Lethal Weapon (1987)

Featured Audience Ratings

• Directors C

  
  [img]http://images.rottentomatoes.com/images/user/icons/icon14.gif[/img] Irresistible with brilliant chemistry shared between Mel Gibson and Danny Glover, Lethal Weapon is one of the best action comedies of the 80's. This is what Bad Boys should have been, fast paced but also… More
  [img]http://images.rottentomatoes.com/images/user/icons/icon14.gif[/img] Irresistible with brilliant chemistry shared between Mel Gibson and Danny Glover, Lethal Weapon is one of the best action comedies of the 80's. This is what Bad Boys should have been, fast paced but also with heart and likable characters. It's one of the best buddy cop films i've ever seen and one of the most iconic, engaging and hilarious. An essential must watch classic for action fans and film lovers.

• Melvin W

  
  Roger Murtaugh: I'm too old for this shit!  "If these two can learn to stand each other... the bad guys don't stand a chance." Lethal Weapon is a classic buddy cop/action comedy. I really liked it, but just like Die Hard; I still feel it is a little overrated. It… More
  Roger Murtaugh: I'm too old for this shit!  "If these two can learn to stand each other... the bad guys don't stand a chance." Lethal Weapon is a classic buddy cop/action comedy. I really liked it, but just like Die Hard; I still feel it is a little overrated. It isn't the coolest thing I have ever seen or the most fun action comedy I have seen. What it is is still good, but I was somewhat expecting more because everyone loves it so much. To me this is just a solid and entertaining film. I won't argue its classic status, though.  It's obviously a genre staple, seeing as it is one of the most talked about movies in the genre.  The most likable thing about the movie are the cops, played by Danny Glover and Mel Gibson. Glover plays the old cop who can still get the job done. Gibson plays the younger, crazier cop. He pretty much plays the character the exact same way as he acts in his everyday life today. Those two together make for some great fun and some hilarious dialogue exchanges. They have great chemistry on screen together in this, and I would assume that they have that same great chemistry in the other three. One actor I really didn't like in this was Gary Busey. He plays the villain, and although the guy is nuts in real life; he gives an extremely bland and overall underplayed performance. With a better villain, this could have been even better. The plot is pretty obvious, as it has been done many times. Two cops are partnered up, and hate each other off the bat. After awhile they start to grow on each other, and once they get really into their case, they are best friends. The case they are trying to solve is that of a young woman's murder, which was made to look like a suicide. I may not love it as much as some, but I still really enjoy it. It's the type of movie you can just sit back and enjoy anytime. You don't have to be in the mood to watch a movie like Lethal Weapon. If I'm flipping through the channels on tv and I see this is on, more than likely I am going to watch it. Plus how can you argue with Murtaugh's classic line. Roger Murtaugh: Have you ever met anybody you didn't kill?  Martin Riggs: Well, I haven't killed you yet. 

• Candy R

  
  Excellent action movie. Great cast and chemistry between Mel and Danny. One cop is near retirement and one is a loose cannon.

• xGary X

  
  A veteran detective is paired up with a burnt out cop with a death wish when investigating the murder of the daughter of one of his old Vietnam war buddies. Lethal Weapon was probably the film that perfected the Hollywood buddy cop formula and is yet another example of the macho… More
  A veteran detective is paired up with a burnt out cop with a death wish when investigating the murder of the daughter of one of his old Vietnam war buddies. Lethal Weapon was probably the film that perfected the Hollywood buddy cop formula and is yet another example of the macho excesses of the 1980s. All mullets, machine guns, drug abuse, explosions and gratuitous nudity while the wise cracking super cops get bare chested and find one excuse after another to blast, bludgeon and brutalise bad guys so irredeemably evil you don't have to worry about anything so trite as their civil rights (or right to stay breathing for that matter!) It was popular enough to warrant three sequels and endures still, mainly because of the winning chemistry between Danny Glover's dismayed old timer and Gibson's comedy manic depressive but the plot is paper thin as well as highly unbelievable and it's really just an excuse to run around with guns and blow stuff up. We've all heard of the chick flick, well Lethal Weapon is one of the archetypal dick flicks. Silly, dumb and soaked in testosterone, it's a film perfectly engineered to appeal to the adolescent boy locked inside every XY chromosome.

