We all know what happens when a movie is succesful at the box office. When it brings on buckets full of money, the studios look for ways to increase that money. And than the word appears that movielovers both hate and love at the same time : sequel. Throughout movie history the sequel to a succesful movie has mostly got a track record of being a lesser product than the original. Luckily though, the sequel these days does seem to be improving to what it usually was in the old days: a cheap way to make more money. But there were certainly noteworthy exceptions. One thing that the 80’s did right was produce an incredible amount of highly entertaining action franchises. Rambo, Die Hard and ofcourse one of my personal favorites the Lethal Weapon series. I already did a review of part 1, which you can find here. Two years later the sequel saw the light of day, and it was every bit as fun as the original movie, if not more so.
Lethal Weapon 2 starts off in the middle of a high speed pursuit. Our favorite crimefighting heroes Riggs and Murtaugh are hot on the tail of a suspect when the car chase ends abruptly with a crash. Inside the trunk of the car they were chasing, an enormous amount of gold Krugerrands is found. This soon leads them to a South African consul general called Arjen Rudd. Riggs is almost certain that this man is tied to a couple of highly illegal dealings, but because Rudd enjoys diplomatic immunity, they are not allowed to pursue the matter any further. What’s worse is that they get a new assignment and that is to protect a valuable federal witness called Leo Getz. This would not be so bad were it not for the fact that Getz is truly driving them completely crazy. But when an attempt is made on Leo’s life, Riggs and Murtaugh discover that the case of Getz might also be linked to the case they were ordered to stand down from. And when colleagues of them start to die, the two of them will have to pull out all the stops in order to solve the case, but also to escape with their lives still intact.
Man, oh man, oh man. What a joy it was to see this movie back again. I might have seen it way too many times already, but it just never get’s old. I was grinning like an idiot all throughout the film and still had to laugh at all the jokes this movie has on offer. Right from the very first opening scene this movie comes out guns blazing. I don’t care about the fact that we certainly have had a couple of great and memorable action movies in recent years: 80’s action just has a certain charm and atmosphere to it, that will never be recaptured on screen. And the action in this one just never let’s up. Highspeed car chases, gunbattles, fist fights, the action lover certainly get’s his or her fix in this film. And all this is mixed with a brilliant comedic blend, that takes the edge of some of the darker moments in the movie.
But once again it is the actors that make these movies, and praise most definitely goes out to both Mel Gibson and Danny Glover. The comedic banter between these two is even better than it was in the first film, and you can really tell that the both of them had a blast making this sequel. Another very welcome addition to the cast is Joe Pesci who plays the role of Leo Getz. It is not often that you get a character that is so obnoxious, but endearing at the same time. Some of the best moments from this film occur when he is around, and it’s a great thing that his character returned for parts 3 and 4. The villain Arjen Rudd is portrayed by actor Joss Ackland, and he manages to create a character that you will truly grow to hate throughout this movie. He is a really evil man, who does some loathsome things, and certainly is a handful for Riggs and Murtaugh to take down. Ackland’s acting is superb, and only adds more depth to the sinister character that Rudd is.
The story of this movie ofcourse takes a backseat and pretty much serves only to propel the action and comedy forward. And it succeeds in doing that in a good way, while providing enough twists and turns to keep you entertained until the end of the film. Lethal Weapon 2 is a prime example of how a sequel can definitely work. It’s a great follow up to the original movie, and if you liked that one you don’t even have to think twice about watching this. It’s one of the greatest 80’s action flicks that has been made in that era, and still provides a fantastic experience even though the film is now nearing it’s 30 year anniversary. This movie definitely still isn’t too old for this sh*t.
I give Lethal Weapon 2 a 9 out of 10 score.
Great review Michel! You have me feeling quite nostalgic. I loved this franchise!😊
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Thank you very much. I’m certain,y going to watch the other two parts as well. Just have to find some time for it. I love this franchise as well. It’s awesome 😊
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A great example of how some movies are timeless.😊
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Don’t you just love that feeling of nostalgia?
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I do!😊
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I’m never immune to it but gladly so.
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I do too 😊
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Nostalgia is something I could be content in forever.
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Such along time since I saw this movie. I remember enjoying it, I remember some gruesome scenes and I remember a very comical scene in the toilet. Answer me this, was this the movie that had Murtagh’s daughter working on a commercial or was that one of the other movies?
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Haha, you have a great memory, yes it is the one with the daughter working in a commercial. Such a hilarious scene that was lol 😂 But this entire movie just was a lot of fun to begin with 😊
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It’s been too long since I saw this. Yet I still remember it being an extremely good sequel. It was the chemistry of Danny Glover and Mel Gibson that really made these movies special.
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So true, without their chemistry this would just have been another action movie. But this just made it all the more special.
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They truly rocked it. Man, you are making me want to watch them all again.
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Haha lol, well, I’m going to watch three and four again as well. So you should watch then too, they are still awesome 😊
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I’ll make a note and watch them as soon as I can.
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I remember watching one of these Lethal Weapon movies aways back. Not sure which one it was. I guess I should take a moment to go back and watch them in order.
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Yeah, even though you can watch them on their own, it’s great to see the relationship develop between Riggs and Murtaugh. But they are just great fun to watch. Part 3 is a bit weaker when compared to the others, but even then it still isn’t a bad film. They are definitely worth spending some time with. Hope you will enjoy watching them 😊
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I love the Lethal Weapon movies. And Die Hard, for that matter. I’m going to have to rewatch Lethal Weapon now. 😊
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Haha, yeah sorry about that lol. I’m sometimes into these very nostalgic moods, and some films just never get old, no matter how many times you watch them 😊
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It’s so great to revisit the good, old stuff though.
