| Lethal Weapon | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | Richard Donner |
| Produced by | Richard Donner Joel Silver |
| Starring | Mel Gibson Danny Glover |
| Music by | Michael Kamen Eric Clapton David Sanborn |
| Studio | Silver Pictures |
| Distributed by | Warner Bros. |
| Release date(s) | 1987–1998 |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $190,000,000 (est.) |
| Box office | $900,237,298 |
Lethal Weapon is a series of films starring Mel Gibson and Danny Glover as a pair of LAPD detectives. All four films in the series were directed by Richard Donner, and also share many of the same core cast members.
Contents |
Struggling with age and retirement, homicide detective Roger Murtaugh (Danny Glover) is partnered with young and suicidal narcotics officer Martin Riggs (Mel Gibson). Together, they work the case of the apparent suicide of Amanda Hunsaker, daughter of a wealthy businessman who served with Murtaugh in Vietnam. Murtaugh and Riggs soon discover that Hunsaker was involved in a heroin-smuggling scheme led by a retired general (Mitchell Ryan) and his lead enforcer (Gary Busey).
During a car chase, Riggs and Murtaugh stumble upon a trunk full of illegal South African Krugerrands. This sparks a series of attempts at their lives, forcing them to take a less dangerous case, protecting Leo Getz (Joe Pesci), a loud-mouthed whistleblower. However, they realize that Getz was involved in the same South African illegal activities. As a result, they become tangled in a drug-smuggling operation involving South African diplomats in Los Angeles. Riggs kills the murderer of his wife who is among the criminals.
As Murtaugh, who is three days from retiring, and Riggs investigate the busting of an armored car, they find themselves in the middle of an Internal Affairs investigation led by Sergeant Lorna Cole (Renee Russo). The subject of the investigation is a rogue AWOL cop (Stuart Wilson) who's stealing impounded weapons and selling them on the black market. In the middle of the investigation, Murtaugh shoots and kills a teenager, who turns out to be a friend of his own son, that attacked him and Riggs. This prompts Murtaugh to capture the man responsible for the distribution of illegal firearms and to rethink his retirement.
While both Lorna and Rianne, Murtaugh's daughter, are pregnant, Riggs and Murtaugh must pair with rookie Detective Lee Butters (Chris Rock) to investigate a Chinese immigrant smuggling ring. Wah Sing Ku (Jet Li) is a ruthless enforcer who personally attempts to murder Murtaugh's family by burning them alive in their own home. As the story progresses, Murtaugh discovers that Lee is the father of his daughter's unborn child. Murtaugh and Riggs slay dozens of Chinese gangsters and ultimately manage to catch up with the boss of the smuggling ring.
There has been talk of a fifth Lethal Weapon film, although both Mel Gibson and Danny Glover have expressed disinterest. In 2007, Moviehole.net received word from sources that Warner Bros. were in the early stages of trying to relaunch the Lethal Weapon series sometime in 2009 or later.[1] A spec script treatment was written by Shane Black,[2] leading to rumors that the sequel was on fast track by Warner Bros. with Black in the director's chair. Actor Columbus Short said he was being considered for the role of Murtaugh's son.[3] Director Richard Donner was not involved with these plans, but had his own ideas for a Lethal Weapon 5. According to the LA Times, Gibson refused to reprise his role as Martin Riggs for the fifth time, which Donner thought was out of personal loyalty because Donner is not involved.[4] Joel Silver later confirmed Gibson’s lack of interest in the project.[5] "We talked about it, but it was something that Mel didn't want to do now," he explained. "It doesn't mean that he doesn't want to do it ever, but as of right now, he doesn't."[6]
The series is notable as having great continuity within its cast, with every recurring character in each film being played by the same actor or actress throughout. Even relatively minor characters, such as Roger Murtaugh's younger family members and his LAPD co-workers, are played repeatedly by the same people (although some of these characters are killed off as the series progresses).
| Character | Film | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lethal Weapon | Lethal Weapon 2 | Lethal Weapon 3 | Lethal Weapon 4 | |
| Martin Riggs | Mel Gibson | |||
| Roger Murtaugh | Danny Glover | |||
| Leo Getz | Joe Pesci | |||
| Lorna Cole | Rene Russo | |||
| Lee Butters | Chris Rock | |||
| Trish Murtaugh | Darlene Love | |||
| Rianne Murtaugh | Traci Wolfe | |||
| Nick Murtaugh | Damon Hines | |||
| Carrie Murtaugh | Ebonie Smith | |||
| Captain Ed Murphy | Steve Kahan | |||
| Dr. Stephanie Woods | Mary Ellen Trainor | |||
| Film | Release date | Box office revenue | Box office ranking | Budget | Profit | Reference | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| United States | Foreign | Worldwide | All time domestic | All time worldwide | |||||
| Lethal Weapon | March 6, 1987 | $65,207,127 | $55,000,000 | $120,207,127 | #795 | $15,000,000 | $105,207,127 | [7][8] | |
| Lethal Weapon 2 | July 7, 1989 | $147,253,986 | $80,600,000 | $227,853,986 | #190 #172(A) |
#323 | [9] | ||
| Lethal Weapon 3 | May 15, 1992 | $144,731,527 | $177,000,000 | $321,731,527 | #199 #189(A) |
#189 | $35,000,000 | $286,731,527 | [10] |
| Lethal Weapon 4 | July 10, 1998 | $130,444,603 | $155,000,000 | $285,444,603 | #255 | #236 | $140,000,000 | $145,444,603 | [11] |
| Total | $487,637,243 | $412,600,055 | $900,237,298 | $190,000,000(E) | $710,237,298(E) | ||||
List indicator(s)
|
|||||||||
| Film | Rotten Tomatoes | Metacritic | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall | Cream of the Crop | ||
| Lethal Weapon | 90% (40 reviews)[12] | 88% (8 reviews)[13] | 67 (14 reviews)[14] |
| Lethal Weapon 2 | 82% (34 reviews)[15] | 100% (5 reviews)[16] | 70 (13 reviews)[17] |
| Lethal Weapon 3 | 59% (39 reviews)[18] | 43% (7 reviews)[19] | 36 (17 reviews)[20] |
| Lethal Weapon 4 | 54% (61 reviews)[21] | 55% (11 reviews)[22] | 37 (21 reviews)[23] |
| Average Ratings | 71% | 72% | 53 |
|
||||||||||||||||||||