Lethal Weapon Reviews | RateItAll

Lethal Weapon

1987 American buddy cop action comedy film directed and co-produced by Richard Donner, written by Shane Black, and co-produced by Joel Silver Website

Approval Rate: 85%

85%Approval ratio

Reviews 25

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  • by

    robinlamigh

    Sun Aug 01 2010

    It was great. The none stop action. The actors just fit into the characters. I can't get tired of watching it. It makes you want to be there with them.

  • by

    coggy13

    Sun Aug 01 2010

    I love this movie. I saw it a bunch of times when it first came out. The chemistry between Gibson and Glover was terrific and there was action galore throughout the movie. The early scenes of manic Riggs sets us up well for the rest of the film. Gary Busey is an intense and entertaining villain. From what I've seen of him since, it appears that they had to tone down his personality a lot for the role. Yes, some things don't make sense. If you're not sure whether the cops know about the time and place of a major drug shipment, just change it. Whether they knew or not won't matter. Torturing people won't be necessary. But of course, logic like that wouldn't exactly make for an entertaining movie. So ignore this paragraph. Anyway, to wrap things up, loved it. Great performances and action.

  • by

    lmorovan

    Thu Apr 17 2008

    Credible story about the life and work of cops and detectives. Mel Gibson is brilliant.

  • by

    teresag

    Thu Apr 17 2008

    I love the plot and the action.  Gibson and Glover are great together.  HOWEVER, I will have to disagree with Imorovan and Dan S. , the story really isn't that credible.  Actual crime, yes ~ but what Police Dept. in their right mind, would put a PO like Riggs out on the street?  Answer: NONE.  The 60s definitely, but the 80s with the inception of Miranda and prisoners rights ~ not likely.  The film as a whole, was VERY entertaining and VERY worthwhile ~ but take it with a grain of salt ~ nowhere near the "real world".

  • by

    patriotsfan

    Fri Nov 09 2007

    lethal weapon is da bomb! Mel & Danny make a great team!

  • by

    wheelerdr

    Fri May 25 2007

    I don't know if it was the first of the modern buddy movies but it definitely set a standard that hasn't been surpassed

  • by

    limpin_trenchfoot

    Fri Dec 02 2005

    This one still holds up well after several times watching it and still way better than the sequels. By 4 they'd lost the plot.

  • by

    genghisthehun

    Sat Aug 27 2005

    This was a very likeable buddy movie. The two partners are good foils for each other.

  • by

    kattwoman

    Sat May 14 2005

    i love these movies. gibson and glover are perfectly paired. alot of action with a little humor makes them fun to watch

  • by

    dpostoskie

    Thu Apr 07 2005

    Fun and action, pure mindless entertainment.

  • by

    jamie_mcbain

    Thu Jun 24 2004

    The whole series is good, but part one is the best.

  • by

    tvtator

    Thu Dec 18 2003

    The best of the Lethal Weapon movies. Both Gibson and Glover connect well. Nice to see a cop movie with humor and action where the cops or at least one is struggling with some personal demons.

  • by

    irishgit

    Tue Dec 16 2003

    Above average, Gibson manages humour while toying with depression and suicide, and Glover is solid.

  • by

    weirdmeister

    Thu Jul 10 2003

    Lethal Weapon has great action scenes, great dialogue, and better acting than you'll find in most action movies. It combined drama and action perfectly, and we can truly get inside the character's heads and understand their emotions. Mel Gibson at his best-crazy as a leper.

  • by

    redoedo

    Mon May 19 2003

    I love all the "Lethal Weapon" films and although this one is not my favorite of the series, I still thought that is was a great film. It combined drama and action perfectly, and we can truly get inside the character's heads and understand their emotions. Mel Gibson does a wonderful job of portraying Riggs's eccentric, somewhat troubled personality to the audience. Danny Glover is perfectly cast as the grouchy Murtaugh who has his own insecurities about his age. The chemistry that Glover and Gibson share is simply amazing and it really perfected the film. And boy, what a creepy performance by Gary Busey. Then again, I guess it's not hard for him to take on creepy roles. In the final analysis, "Lethal Weapon" is definately one worth watching, and be sure to catch the rest of the films as well.

  • by

    callmetootie

    Thu Apr 05 2001

    I really like it's sequels a lot better, mainly because that were filled with humor, but this one is pretty dumb and stupid, and never really gets anywhere, they just sit around doing nothing.

  • by

    elasmogirl

    Fri Jan 19 2001

    This was a great movie. The sequals were even really good. I love Mel Gibson so that helped, but it was a great action flick along with a little comedy and suspense. It had an amazing story line also.

  • by

    deadboy_john

    Fri Jan 05 2001

    Mel Gibson at his best-crazy as a leper. The classic example of the buddy cop flick. The performances alone make it worth the watch, especially the always ugly Joshua.

  • by

    ronnie

    Mon Nov 27 2000

    The best buddy buddy cop film, appealing to all. I felt this movie to be the fullest.

  • by

    al3164e1

    Mon Nov 20 2000

    This was a great movie as well. Mel Gibson and Danny Glover play off each other so well. The director did a good job of molding comedy and action into a movie.

  • by

    dans548f

    Fri Nov 17 2000

    Lethal Weapon combined drama and action in a fairly believable plot. One of my favorites.

  • by

    dopeman

    Tue Nov 14 2000

    In my opinion, one of the best action movies made. There was action throughout the whole movie and mixed in was a little comedy.

  • by

    munson

    Tue Jun 20 2000

    The on-screen chemistry between Mel Gibson and Danny Glover made this film as great as it was. Gibson played the tortured detective who you weren't sure or not if he was psychotic. And, Glover played the grizzled veteran detective who was anticipating is retirement right around the corner. The movie had tremendous action and laugh out loud comedy. It also featured a great performance by Gary Busey.

  • by

    wiggum

    Sat Jun 03 2000

    What a great action movie. Lethal Weapon modernized the classic buddy picture (e.g., Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid) and ushered in a host of imitators that also pair up unlikely male buddies of different races (Rush Hour, Last Boy Scout, Wild Wild West, just to name a few). But the imitators can't match the Mel Gibson/Danny Glover chemistry that drives the movie and makes you care about the characters. Lethal Weapon has great action scenes, great dialogue, and better acting than you'll find in most action movies.

  • by

    aqua3715om

    Fri Jan 21 2000

    Mel Gibson's acting was superb. Great edge.