• Ken S

  
  Thoroughly entertaining

• Jeff "

  
  As far as the Lethal Weapon films are concerned, the first film is the best in the franchise, and my personal favorite of the four. I thought it was the best film in the series, because I thought it was the most action packed and serious film of the four. I enjoyed the cast, and I… More
  As far as the Lethal Weapon films are concerned, the first film is the best in the franchise, and my personal favorite of the four. I thought it was the best film in the series, because I thought it was the most action packed and serious film of the four. I enjoyed the cast, and I loved seeing Tom Atkins, those familiar with old school 80's horror will know him from his roles in Maniac Cop and Night Of The Creeps. Lethal Weapon is a terrific action film of which the the sequels were never able to top. What I love the most about this first film is that like I said it was the most serious film and it also had some tense, well constructed action scenes. Mel Gibson and Danny Glover had good chemistry going on screen, and the old saying "the first film is always the best" really applies to this film. Lethal Weapon is a fun, action movie that delivers on the action, at times it can struggle, but it manages to have enough going for it. The film is fun, and manages to thrill and unlike the sequels is a film that tones down the tongue in cheek humour and in the process, doesn't annoy the viewer. If you are to see one Lethal Weapon film, watch this first entry and enjoy a good action film that had never been topped by the sequels.

• Jens S

  
  While setting up the characters, the first part of the series is the weakest. The film's morals are questionable at best, the tone somewhat undecided between comedy and rather violent scenes. Of course that's deeply entertaining, but the mix felt a lot more balanced and less… More
  While setting up the characters, the first part of the series is the weakest. The film's morals are questionable at best, the tone somewhat undecided between comedy and rather violent scenes. Of course that's deeply entertaining, but the mix felt a lot more balanced and less serious in the later installments. Here, things still feel a bit forced. Gibson and Glover and their entirely different characters already make for a great team, though.

• AJ V

  
  A classic 80s crime action movie, I think it's probably the best cop flick of the decade. The characters are great and so is the story, I highly recommend this movie.

• Conner R

  
  As far as i'm concerned, this is THE buddy cop experience and debatably the greatest action movie ever made. Not only does it deliver on endlessly cool sequences and suspense, but it has some of the best character development ever put into the genre. Riggs and Murtaugh are the… More
  As far as i'm concerned, this is THE buddy cop experience and debatably the greatest action movie ever made. Not only does it deliver on endlessly cool sequences and suspense, but it has some of the best character development ever put into the genre. Riggs and Murtaugh are the best, their chemistry together is unmatched and they always manage to take down the bad guys. Mel Gibson is truly a force to be reckoned with, his intensity is off the charts. The story itself is so much fun in terms of the relationship, but the murder mystery/villain aspect is extremely serious and makes the feel of the movie powerful. I'm sure there's some people out there who don't get this type of movie, but they're missing out big time. This is the definition of a fun movie. Richard Donner makes this such a great looking movie; at not one point does this feel like a second rate action movie.

• Chris W

  
  This is one of the greatest action/comedy flms of all time, and basically is the quintessential buddy cop film. The action is great, things are intense, the performances are outstanding, and I really like how this film balances out action with humor and character development. This… More
  This is one of the greatest action/comedy flms of all time, and basically is the quintessential buddy cop film. The action is great, things are intense, the performances are outstanding, and I really like how this film balances out action with humor and character development. This movie is one of the most entertaining and influential of its kind.

• Richard C

  
  B

• Mike S

  
  Mel Gibson and Danny Glover is the cop duo of cop duos. One a bit crazy and unorthodox, and the other a rational, yet humorous family man. And while the action may be exciting and the dialogue very slick, it's really the interplay between these two characters that makes this… More
  Mel Gibson and Danny Glover is the cop duo of cop duos. One a bit crazy and unorthodox, and the other a rational, yet humorous family man. And while the action may be exciting and the dialogue very slick, it's really the interplay between these two characters that makes this movie such a fun watch. Now, I'm not quite sure how it stands next to its sequels (as its been a long time since I've seen them all), but what I can say is that's definitely one of the best in the series. If you haven't seen it yet, be sure to check it out. Because I can promise you it's better than it's contemporary counterparts.

• Anthony L

  
  Classic cop/buddy movie that all other cop/buddy movies aspire to. Donner was the best choice for the franchise and It all the better for him directing all 4 films. Written by the brilliant Mr. Black!

• Jason O

  
  "Lethal Weapon" pairs one of the best duos ever seen in a movie. A suicidal cop (Mel Gibson) and an aging veteran cop (Danny Glover) have to team up to investigate a case of a woman that jumped from a building to her death. They also have to battle some bad guys and catch… More
  "Lethal Weapon" pairs one of the best duos ever seen in a movie. A suicidal cop (Mel Gibson) and an aging veteran cop (Danny Glover) have to team up to investigate a case of a woman that jumped from a building to her death. They also have to battle some bad guys and catch other criminals on their way. However, not all is smooth sailing when the duo first meets. They must learn to get along and accept each other's styles if they want to get the job done. "Lethal Weapon" couldn't have been done much better to start the series off at a fast pace. It has a lot of funny and action packed sequences in it. Some of the best are when Mel Gibson shows his ability to shoot a gun at target practice and the ending sequence. If you like the "Lethal Weapon" series or action movies with a sense of comedy in them, I recommend getting "Lethal Weapon." NOTE: That was my Amazon review from the year 2000. This isn't the best movie in the series, but it was definitely a great start that had to have people anxiously awaiting the sequels!

