Lethal Weapon

R

Released Mar 6, 1987

1 hr. 49 min.

Action

Mystery & Thriller

List

80%

55 Reviews

Tomatometer

86%

250,000+ Ratings

Audience Score

Following the death of his wife, Los Angeles police detective Martin Riggs (Mel Gibson) becomes reckless and suicidal. When he is reassigned and partnered with Roger Murtaugh (Danny Glover), Riggs immediately clashes with the older officer. Together they uncover a massive drug-trafficking ring. As they encounter increasingly dangerous situations, Riggs and Murtaugh begin to form a bond. Riggs' volatile behavior might just help them apprehend the criminals -- if it doesn't kill them both first.

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Critics Consensus

The most successful installment in a phenomenally successful series, Lethal Weapon helped redefine action movies for the 1980s and 1990s.

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Yuval D

I was expecting a fun silly action comedy. It was so much better

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

03/21/24

Full Review

Audience Member

One of the oldest buddy cops flicks directed by the late Richard Donner The mixture of Christmas and action movie kinda along the lines of 'Die Hard' and 'Long Kiss Goodnight' Mel Gibson, Danny Glover, Tom Atkins, Gary Busey, Joe Pesci, Renee Russo Mel Gibson and Danny Glover are Martin Riggs and Roger Murtaugh Riggs' wife ends up dead and he goes into a downward spiral When he's assigned to Murtaugh as partner naturally they both clash A drug trafficking ring is then uncovered so they realize they have to work together so bring down the traffickers All of this ties back to Murtaugh finding a dead hooker that jumped off a roof and is the daughter of one of his Vietnam war buddies Pretty good buddy cop flick by the late Donner full of classic lines and cliches Mel Gibson and Danny Glover make a good pair with their brash attitudes and polar opposite approaches to being cops The scene in the desert with the car and the helicopter is directed nicely it's hard to fathom it was done for real Would've appreciated more shootouts in the first and second half but the climax is a lot of fun with the high speed chases on freeways and fisticuffs This did redefine action movies in the 80s and 90s after all spawning 4 sequels As far as buddy cop movies go this is one of the best

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

03/07/24

Full Review

Pedro G

Buena película, una icónica cinta de acción. Esta película se me hace la mejor de su saga, es una presentación genial de estos personajes y un comienzo fantástico para esta saga que poco a poco fue perdiendo terreno en el cine de acción. La cinta es bastante entretenida, es divertido ver a este par de policías ir resolviendo crímenes y gracias a su gran sentido del humor no se nos hace tan pesado este viaje con ellos. La historia cuenta con grande escenas de acción muy bien hechas y que si bien están algo exageradas, están muy bien logradas realmente. Algo que tampoco me gusto de la acción es que hay momentos muy convenientes al punto de ser ridículos, una de estas cosas es que a los protagonistas les puede caer una lluvia de balas que ninguna les va a impactar, algo que ya es demasiado. Algo de lo que esperaba mas era del villano principal, es muy olvidable y no tiene mucho tiempo en pantalla para ser el villano de la cinta. Por otro lado, las actuaciones son geniales, Mel Gibson y Danny Glover forman una gran dupla con un gran carisma y química. En conclusión, una muy buena película que para su época fue excelente y aporto mucho para el cine de acción del momento, con geniales escenas de acción, un humor que funciona y una de las mejores duplas de policías del cine. La recomiendo.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

02/08/24

Full Review

Leet C

Plot is nonsensical.

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

01/09/24

Full Review

Kaitlyn K

Ah, a young Mel Gibson - he plays the character of Martin Riggs well! You can see the emotions when he's grappling with life or death, and he's got the crazy-eyes routine down perfectly. He and Danny Glover make a great team in this buddy cop film, and the story is funny yet action-packed (a little too much action for my taste ... I know, it's just the genre, just thought it dragged a bit at parts). The only thing I'm questioning now: If Die Hard is a Christmas movie (according to many sources), is Lethal Weapon also a Christmas movie?

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

12/02/23

Full Review

Talk2junior

Best action movie ever. Has a simple story that is easy to follow and the chemistry between Gibson and Glover is amazing. The best 80's cop action movie ever. Highly recommend this to anyone.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

11/26/23

Full Review

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Richard Donner

Director

Mel Gibson

Sergeant Martin Riggs

Danny Glover

Sergeant Roger Murtaugh

Gary Busey

Mr. Joshua

Mitch Ryan

General Peter McAllister

Tom Atkins

Michael Hunsaker

Show Less Cast & Crew

Show More Cast & Crew

58%

61%

Lethal Weapon 3

57%

64%

Conspiracy Theory

82%

77%

Lethal Weapon 2

94%

94%

Die Hard

TRAILER

for Die Hard

44%

67%

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Bob Thomas

Associated Press

Richard Donner directed with an expert eye for action but impaired vision for logic.

Jul 25, 2019

Full Review

Duane Byrge

Hollywood Reporter

Unfortunately, while Black's assembled all the parts, he's not locked in the conflict early enough, and the good scenes simply aren't enough good to make up for the plot's too-late lock.

Mar 6, 2017

Full Review

Gene Siskel

Chicago Tribune

[Gibson and Glover] make a great team, and some of their early adventures are exciting. But the film runs out of gas as it turns into an extended chase sequence.

Rated: 3/4

Dec 13, 2014

Full Review

Mike Massie

Gone With The Twins

An enduring buddy film, brilliantly combining drama, comedy, adventure, bloodshed, machine gun showdowns in the middle of busy highways, and excessive property destruction.

Rated: 8/10

Sep 6, 2020

Full Review

Rachel Wagner

rachelsreviews.net

My problem with Lethal Weapon is I did not love the script or the action

Rated: 4/10

May 25, 2020

Full Review

David Nusair

Reel Film Reviews

...it's not difficult to see why Riggs and Murtaugh became downright iconic figures after the release of this picture...

Rated: 3/4

Dec 24, 2019

Full Review

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Synopsis

Following the death of his wife, Los Angeles police detective Martin Riggs (Mel Gibson) becomes reckless and suicidal. When he is reassigned and partnered with Roger Murtaugh (Danny Glover), Riggs immediately clashes with the older officer. Together they uncover a massive drug-trafficking ring. As they encounter increasingly dangerous situations, Riggs and Murtaugh begin to form a bond. Riggs' volatile behavior might just help them apprehend the criminals -- if it doesn't kill them both first.

Director: Richard Donner
Screenwriter: Shane Black
Distributor: Warner Bros., Warner Home Vídeo
Production Co: Silver Pictures, Warner Brothers
Rating: R
Genre: Action, Mystery & Thriller
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Mar 6, 1987, Original
Release Date (Streaming): Aug 15, 2008
Box Office (Gross USA): $61.0M
Sound Mix: Surround

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