Critic Reviews
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Johanna Steinmetz, Chicago Tribune
As action-adventure, it's pointlessly puerile, a movie where the heroes are so childish they try to one-up each other with fancy shots at the pistol range.
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James Berardinelli, ReelViews
From a distance, Lethal Weapon might appear generic, but a closer look reveals something special.
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Richard Schickel, TIME Magazine
What a concept! Mad Max meets The Cosby Show
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Variety Staff, Variety
Lethal Weapon is a film teetering on the brink of absurdity when it gets serious, but thanks to its unrelenting energy and insistent drive, it never quite falls.
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Pat Graham, Chicago Reader
Empty glitz in search of a style.
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Geoff Andrew, Time Out
In this classy all-action thriller, Mel Gibson oozes charm the way his victims ooze blood.
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Roger Hurlburt, South Florida Sun-Sentinel
Nothing, however, can really prepare audiences for the generally good, though offbeat, performances, gritty action and serio-comic exploits of the Good Guys vs. the Bad Guys.
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Walter Chaw, Film Freak Central
What does it say that I loved it as a boy of fourteen?
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Matt Brunson, Creative Loafing
Yeah, I know, I know: It's considered an action classic and routinely pegged as one of the best "buddy cop" films, but it's always held just marginal appeal for me -- besides, compare it to Die Hard, and its "classic" status seems even more ludicrous.
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Elliot Panek, Common Sense Media
Mismatched cops spar in violent '80s action hit.
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, Film4
A phenomenally successful, noisy, violent buddy movie.
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Stefan Birgir Stefansson, sbs.is
the best buddycop film ever
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Gavin Bainbridge, Empire Magazine
The pace never slows, the jokes never miss and the stunts never disappoint in this macho-dream of an actioner.
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, TV Guide's Movie Guide
Gibson is truly frightening as the cop about to go into orbit, and Glover is a standout as the down-to-earth lawman with very much to lose.
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JoBlo, JoBlo's Movie Emporium
Granted, the film doesn't feature the most interesting story-line to come across a movie screen, but that doesn't matter all that much because we're having a whole bunch of fun watching the chemistry between Glover and Gibson...
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John J. Puccio, Movie Metropolis
...fairly serious most of the way, despite the outlandish nature of the goings on. (Blu-ray Collection)
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, Film Threat
Admittedly, it pretty cool to see Martin Riggs burst through the door the second the bad guy says "There's no more heroes left in the world" despite having just recieved brutal electric shock torture that will leave you cringing with shooting discomfort.
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Cole Smithey, ColeSmithey.com
[VIDEO ESSAY] Screenwriter Shane Black's approach to creating unconventional characters for "Lethal Weapon" created a new template for the buddy movie genre, which dates back to the silent era of Laurel and Hardy.
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Chuck O'Leary, Fantastica Daily
The best in an overrated series thanks to Gibson's intense performance as a suicidal cop.
Read all 19 critic reviews
Featured Audience Ratings
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At times here, the humor can be a "Lethal Weapon" to your lungs.
Full review coming to themoviefreakblog.com on 5/30.
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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
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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.
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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.
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Excellent action movie. Great cast and chemistry between Mel and Danny. One cop is near retirement and one is a loose cannon.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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!
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"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!
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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
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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.
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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.
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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.
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Read all 20 featured audience ratings
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