The "Leathal Weapon" series

[Timby]

I love, love, love Lethal Weapon. Along with Die Hard that is to me the quintessential early 90s action classic. I actually love 4 through and through, and don't get why its so maligned. Hilarious comedy and amazing action. The one I don't care for is #1 as its too dark and slow and Riggs isn't his usual hilarious self. #3 was so-so. But 2 and 4 are classic!

I don't ordinarily say that an opinion is objectively wrong, but, well ... yeah. You're wrong.

 

[Harvey]

I must admit, I own all four of these films and, along with the Die Hard and Beverly Hills Cop series, find them to be very guilty pleasures. I didn't think the fourth installment was any better or worse than any of the previous movies. Yeah, the first film probably has the best characterization of Riggs, but the plot is a confusing mess. Actually, the third film might be my least favorite. I thought it was slow when I first saw it, and haven't bothered to return to it as of yet.

 

[Trekker4747]

Four was terrible.

Awful.

Just. Ugh.

Two late middle aged men fighting a ninja?

A pregnant woman fighting a ninja?

Making Leo more over the top obnoxious?

The family nonsense at the end?

 

[Mr Light]

As I distantly remember, they don't actually defeat Jet Li, he was already injured or something fell on him or something? I enjoy this series as an action-comedy; the first movie was too serious and slow for my tastes. The fourth one is funny as hell and has amazing action scenes (the highway chase particularly); what's wrong with that?

 

[Admiral James Kirk]

Actually Murtaugh impales Jet Li on a piece of rebar and then... Li keeps fighting and then he gets hit with a car or something and he and Riggs end up going underwater and fighting and then... Riggs shoots him with a machine gun and then finally he dies... He made Gary Busey look like a bitch. That's for sure.

 

[Flying Spaghetti Monster]

watching the trilogy again (I'm not counting 4) I realize how dark the first film really is. I have the director's cut, and the scene with the sniper really helps give Riggs an adge. There is also a scene where he picks up a 16-year-old hooker who says she's 22, and I can't remember if it was in the original or not. I thought the scene would go somewhere, like the hooker might have known Amanda Hudsacker, but it didn't it just showed how at the edge of his rope Riggs has gone to. Was the scene in the original release?

Of course I don't fault them for lightening up a bit because the new characters have gotten to know each other, but 4 was just too too much of that.

BTW, part 2 really has a gereat opening, like they took all of the best leathal weapon action moments and put them in one big scene right in the opening. To me its the SW way of opening an action film.

 

[Trekker4747]

I always thought LW2 was the strongest, lots of great scenes in that movie. As a child it introduced me to awesomeness of the nailgun.

 

[Kelso]

I enjoy all four of them, really. I think the first two are awesome, the third one dips, and the fourth one dips again, but all can be watched and enjoyed.

Exactly right.

 

[Brikar99]

There is also a scene where he picks up a 16-year-old hooker who says she's 22, and I can't remember if it was in the original or not. I thought the scene would go somewhere, like the hooker might have known Amanda Hudsacker, but it didn't it just showed how at the edge of his rope Riggs has gone to. Was the scene in the original release?

I don't know if it was in the original release or not, but I took the scene as that Riggs may be a bit crazy, but he's still not just a good cop but a good person... and is also rather lonely. He picks up the hooker on a rainy night and sees right through her lying about her age, then pays her to simply go home and watch TV with him. At least, that's what he says - and I took him at his word on that. Other people may interpret Gibson's performance differently, I don't know.

 

[Scorned]

There will be no more L.W. movies.
Gibson and Glover have rejected the idea.

 

[Flying Spaghetti Monster]

There is also a scene where he picks up a 16-year-old hooker who says she's 22, and I can't remember if it was in the original or not. I thought the scene would go somewhere, like the hooker might have known Amanda Hudsacker, but it didn't it just showed how at the edge of his rope Riggs has gone to. Was the scene in the original release?

I don't know if it was in the original release or not, but I took the scene as that Riggs may be a bit crazy, but he's still not just a good cop but a good person... and is also rather lonely. He picks up the hooker on a rainy night and sees right through her lying about her age, then pays her to simply go home and watch TV with him. At least, that's what he says - and I took him at his word on that. Other people may interpret Gibson's performance differently, I don't know.

You know, thinking about it again, I bet you are exactly right. I was looking too deeply into it, and in the wrong direction. It shows that he did have a soul and he wanted to help the girl not take advantage of her

 

[Mr Pointy Ears]

I think the LW movies got everything rolled into 1 package,action,sex comedy etc,not 2 many movies have this formula

 

[MyCylon]

I enjoy all of them. I think they're fun and entertaining.

 

[Harvey]

There will be no more L.W. movies.
Gibson and Glover have rejected the idea.

What about the announcement that Shane Black was working on a Lethal Weapon 5 script? Not that I endorse the idea. Lethal Weapon 4 was clearly an end to the series.

 

[Kelso]

^ Richard Donner said that Mel turned it down.

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