, who has just had his 50th birthday, is put on the case. It is not long before he is partnered up with a detective called Martin Riggs, who got transferred from narcotics. But Riggs is not your average cop. Having just lost his wife, he seems completely crazy and on a road towards selfdestruction. At first Murtaugh wants nothing to do with Riggs. But as time passes the two begin to work together and form a lasting friendship. And not a moment too soon, because a brutal drug smuggling ring has very sinister plans. Plans that might end up costing the two detectives their own lives….

Even though this movies is now 30 years old (yes I know, I am getting old ), it has not last any of it’s charm and power. This film is the best buddy cop action film ever made. Yes, I know this is a bold claim, but it is definitely the truth. This movie works because of the incredible chemistry between the two lead actors. Mel Gibson is fantastic in his role as the completely crazy Martin Riggs. There are a lot of scenes that still had me laughing out loud because of his antics. But Danny Glover is equally funny in his role as the older cop Roger Murtaugh. The scenes between the two of them are well written and work very well.

But in between all the comedy is also a terrific, and at times even brutal action movie. The storyline, even though serving in the background with movies such as these, is effective enough. But a movie like Lethal Weapon you watch because of the action, and on that department the movie delivers. Right from the very start the movie has a good pace, and serves up enough action to satisfy any lover of action movies. Lethal Weapon will always be one of my favorite actionfilms. The three sequels that follow this one, are all pretty much as good as this part, except for maybe the third one. This classic action movie is still a joy to watch and I highly recommend it to anyone who is an adrenaline junkie. Don’t be put off by thinking that this is a thirty year old movie, as it is a film that still is every bit as strong and fun as when it was released back in the 80’s.

I give Lethal Weapon a 9 out of 10 score.