Lethal Weapon

1987
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Lethal Weapon

Critics Consensus

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

81%

TOMATOMETER

Total Count: 54

86%

Audience Score

User Ratings: 344,383
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Lethal Weapon Photos

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Movie Info

L.A. cop Martin Riggs (Mel Gibson), whose wife has recently died, is a loose cannon with a seeming death wish. This makes him indispensable in collaring dangerous criminals, but a liability to any potential partners. Roger Murtaugh (Danny Glover), a conservative family man who wants to stay alive for his upcoming 50th birthday, is partnered with Riggs. As Riggs gets to know Murtaugh and his family, he begins to mellow, though his insistence on using guerilla tactics to catch criminals is still (put mildly) above and beyond the call of duty. The main villain is The General (Mitchell Ryan), a drug dealer responsible for the death of the daughter of one of Murtaugh's oldest friends. The General is also in charge of a deadly, militia-like gang of smugglers. Adding fuel to the fire is The General's chief henchman, played with all stops out by Gary Busey. Moviegoers familiar only with the relatively tongue-in-cheek Lethal Weapon sequels may be amazed to find out how dangerous and unpredictable Riggs is in the first Lethal Weapon -- and how likely it seems that Murtaugh might not survive until fade-out time. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Cast

Mel Gibson
as Martin Riggs
Danny Glover
as Roger Murtaugh
Gary Busey
as Mr. Joshua
Darlene Love
as Trish Murtaugh
Mitchell Ryan
as Gen. McAllister
Tom Atkins
as Michael Hunsaker
Traci Wolfe
as Rianne Murtaugh
Jackie Swanson
as Amanda Hunsaker
Damon Hines
as Nick Murtaugh
Ebonie Smith
as Carrie Murtaugh
Burbank the Cat
as Itself
Lycia Naff
as Dixie
Selma Archerd
as Policewoman
Patrick Cameron
as Police Detective
Marion Dougherty
Don Gordon
as Police Detective
Richard B. Whitaker
as Police Officer
Mary Ellen Trainor
as Psychologist
Steve Kahan
as Capt. Ed Murphy
Sam the Dog
as Itself
Jack Thibeau
as McCaskey
Grand L. Bush
as Boyette
Ed O'Ross
as Mendez
Gustav Vintas
as Gustaf
Al Leong
as Endo
Michael Shaner
as McCleary
Natalie Zimmerman
as Patrol Cop
Lenny Juliano
as Patrol Cop
Deborah Dismukes
as Blonde on Bike
Donald Gooden
as Alfred
Henry Brown
as Plainclothes Cop
Teresa Kadotani
as Hooker
Stephen Kahan
as Capt. Ed Murphy
John O'Neill
as Police Officer in Car No. 1
Tom Noga
as Police Officer in Car No. 2
Bill Kalmenson
as Beat Cop
Frank Reinhard
as Beat Cop
Jimmie F. Skaggs
as Drug Dealer
Jason Ronard
as Drug Dealer
Blackie Dammett
as Drug Dealer
Robert Fol
as Cop
Gilles Kohler
as Mercenary
Gail Bowman
as Cop
Alphonse Philippe Mouzon
as Alfred's Friend
Shaun Hunter
as Alfred's Friend
Everitt Wayne Collins Jr.
as Alfred's Friend
Paul Tuerpé
as Mercenary
Chad Hayes
as Mercenary
Chris D. Jardins
as Mercenary
Sven Ole Thorsen
as Mercenary
Peter Dupont
as Mercenary
Gilles Kholer
as Mercenary
James Poslof
as Mercenary
Cheryl Baker
as Girl in Shower #1
Terri Lynn Doss
as Girl in Shower #2
Sharon K. Brecke
as Girls in Shower
Allison Caine
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Critic Reviews for Lethal Weapon

All Critics (54) | Top Critics (15) | Fresh (44) | Rotten (10)

View All Critic Reviews (54)

Audience Reviews for Lethal Weapon

  • Mar 12, 2016
    Pretty good action movie that still stands on its own two feet nowadays, The story is very predictable as are most cop/action movies but it's pretty well acted at times and Mel Gibson and Danny Glover were great together.
    Jamie C Super Reviewer
  • Feb 13, 2016
    One of my favourites. Lethal Weapon has the amazing chemistry between its two leads, as well as providing witty dialogue, cool action sequences and a overall great time. A great classic!
    Mr N Super Reviewer
  • Nov 23, 2015
    Disclaimer: This review below is a review of "Lethal Weapon: The Director's Cut". Though in the review it will be referred to as just "Lethal Weapon". "Lethal Weapon" is a thrilling action movie. "Lethal Weapon" is has amazing acting from "Mel Gibson" and "Danny Glover". This movie has an thrilling plot to it. Every scene is great except for one. A scene I found stupid was where a car is driver through a house just for fun. "Lethal Weapon" has got a incredible soundtrack to it. It makes the scenes even better. The action scenes in this film are awesome, nothing looks fake. I highly recommend you watch "Lethal Weapon" as it is a awesome 80's movie. And I give "Lethal Weapon" a 8.5/10.
    Steve G Super Reviewer
  • Jun 24, 2013
    The movie that changed how we see action movies. It's a movie that showed that we can have our cake and eat it too. Not only does it have clever dialogue and interesting characters, we get exciting action too. It's not just another buddy cop movie. I can think of a lot of reasons why I love Lethal Weapon. First off, the characters are very endearing and down right likable. We've got Mel Gibson playing a crazy guy before he himself went crazy in real life. Danny Glover is Roger Murtaugh who's getting to old for this sh- well, you know. The dialogue is more clever than you see in most buddy cop movies. This and Lethal Weapon 2 are on my list for favorite action movies of all time. It proved you don't need a big dumb Hollywood action ending to make a satisfying conclusion. Here we've just got two guys fighting on a lawn and it's awesome. Letter Grade: A
    Chris M Super Reviewer
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