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This second film certainly breaks the mould of sequels being inferior to the original. I like it about the same as the first though, because I feel they upped the comedic elements and while these work I felt the action and drama of the first kind of got diluted a bit. Still, Leo was a great addition to the cast and like you, I’m glad he hung around for the next two installments.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts on this and now I want to binge all the Lethal Weapon films.
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Haha, sorry…pretty much everyone who has read this post said they now want to rewatch all the films lol. Yep, I’m sometimes having these nostalgic moods where i love to rewatch these old 80’s movies. And these are just great and never get old. You are right about the comedy making more of an appearance here than in the first film. I think parts 3 and 4 corrected that a bit again. Hope you will have fun binging the four films again 😂
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I really enjoyed the fourth film in this series. I usually don’t like additions to trilogies that feel added on for the cash grab, but they pulled out a very good story for Lethal Weapon, not to mention some great antagonists.
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Lethal weapon 3 was my least favorite in the series. It certainly wasn’t bad, and there was still enough to enjoy, but when compared to the others it was weaker. As for part 4, I loved that one. I saw it in the theatres back in the day, and remember I had to laugh so hard at one point that I could not catch my breath. And then ofcourse there was Jet Li../who made such a terrific and evil villain. You are so right, it was a terrific addition to the franchise, and I loved every minute of that one 😊
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Agree that 3 is the worst (though still not bad, just not as good as the others). That’s really odd for the third one to be the worst but there it is. I just found the villain and the situation so much more petty than the first two movies and it was hard to take it as a serious threat.
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That’s exactly the same reason I found it to be a bit lacking. As you say it’s not a bad film, but the villain just wasn’t that good. And that’s exactly what these movies usually need, a good villain. Still, there were some pretty cool action scenes, and René Russo also was another good addition to the cast 😊
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Can’t argue about that. Rene Russo was an awesome addition to the cast and the best thing about the third movie.
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You ever see Loaded Weapon 1?
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Lol, I certainly did. Completely over the top, but still a lot of fun 😂😂
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That was such a wonderful review and I think that’s because how enthusiastic you are about this iconic franchise, great fan of yours!
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Thanks for the incredibly kind comment, really appreciate it 😊 I really am enthusiastic about this franchise. I am probably going to watch part 3 and 4 quite soon, so will in all likelyhood do a review for those as well 😊
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I’m hyped for your reviews buddy!
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Hope your vacation’s coming along nicely! Great review, as always, and while I haven’t seen the Lethal Weapon movies, I can tell by your words how charmed you are by the franchise 😀
“Come on man you spent enough time on the toilet now, let me get you off”
I don’t know if the double entendre is intentional but it made me crack up
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Well, let’s just say that my vacation at the moment is me trying to find some rest in my mind,and not really finding it. Too much stuff happened before my vacation started, so my mind is way too full of unwanted thoughts. I’m trying to get there though, no worries 😊
Glad you liked the review, and I think these movies will certainly be enjoyed by you as well.
As for the double entendre….erm….ofcourse not lol 😂😂
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Aw shit, that sucks It’d sure be nice to tell our brains to shup up please and have it listen for once.
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Yeah true, but for some reason it never listens. Oh well, I will do my best to make it shut up 😀 I hope to get a new Animeseries out today for Corpse Princess. I only have 5 more episodes to go…which I plan to watch now. This was a pleasant surprise this anime…had not expected to like it this much 😊
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I loved this series of movies. The two of them together was perfect hahah
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Yeah they certainly were perfect together. Almost a shame there never was a part 5 😊
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Lol I know. But Mel Gibson went mad after that. UGHH
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Yeah, real shame, though I have to admit he is doing some what better again these days. I doubt we will see a new Lethal Weapon movie anytime soon though, but I hear the tv series isn’t too bad and actually quite entertaining 😊
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I did watch the tv series. It was
Pretty cool
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Fantastic… I really should rewatch it. Those mullets.
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Lol, yeah, these movies are awesome. I think it will always be my favorite action franchise of all time. Just great mindless fun 😊
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Leuke recensie, Michel. Je bent weer goed bezig. Heerlijk die vakantie. Die van mij is ook aangebroken, dus tijd om even bij te komen. Ik krijg na het lezen van deze recensie weer zijn om de Lethal Weapons uit de kast te trekken. Het eerste deel staat nog steeds hoog bovenaan in mijn lijst met favoriete actie films. Deel twee is leuk en laat zeker een ontwikkeling zien in de characters. Helaas vond ik het verhaal erg rommelig, net als bijvoorbeeld de tweede Beverly Hills Cop. Hoe dan ook, de film blijft een genot om naar te kijken.
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Allereerst dan bij deze: een hee fijne vakantie Dirk, geniet er lekker van 😊 Ik moet eerlijk zeggen dat ik deel 2 eigenlijk net zo leuk vond als deel 1. Het was bij deel 3 dat ik het verhaal wat minder vond, en ook de Bad Guy. Deel 4 daarentegen was weer een pareltje 😊 Er komen zeker deze vakantie nog een paar leuke reviews aan, waaronder die van Terminator 2, die ik volgende week woensdag in de bios mag gaan bekijken in 3D. Zo’n zin in…eerste keer dat ik hem op het grote doek ga zien. Veel plezier ook in jouw vakantie Dirk 😊
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