Lethal Weapon

Directed by Richard Donner, Lethal Weapon follows mismatched cops Martin Riggs (Mel Gibson) and Roger Murtaugh (Danny Glover) as they’re forced to put their differences aside and work together to capture a ruthless drug smuggler (Mitchell Ryan’s The General). Filmmaker Donner, working from Shane Black’s screenplay, delivers a no-nonsense thriller that benefits substantially from Gibson and Glover’s superlative efforts, with the effectiveness of the actors’ work here certainly enhanced by the obvious (and palpable) chemistry between their respective characters (ie it’s not difficult to see why Riggs and Murtaugh became downright iconic figures after the release of this picture). And although Black’s script occasionally emphasizes the heroes’ investigation to a somewhat oppressive extent, Lethal Weapon contains a heaping handful of captivating stand-alone sequences (eg Riggs must talk a suicidal businessman off a ledge) that go a long way towards perpetuating the movie’s watchable atmosphere – with the action-packed climax ultimately ensuring that the whole thing ends on a visceral, exciting note.

*** out of ****