Lethal Weapon

I promise you, right now, that I will not use “that line” in this review. I won't. I promise.

Did this really get such good reviews when it was released? I mean, its not awful, but its certainly not good. How can a movie with as much incidental saxophone as this one be given such good reviews? For example, someone says something, “saxophone”, someone walks somewhere, “saxophone”. I knew I would not be able to take Lethal Weapon too seriously upon the third hearing of a saxophone. Way too much saxophone in this one for my liking. Saxophone in moderation is fine, but too much saxophone just makes me tired of saxophones.

Onto the film.

Lethal Weapon is the story of two Los Angeles detectives, played by Mel Gibson and Danny Glover, thrown together in order to investigate the death of a local prostitute. This case takes an inexplicable turn and leads them into the murky underworld of heroin smuggling. The two men both have to work together in order to solve the case, despite both of them not enjoying working with partners (although this plot point is weak because they begin to like each other within 10 minutes of screen time).

Yes, the plot is very weak, the “bad guys” are the most generic kind of bad guys you can get, and the pacing of the film is all wrong, leaving little time for its conclusion. As a result of this, the final act all feels a bit rushed, with the two detectives dispatching their heroin pushing enemies with ease. Too much emphasis is put on Danny Glover's family.

Mel Gibson makes the film, and his performance as Martin Riggs, suicidal L.A. Narcotics Detective, feels thoroughly believable throughout. One scene in particular (except for “that moment”) featuring Gibson in his trailer home, is the stand-out in a collection of very average action scenes and very average male bonding scenes.

Danny Glover's line delivery is woeful. There's one in particular when he's on the phone which feels so forced and stilted that I didn't know whether to laugh or cry.

Don't get me started about the fight on Murtaugh's lawn at the end.

In conclusion, Lethal Weapon is a throwaway action film, one that I wouldn't want to see again, but one which I would watch again if needs be. I don't think I'll be watching the sequels mind, because...

Sorry.