Directed by: Richard Donner
Starring: Mel Gibson, Danny Glover, Gary Busey, Steve Kahan, Tom Atkins, Traci Wolfe, Mitchell Ryan
This is the first in the Lethal Weapon series pairing the unlikely duo of Roger Murtaugh (Glover), a cop with a nice family who just turned fifty, and suicidal cop Martin Riggs (Gibson), whose wife was recently killed in a car accident. Riggs' devil-may-care attitude doesn't mesh with play-it-safe Murtaugh, who isn't exactly short timing, but is looking forward to retirement one day. As the two men wade deeper into investigating a drug distribution and prostitution ring, they begin to connect. Glover and Gibson have impeccable chemistry which carried them through four films.
Murtaugh has a nice home in the Los Angeles suburbs and a loving family. He finds "he's getting too old for this shit" when he is assigned Riggs as his new partner. A Vietnam buddy (Atkins) calls Murtaugh for a favor: To investigate the death of his prostitute daughter who was seemingly pushed from a penthouse balcony. There is more to the story, including the drug ring run by The General (Ryan), who dispatches his second-in-command Joshua (Busey) to coldly and ruthlessly kill whomever gets in their way. Busey is an effective villain because he doesn't overact or froth at the mouth. His viciousness is coiled up inside him and hidden by faux civility. When he engages in fisticuffs with Riggs in the finale, we can believe it's a fair fight.
We are introduced to Riggs working undercover as a drug buyer. He engages in the first movie fight I can recall which invoked The Three Stooges. At home alone, though, the depressed, grieving Riggs' life takes on a more dangerous tone as he sticks a gun in his mouth while nearly pulling the trigger. He displays further suicidal tendencies in his dealings with a man who threatens to jump off the roof of a tall building. The payoff is funny and unexpected.
Like numerous action films, Lethal Weapon is heavy on chases and gunfights, but these are done with style. The three sequels take on a more comic tone, while this film has a darker feel to it while still managing to be fun.
No comments:
Post a Comment