Lethal Weapon 2

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Lethal Weapon 2

R

Released Jul 7, 1989

1h 53m

Action

Mystery & Thriller

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Popcornmeter

82%

Tomatometer

44 Reviews

78%

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250,000+ Ratings

South African smugglers find themselves being hounded and harassed by Riggs and Murtaugh, two mismatched Los Angeles police officers. However, the South Africans are protected by diplomatic immunity, and so the two are assigned to witness-protection duty in an attempt by their captain to keep his job. It is only when this witness reveals to them that he has already dealt with the smugglers that the trouble really starts.

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Critics Consensus

Lethal Weapon 2 may sport a thin plot typical of action fare, but its combination of humor and adrenaline, along with the chemistry between its leads, make this a playful, entertaining sequel.

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Michael Wilmington

Los Angeles Times

[T]here's a sense in which all these recent one-against-a-hundred cop and war thrillers represent the gaudy degeneration of the great tradition of the American action movie: substituting hardware for atmosphere...

Aug 3, 2020

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Anne Thompson

Empire Magazine

Unlike most sequels Lethal Weapon 2 is neither predictable nor conventional. It's just pumped full of juice.

Rated: 4/5

Aug 3, 2020

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Variety Staff

Variety

Loaded with the usual elements, Lethal Weapon 2 benefits from a consistency of tone that was lacking in the first film.

Jun 6, 2008

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Fico Cangiano

CineXpress Podcast

The rare buddy cop sequel that's better than the original film. Mel Gibson and Danny Glover are a hoot, expanding their partnership on screen, while director Richard Donner gives us more humor and action. [Full review in Spanish]

Rated: 3.5/5

May 25, 2021

Full Review

Mike Massie

Gone With The Twins

Director Richard Donner returns, with all of the original cast and more of the same buddy-cop chemistry and wild shenanigans that made the first feature so much fun.

Rated: 7/10

Sep 6, 2020

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Ralph Novak

People Magazine

If you don't mind your comic books being filled with incessant shootings, explosions, knifings, drownings, stranglings, car crashes, fires and the use of automatic nail drivers as weapons, it's a lot of fun.

Aug 3, 2020

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Christian K

A major step down from the original for Gibson's hair. Joe Pesci was a needed and welcome 3rd leg to play off of the leads. Wish this franchise had better villains though.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

08/15/25

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Cody W

It’s good cop, bad cop all over again in LETHAL WEAPON 2, a hilarious and action packed thriller that has more suspense and more excitement than the first one.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

06/24/25

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Justin W

It might be fresh and crispy in the 80s but still good action watch in 2025

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

04/20/25

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Eye C

Great sequel, could it be greater than the first one but at the end they went over the top and that cost some points, but never the less it’s so fun to watch.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

04/06/25

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Rami A

Like most great sequels, Lethal Weapon 2 builds on everything the first movie established while introducing new elements. This time, Riggs and Murtaugh are closer and have developed their friendship, as seen at the ending of the first film. The story is just as strong as the original, featuring plenty of funny moments and unforgettable one-liners. Who could forget those iconic scenes? Joining the cast is Joe Pesci, who always steals the show. If you enjoyed the first film, you’re sure to love this one too.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

02/10/25

Full Review

Audience Member

A strong sequel to the 1987 blockbuster. Seals the relationship between Murtaugh and Riggs with two key, powerful scenes that radiate with the chemistry between Gibson and Glover. The franchise completely lost steam after that movie, proving that Hollywood was running franchises to the ground before 2019. Watch the original Lethal Weapon and this one, and leave it at that.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

01/19/25

Full Review

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Richard Donner

Director

Mel Gibson

Martin Riggs

Danny Glover

Sergeant Roger Murtaugh

Joe Pesci

Leo Getz

Joss Ackland

Arjen Rudd

Derrick O'Connor

Pieter Vorstedt

Executive Decision

62%

53%

Executive Decision

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Synopsis

South African smugglers find themselves being hounded and harassed by Riggs and Murtaugh, two mismatched Los Angeles police officers. However, the South Africans are protected by diplomatic immunity, and so the two are assigned to witness-protection duty in an attempt by their captain to keep his job. It is only when this witness reveals to them that he has already dealt with the smugglers that the trouble really starts.

Director: Richard Donner
Producer: Richard Donner, Joel Silver
Screenwriter: Jeffrey Boam
Distributor: Warner Bros. Pictures
Production Co: Warner Bros., Silver Pictures
Rating: R
Genre: Action, Mystery & Thriller
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Jul 7, 1989, Original
Release Date (Streaming): Aug 15, 2008
Box Office (Gross USA): $144.9M
Runtime: 1h 53m
Sound Mix: Surround
Aspect Ratio: Scope (2.35:1)

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