Lethal Weapon

Grew up with this one and revisiting it is only a reminder of how bad 80's films could be. This was the best of the numerous sequels however it is still a cheesy slice of Hollywood history. The acting is terrible from everyone involved (even Gary Busey), the script is cringeworthy and there are so many editing errors it's like a badly pieced together jigsaw. And the white collar blues soundtrack courtesy of Eric Clapton only serves to prove that this film was made with the excesses of Hollywood money, cocaine and very little integrity.

Lethal weapon 1987 is one of the best 80s christmas action films , its acting is fantastic and mel gibson is class in this .Danny glover adds great detectivity , and makes a great duo with laughs , thrills , its emotionally charged and ends in an heroic ending . Christmas excitment 2 cops on classic popcorn film

The first of a very successful and highly entertaining quartet of films known for their explosive action, testosterone fueled plots and, not particularly this film but a nice development in the sequels, humor, joviality and, as an afterthought or relationship compromiser, a little romantic interest.

The first Lethal Weapon film is the most serious out of the four, simply because it has to establish the character mind sets and relationships.

Riggs (Gibson) for instance is a lone manic depressive psycho with suicidal tendencies, counter balanced by his newly acquired partner, Murtagh (Glover), a devoted family man on the verge of retirement, the thought of which is making him a very apprehensive wreck as he fears never getting to retire in one peace especially now with Riggs on the scene.

Adult testosterone fueled entertainment at it's best. Action, violence, male bonding, no need for the old noggin to contemplate any participation, need I same anymore?

These films would be best enjoyed with a few beers, assortment of meat by-products and a gathering of similar fellow neanderthals.

If you have a tendency to scratch your armpits, drag your knuckles and howl at the moon, like I do, then this one and the sequel (Lethal Weapon 2) are must sees, especially with the introduction of Leo (Pesci) in Lethal 2, bringing in a welcomed comic element to the proceeding.

Lethal 3 & 4 are watchable, no where near as good as the first two but nevertheless must be seen just for the curiosity and familiarity factor.

(I personally would have rated the films higher if the ending to Lethal Weapon 2 had been different, in that Lethals' 3 & 4 wouldn't have ever been made, watch the films to get my meaning)

Normally I stay away from cops and robbers type films but Gibson along with Glover make this film really enjoyable.

defo worth watching

The first Weapon balances a likable sense of humanity with a good helping of frantic action. What it does miss, however, is light heartedness of its sequels and is prone to take itself a bit too seriously.

Mel Gibson is the star here, and it is his menacing but exposed performance that gives the film much of its serious edge. Danny Gloverprovides a good helping of the lighter side that becomes more prominent in later on in the franchise , with his comic catch phrase “I’m too old for this s**t”, and is a good balance to the intensity of Gibson’s character.

The director manages the pace of the movie well, and he is careful to make his two stars the centre of our attention without sacrificing the action.

You can really tell that Lethal Weapon is a product of the eighties as it really does just have that feel about it. All the clichés are there and so is the bog standard story line. What is different is the relationship between Glover and Gibson and although the character development does happen a little too fast for me, I can forgive that, because I know that this film sets down the foundations for a brilliant action movie franchise.

I don’t think that Lethal Weapon really got the balance quite right with its first outing; the intensity of Mel Gibson’s character didn’t really seem to fit the film to well. Because I know that the rest of the franchise is much better I think it is still worth a look just to see how it all started.