‘Lethal Weapon’ is one of the most successful films in the buddy-cop genre. The chemistry between an aging African American family man and a young, single and reckless Caucasian ex-marine is legendary and it helped spawn three more successful films in the ensuing decade.
The film revolves around two police officers who are as different from each other as chalk and cheese. They are forced to work with each other as Riggs, the younger one is undergoing depressive rage due to the death of his wife and is transferred to Murtaugh’s unit. They are faced with the apparent suicide of a girl who is the daughter of a friend of Murtaugh’s. Their investigation leads them to heroin smuggling operation run by ex-Vietnam vets. The plot revolves around the ability of the odd couple to solve the case.
The endearing aspect of this film is that despite the differences between the two officers, there is a chemistry that is subtly played out. Riggs and Murtaugh are different in their approach to life and work but find a way to complement each other, work together and protect each other. They don’t spar for the sake of spicing up the story. They just are.
Director Richard Donner keeps this subtle chemistry going through the next 3 films as well and that is what keeps the series together.
The usage of music to create distinctive feels for each principal character is worth noticing. Rigg’s theme is guitar based and the riffs are played by Eric Clapton. Murtaugh’s theme is sax based and is played by jazz saxophonist David Sanborn. These musical pieces are played out at key points in the story to give a distinctive flavor to the characters of Riggs and Murtaugh. The story is fast paced and full of action with vehicles blowing up, bullets flying and bombs going off. Sometimes the wise cracks flow thicker than bullets.
The acting honors are shared equally by Danny Glover as Murtaugh and Mel Gibson as Riggs. Glover superbly plays the aging cop who is nervous about taking risks and tries unsuccessfully to keep up with the young and agile Riggs. Mel Gibson adds an element of madness to his role as Riggs as he brings a calculated recklessness to his job as a police officer. As the series progressed, the films became more of action-comedies. The first film is the most raw of the four.
‘Lethal Weapon’ is excellent popcorn entertainment, perfect for thrills and laughs without having to leave your brains behind to do so. All four films are highly recommended.