• Phil H

  
  Like 'Beverly Hills Cop' this is one of the all time best buddy cop action flicks. Also like Beverly Hills its kinda aged now but still works well haha I remember these films being classed as nasty adult violent flicks which were on the top shelves of the video shop :) the… More
  Like 'Beverly Hills Cop' this is one of the all time best buddy cop action flicks. Also like Beverly Hills its kinda aged now but still works well haha I remember these films being classed as nasty adult violent flicks which were on the top shelves of the video shop :) the action here is great, no cgi, just real gritty smash ups. It looks good and dirty with the bullets flying by our heroes. The cast are all cool, Busey being really ice cool as the baddie main man, and of course Gibson n Glover hit it of with great dialog. There are some nice set pieces here and great gun battles, the grit beats Beverly Hills sun drenched look actually, and of course, there's Mel's classic mullet haha

• Al S

  
  A tough, slick, fast and relentless action-thriller. Hard edged and hard boiled fun. It packs plenty of thrills and frequent humor. One wild thrill-ride thats from the begining and dosent stop untill the very end. Mel Gibson and Danny Glover are riveting, a pair of heroes that shine… More
  A tough, slick, fast and relentless action-thriller. Hard edged and hard boiled fun. It packs plenty of thrills and frequent humor. One wild thrill-ride thats from the begining and dosent stop untill the very end. Mel Gibson and Danny Glover are riveting, a pair of heroes that shine together on screen with humor and intensity. A sharp and smart action-packed rollar-coaster ride.

• Red L

  
  One of the better buddy-cop movies. Gibson is the crazy cop, Glover is the grounded family man, and these two opposites counter each other as they go through enough action to keep you at the edge of your seat for the whole movie.

• Lady D

  
  One of those ?talked about, but can?t remember? movies from the 80?s which is my reason for watching this. For me it?s a little bit typical of Hollywood Action in that era, loud, explosive, high body Count and although it?s fairly easy watching, it's not a great storyline.

• Tim S

  
  Love this movie.

• Lorenzo v

  
  <i>Martin Riggs: "Well, what do you wanna hear, man? Do you wanna hear that sometimes I think about eatin' a bullet? Huh? Well, I do! I even got a special bullet for the occasion with a hollow point, look! Make sure it blows the back of my goddamned head out and do the… More
  <i>Martin Riggs: "Well, what do you wanna hear, man? Do you wanna hear that sometimes I think about eatin' a bullet? Huh? Well, I do! I even got a special bullet for the occasion with a hollow point, look! Make sure it blows the back of my goddamned head out and do the job right! Every single day I wake up and I think of a reason not to do it! Every single day! You know why I don't do it? This is gonna make you laugh! You know why I don't do it? The job! Doin' the job! Now that's the reason!"</i> Los Angeles police sergeant Roger Murtaugh, who has just turned 50 years old, is assigned to investigate the death of Amanda Hunsaker, a prostitute who is one of the daughters of bank president Michael Hunsaker, a friend whom Roger has known since they were in the Vietnam War together, but Roger hasn't seen Michael in 12 years. Beginning with this investigation, Roger is assigned a new partner Sergeant Martin Riggs, who has been suicidal ever since his wife Victoria "Vicky" Lynn Riggs died in a car crash in 1984. Riggs and Murtaugh's investigation of Amanda's death reveals that she was murdered. Upon hearing of this, Michael tells Murtaugh that he would like for whoever is behind Amanda's murder to end up dead, like Amanda. Riggs and Murtaugh's investigation continues and it makes them the targets of Shadow Company, a group of former Vietnam War era mercenaries who now bring heroin into the Los Angeles County region. Shadow Company's leader, General Peter McAllister, and his right hand man, Mr. Joshua, want Riggs and Murtaugh dead, no matter what the cost. Just saw this last night as a part of my Lethal Weapon Saga movie nights and man, this one right here is the ultimate buddy cop film. This movie, in my opinion started the buddy cop genre which later spawned a whole lot of buddy cop films. From <i>Tango & Cash</i>, <i>Bad Boys</i> and <i>Starsky & Hutch</i>, it was all inspired by Lethal Weapon. What makes this film work incredibly is the chemistry between two leads: Mel Gibson as psychotic cop Martin Riggs and Danny Glover as <i>"I'm too old fo' this shit"</i> Roger Murtaugh. I admit, I've never been really a fan of Mel Gibson as an actor, I like him better when he's behind the camera but this film changes it all. Tremendous acting by Gibson as well as Glover. Another reason why this film really clicked is the villainous Gary Busey as Mr. Joshua. A badass character portrayed by a badass actor. Mr. Joshua will go down as one of the greatest villains of all time. <b>4.5/5</b>

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