Lethal Weapon

Starring: Mel Gibson, Danny Glover, Gary Busey
Directed by: Richard Donner
Rating: R
Genre: Action, Comedy, Crime
1987

Times Seen:
Tim: 1

Summary: A by-the-book, play-it-safe cop (Danny Glover) is paired up with an emotionally unstable, suicidal, reckless cop (Mel Gibson) to track down a killer.

Review:

Tim: This movie is why buddy cop flicks are such an enjoyable genre of film. When they work well (like this one does), you are in for a treat.

Mel Gibson and Danny Glover work brilliantly together. They play off each other in fantastic fashion and are just fun to watch together. Gibson plays the mentally disturbed but deadly cop very well. You could tell he had enormous fun with the role and that is contagious. Glover is terrific as the by-the-book family man. His "I'm getting too old for this shit" lines are one of the many memorable aspects of the film. The differences between these two men come up numerous times, and account for some of the best moments of the movie.

The action in the film is balanced incredibly well. Gibson's handling of a suicidal jumper, a number of gunfights, and some torture all ensure the film moves at a quick pace, but you never feel like you're stuck in some mindless action movie. The scenes of action serve the purpose of moving the story, instead of being solely in and of themselves. This is refreshing and makes the film outstanding.

Lethal Weapon has a great deal of action, comedy, and features Gibson and Glover loving every minute of their time together. This film started a franchise, and for good reason.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: 8



If You Enjoyed This Movie, We Recommend: Lethal Weapon 2, Lethal Weapon 3, Lethal Weapon 4, Maverick