Movie Marathon - Lethal Weapon 1-4

Lethal Weapon was once a hugely successful franchise that jumped onboard the buddy cop formula and from its first outing in 1987 to its last in 1998, there was over ten years of Danny Glover proclaiming he was "too old for this shit", crazy Mel Gibson before he really went off the rails, entertaining action set pieces and more than enough saxophone. Some many years later, there was a short lived TV series adaptation but otherwise this franchise sits quietly on the shelf. How has it aged and is it worth watching today? Let's find out!

Lethal Weapon released in 1987 and was directed by the late Richard Donner, who would direct all four films, and starred Danny Glover as a straight-laced, middle-aged cop who is paired with an unhinged former Vietnam War veteran, Mel Gibson, to catch a gang of drug smugglers. Written by Shane Black, the first film is a great mix of action, drama and moments of comedy while supported by the two leads who work perfectly together and quickly establish a chemistry that would run throughout the rest of series. 

Donner's directing is also on-point as are the visuals as mid-1980s LA is captured stunningly with very little to make this feel dated besides the fashion at the time. This also feels very serious compared its sequels; Gibson's Riggs battles with depression and is on the verge of committing suicide and police brutality over black people is referenced to as Glover's Murtaugh tries to collect leads on their case. The action is also fairly grounded but we do get Gary Busey as one of the villains to keep the story relatively light. All in all, this is still a very entertaining action film and an easy one to put on and enjoy. 

Two years later, 1989 brought Lethal Weapon 2 as Murtaugh and Riggs investigate a group of South African diplomats who are abusing their position to do some criminal work. This is also the film which introduces Joe Pesci who is under witness protection from the South Africans and signifies the moment as the series shifts gears to becoming an action comedy. This one is a lot of fun to revisit and has a number of great scenes that let Glover and Gibson's chemistry really shine; the toilet scene, that I won't spoil, is a particularly great moment.

It does suffer in places due to a slow first act but once the story gets going it almost rivals the original. There are still elements of the darker tone we saw in the last film with Riggs and these are used well in the final act which was originally written to kill him off. Thankfully after a test screening that idea was ditched and instead we have an even more entertaining buddy cop film with great villains and a fun performance from Pesci. When people talk of the limited number of great sequels, this one is often overlooked but gets an easy recommendation from me if you enjoyed the original. 

Lethal Weapon 3 is where I strain my mind to remember what happens and is perhaps the first sign that things aren't quite as good as the two films that came before. This time the case is on for a former LAPD officer who has turned against his old colleagues and is supplying arms to local street gangs. Pesci returns for more comedic relief and Rene Russo join as an internal affairs officer, who later becomes a love interest for Riggs to help move the character away from his suicidal past for good as the series focuses on a lighter tone. 

Donner still treats the aspect of the villain arming young gangs with an appropriate level of seriousness as Murtaugh grapples with having to defend himself against a friend of his son, and it really is these scenes that kept me engaged. With that said, Lethal Weapon 3 probably ranks as my least favourite in the whole collection. I wasn't as entertained this time by Pesci's scenes that felt overplayed, the unmemorable story was missing Shane Black's input as the writers changed and unfortunately this outing also has the weakest villain leaving the third film with a lot less to make for a satisfying experience. We do still have a number of fun moments between Glover and Gibson but there's nothing here to rival that toilet scene. 

Eleven years after the story began, Lethal Weapon 4 released in 1998 and would be the final chapter as the two both feel they're getting too old for their deadly hijinks in the LAPD. This time they are put to the test against a powerful group of Chinese triads, which includes Jet Li, while the series also welcomes in Chris Rock to work alongside the original duo. Pesci is back again and on better form, Russo's officer has a child on the way with Riggs and so does Murtaugh's daughter but who is the father? Comedy ensues. 

The fourth film is a lightest of the lot and Donner's direction kept this entertaining from start to finish, while also finding a suitable way to conclude the overall story on a high note. Jet Li is put to good use as a very strong villain and any scene where he gets to put his martial arts experience to use is just thrilling to watch. If you've made it through the first three courses, then this film will go down a treat as we get to see Glover and Gibson on fine former again for the last time together. 

It is easy to say the Lethal Weapon films peak halfway through but that would overlook just how great its two leads are throughout. Richard Donner's direction kept the films together when a studio today might chop and change who sits in the director's chair and risk losing that sense of continuity. The films have aged in places and while I would only recommend the first two to a casual viewer, there's still a lot to enjoy in the whole collection to keep you entertained.