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Lethal Weapon

Advantages: Buddy movie; humour; Gary Busey; stunts
Disadvantages: The Sequels that followed

...despite Gibson's trademark 80's mullet Lethal Weapon is one of them. This is not your typical Schwarzenegger-esque blow-shit-up-just-for-the-sake-of-it action movie, followed by a host of witty one liners (which I still love by the way); this is actually a respectably paced movie about two mismatched cops, whose irreconcilable personalities are interestingly developed throughout. The stunts aren't half bad either (definitely no CGI here). Danny Glover ...
...the most distinctive contrast in Lethal Weapon- besides the cheap trailer living, emotionally unstable Martin Riggs Vs. the safe, glamourous, family lifestyle of his buddy Murtaugh- is the sharp mix of Christmas laden with loneliness, tragedy, and violence. Much like Die Hard, Lethal Weapon's atmosphere is audacious and pulls no punches; the scene where Riggs is drunk in his trailer with a picture of his beloved wife, and contemplating suicide, gets ...

andycarrington 10.02.2009 · Read full review
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Review of Lethal Weapon (DVD)

'Flied lice? It's fried rice, you plick!'

Advantages: Decent action film
Disadvantages: Lost political messages, too repetitive

Lethal Weapon 4 is the final in the quadrilogy of films from director Richard Donner and starring Mel Gibson and Danny Glover as maverick cops Riggs and Murtaugh. It follows on from Lethal Weapon 3, although there is a six year gap between the films themselves. Lethal Weapon 4 introduces an oriental aspect to the film, with action star Jet Li lending his considerable martial arts talents to the franchise. The Plot Murtaugh uncovers a Chinese smuggling ...
...new. The result is that Lethal Weapon is virually a replica of the previous three films and ends up being a little mundane. It was Jet Li's first American film, and opened a door for him to pursue other roles, but his performance was swallowed up by the buddy cop concept of the film. Lethal Weapon 4 had some impressive political messages to send out, and tackled the issues of immigration and racism, but with comedy elements woven into it as with ...

pmcds 11.03.2009 · Read full review
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Review of Lethal Weapon 4 (DVD)

Bruce Willis thriller that's flawed but fun

Advantages: Action sequences are great, engaging characters.
Disadvantages: Ending is flat.

...solid cinema entertainment, with Hostage, 16 Blocks and Die Hard 4.0 all proving the dynamism of the actor. Despite the advancing years and receding hairline, Willis can still match his previous performances with the same gusto and authority. 16 Blocks, released in 2006, is familiar grouind for Willis, allowing him to use his tongue in cheek humour and star status to create yet another likeable and emotionally fraught character. The similarity in ...
...his kids. His character in 16 Blocks is on a par with these two films, with Willis playing a drunken and crippled cop seeking to put an end to the corruption and dishonesty prevalent in modern day police practice, while also trying to sort out his own life. Willis plays Detective Jack Mosley, an embittered and frankly shabby looking cop spending his days drinking on the job and upset with the path his life has taken. He sports an uncharacteristically ...

bigmike33 11.05.2009 · Read full review
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Review of 16 Blocks (DVD)

Diplomatic Immunity!

Advantages: Great sequel
Disadvantages: Not as good as the first film

...foreign theme here, as the Lethal Weapon series takes its second film into a South African laden plot once again involving drugs. The franchise waited a mere two years before making the sequel to the immensely successful Lethal Weapon in 1987, and this 1989 film was also popular, and featured the introduction of a new character in the form of Leo Getz, played by Joe Pesci. The Plot Riggs and Murtaugh are chalk and cheese. The detective coupling ...
...come close to the original Lethal Weapon film in 1987. The Apartheid conflict is briefly touched on here, and there are some dodgy South African accents on show. The script was penned by the same man who wrote the original film, Shane Black, and originally it was more vicious, but it was decided this was too much. Pesci outperforms most of the time, but the stars of the show are once again Gibson and Glover, as you would expect. The volatile and ...

pmcds 10.03.2009 · Read full review
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Review of Lethal Weapon 2 (DVD)

Riggs and Murtaugh are back again!

Advantages: Recreation of a winning formula
Disadvantages: Doesn't match the quality of the first 2 films

...a three year gap, the Lethal Weapon team returned in 1992 to make the third installment of the film series. With Riggs and Murtaugh immensely popular characters, public demand forced this film's creation, written again by creator Shane Black. Richard Donner directs again, and the acting duo of Mel Gibson and Danny Glover are rejoined by hyperactive Joe Pesci and new addition Rene Russo. The Plot One week away from his retirement, detective Murtaugh ...
...While I love the Lethal Weapon series, I felt this third film fell by the wayside somewhat. There was less conviction as the first two films, and they almost lost their ground here with too much concentration on the personal side of the characters and not enough focus on the main plot. The impending retirement of Murtaugh is a good adjustment to the plot basics. The film did need something a little different to the other two, and this combines well ...

pmcds 10.03.2009 · Read full review
Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful
Review of Lethal Weapon 3 (DVD)